by Claude Mifsud, UX Developer & Technical Architect
Owning a website or a blog has its responsibilities. You can’t just upload and forget about it. If you want your website to be successful, regular maintenance is a must. Regular maintenance can:
- Retain a secure site. Websites are often hacked, and visitors are lost to hacked sites;
- Prevent you from losing all your content. Holding a regular backup schedule ensures this;
- Prevent users who are frustrated because something is not working or because of a broken link; and, amongst others;
- Continue to give the visitors fresh, updated information and exciting news to keep them interested and engaged with your portal.
Here’s a quick list to get you going on keeping your website running smoothly:
Content
Did you get mentioned in the news? Did someone leave a review about your services, products or your website? This is all social proof and you need to show visitors what others are saying about you. Website content can include written text, images, videos, anything that will attract new visitors and bring back existing ones.
You should also check for broken links, site speed, and track your site statistics to keep improving your SEO ratings.
Features
At website launch, there might have been something that was left out due to time considerations or budget constraints. Maybe you can afford it now? Look at your website every so often to see if you can make some improvements from a User-Experience perspective. Something that you haven’t thought of until now can be engaging to visitors. Or maybe you have some visitors’ feedback you need to implement?
Regular Backups
Backing up your website is something that should be done regularly, especially for those who frequently update their website. Mishaps happen. Do not expect a scheduled backup from your web host. While these could be happening in the background, don’t take the risk as these might be older versions of your website. If for some reason the server crashes, your website is hacked, or you make some major mistake, your edits may be gone if the web hosting company restores what they had backed up. Imagine losing the whole website, just because you didn’t take a couple of minutes to back it up!
Monitor Website Downtime
If your website goes down, you want to be the first person to know, and not receive an email from someone else who is unable to access it.
Keep Software Updated
Most websites are built on a content management system (CMS), which means it is potentially exploitable software. We use WordPress for many reasons, but one is that it is constantly being updated, improved, and made more secure. When a new version is released by WordPress, updating your website is a must and failure to do so leaves you vulnerable. Plugin updates should be treated in the same manner as all software updates are a form of security.
Keep Secure
Hackers usually don’t announce themselves on your website’s front page. You may be infected and don’t even know that your website is being used to send spam emails or link to malicious parts of the internet. Deploying a regular monitoring service will ensure that you can fix them fairly quickly if you get infected or have site errors.
Let Us Help You
If you are too busy taking care of your business to monetize your investment, and require advice and support regarding your website, we would be more than happy to be of assistance. Get in touch with us to have an updated and secured website which reflects well on your brand and business.
