Keep Your Website Sharp, Clean, and Fast
In a world where 81% of people research brands on the internet before making big purchases, your business’s website is an important part of your outreach. A clean, secure. user-friendly website that loads quickly can convert browsers to customers. However, without the proper website maintenance, your site could send all the wrong messages.
Your potential customers will most likely gain their first impression from your homepage—which can be a scary prospect for many small business owners. Not unlike your car, your website requires regular maintenance to keep it running smoothly. With some specialized attention to coding and updates, you can catch small problems before they snowball into big ones that could drive away clients. We have developed a website maintenance checklist to keep your site—and your business—looking and performing its best.
Update Security
This should be no surprise, but best practices in keeping your website’s data secure are always adapting to the newest defenses. Google’s recent SSL certificate requirement warnings now mean updating to HTTPS encryption or risking a big fat “unsecure” label on Chrome. Regularly ensuring your website is secure is vital to protecting the communication and data traveling through your business.
Check for Broken Links
Nothing says “unprofessional” like links that don’t go where they should or, worse, go to a 404 error page. This is frustrating for your customer and could be enough to send them running to your competition. Check that your links are updated and working properly.
Make It Mobile Friendly
Making sure your website looks good response well on a mobile device screen is absolutely vital for a strong internet presence. More Google searches take place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries, including the U.S. Not all website formats are mobile friendly, which can make your information impossible to read or your forms impossible to submit. Make it part of your regular website maintenance to check from both a desktop and mobile device’s view.
Update WordPress and Plugins
Sure you might like the way your current version of WordPress works now, but putting it off can make you vulnerable to bugs and hackers. There are lots of boogeymen out there just waiting to creep into your site through a security hole, but updates usually patch those weak spots. Plus WordPress core updates, as well as plugin updates, will ensure your site is loading quickly and will be compatible with all the newest tools you might want to use. Always backup your site before updating, just in case something goes haywire in the process.
Double-Check Your Backup System—And Then Check It Again
Your backup system could mean the difference between a bad work day and a catastrophe for your business. Whether you choose on-site or off-site backup, triple check that your system is working properly. You can check your backup’s effectiveness by restoring the most recent backup to a separate web server. Make this part of your website maintenance checklist and you will never regret it!
Ditch Outdated Graphics
The last thing you want reflecting your personality and professionalism are blurry pictures and blah graphics. Taking the time to refresh your website’s graphic design shows customers that you value your appearance, even when it is online.
If taking on this website maintenance checklist seems overwhelming, we hear you! Our professional tech heroes can keep your website running efficiently and loading quickly to convert customers into loyal brand believers. Whether you need help maintaining your updates, automating your website functions, updating your design, or integrating more effective SEO, we can help!
An investment in your website will return smooth operations and a more powerful online presence. Contact us today for a consultation and a review of your website’s maintenance needs.