Why Web-Maintenance Is Your Responsibility!

Maintaining your online presence is required for anyone with a website. Ensure the longevity of your website by building a habit to regularly check your website for any possible updates to your SEO, plug-ins,themes and CMS. It is up to you to make sure your online presence reflects your best values and the face of your business, either with customisable solutions or off-the-shelf products. #cybersecurityawarenessmonth

1. Maintaining your online presence is required for anyone with a website.

 Websites are the virtual image of your business - it’s what you look like online.

Yes, websites have expiration dates too, especially if neglected - technology is constantly evolving, so regular web maintenance is a way to combat any loopholes that may leave you to outdated software, problems such as misconfiguration issues, outdated plugins, themes, and CMS. 

      2. "So, what is web maintenance?"

Like building good habits, web maintenance ensures the longevity of your [online] presence. It comes down to 3 main elements:

• Managing your software
• Managing your content
• Managing your marketing strategy

     3. "When should I maintain my website?"

The internet is ever-changing; algorithms, keyword rankings and trends are constantly changing. Keeping informed with the current flow of content and updates regarding your website host as well as your branding is important. The question of when is just as important as the question of how often. On average, it is advised to carry our regular checks twice a month, and gradually, if possible, on a weekly basis. 

     4. "How can I manage my website?"

The first impression is often the last impression; with the amount of competition clustered online, it is important to stand out- but don't let your message get lost in impracticality. To put into perspective, what are the elements that make click on or stay on a webpage? Here's what you should be looking out for:

• Your brand:
  • Is the message still current?
  • Do the copy, look and feel of your website still true to your branding?
  • Have there been any changes to your values, your work philosophy and/pr your deliverables? If so, update your existing content, remove old content and, when relevant, submit some new content to keep yourself and your audience in the loop. 

• Your SEO: 
• Not updating your SEO will leave you lost in the algorithm, losing your web ranking or worse - redirecting users to unwanted spam-specific content and websites. Don’t leave both you and your customers vulnerable to unsupervised pages and links.  
  • Does your SEO need a little brushing up? Revisit your copy work and update phrases and terminology, take your time in researching new terminologies and current trends.
  • Is your website "search-engine-friendly"? Take the time to analyse how your target audience searches for the content/service you provide - what sort of questions are they asking? Does your web description align perfectly with any of these questions?
  • Check for backlinks: Backlinks are still a strong indicator of a website’s quality. Similar to SEO, great backlinks can improve your ranking - bad backlinks can cost your reputation.

• Your web's practicality: Loading time - Don't test your user's patience... it's been proven that our attention span is at 5 seconds - take a step back consider the logistics of your web's loading time. 
  • Are your images too big? Are the file types correct? Have a look at the drastic changes we’ve made for Premax, after implementing image optimisations.
  • Not only are high-quality images easy to obtain nowadays, providing high-quality images adds marks to your professionalism. Making sure your website is able to cater these big files is crucial for its loading time, in turn, the attention of the user. The average loading time is between 1 - 3 seconds, any longer and you may find your bounce rates at an all-time high. Sometimes, it’s as simple as changing your host.

• Your web's practicality: Navigation - can users find the content they’re looking for?
  • Is it smooth? Is anything lagging or not making sense?
  • Check for any new bug fixes 
  • Great, perhaps your loading time is good! But how is the flow of the website? How does it look and feel? With the rise of minimalistic designs and the amount of internet clutter, your web’s navigation system is just as important, if not more important than the design of your website.

     5. Benefits of regular web maintenance 

• Better web ranking (by fixing and updating SEO and improving your loading time) 
• Maintain relevance in the algorithm: once again, your content remains in better chances of ranking higher. 
• Secure usage among both you and your customers: the quality of your website can influence the appearance of your business; checking backlinks and updating plug-ins and themes can contribute greatly to the professionalism of your website to reflect who you are as a business.

     6. Some last notes.

Automated paid updated services are an option but can disrupt your current feed. A customised system can be built to cater to your current feed without disrupting the system.

Invest in a solution that will sustain the longevity of your website. 

If you're looking to switch your domain or host your own website, DCODE GROUP has extensive experience with web building and web integration. Shoot us a message or have a read of our client case studies for insights on how we operate.