In this piece, website builder John Musker breaks down what your website maintenance professional should be doing for you.
So, you have just paid a developer a wad of cash to build you a shiny new website.
She has given you a login to ‘cPanel’ and suggested that you keep all the software updated – and you are now starting to realise that there is a cost of ownership for websites. They are not set and forget!
No stress. In this article, we will break it down to the basics to give you a complete understanding of website maintenance. This will empower you to do it yourself or know what to ask when outsourcing it.
What is website maintenance?
The majority (62 per cent) of all Websites are built with WordPress, a Content Management System (CMS). Other CMSS include Wix, Shopify, Squarespace, Joomla, and more. This article will focus on WordPress maintenance.
What is a CMS? In the early days of websites, developers used programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to build websites, as well as various tools to manage them and to present web pages on the screen. A CMS is a ‘one-stop shop’ that brings all these tools together to simplify and streamline the website development process.
The WordPress CMS has a few key components that need to be maintained:
- Themes (think styling)
- Plugins (like apps for your phone)
- WordPress version itself
- PHP (think middle-man between your website and web server)
Why do you need to maintain your website?
- Software updates. If you have a mobile phone, you will be used to getting software updates for your phone’s operating system. All your CMS components will need to be updated as new versions come out. This is important to keep your website secure.
- Backups. You wouldn’t go on a road trip without a spare tyre! A backup does one better – it’s a spare car! If the car breaks down, jump in the spare car and continue the journey. If your site breaks down, restore from a backup and happy days.
- Security. You probably know someone whose website or social media account has been hacked. Prevention is always better than a cure, but regular scans can detect breaches early.
- Performance. Your website visitors and Google don’t like slow sites, and regular scans can spot any slowdowns.
- Links. Your website should have internal links to other pages and external links to other sites. Sometimes these links end up pointing to a dead end. Google and SEO don’t like that. Check them regularly.
- Uptime monitoring. If your business relies on your website being available 24/7, ‘someone’ should be monitoring it and taking action if it goes off air.
What are typical costs?
Costs vary widely for website maintenance – anything from $40 to $1,000 a month. The variables that impact price are:
- The size and complexity of the website – bigger sites with e-commerce may require more frequent backups and more updates
- The technology used on the website – specialist resources may be required in some cases
- The level of support included in the plan
- Premium plugins – some sites need paid plugins (small programs that support larger programs) to provide special functionality, and your developer may pass on the license fees.
- Some developers may include set hours to provide content updates
How often does your website need maintenance?
As you now know, things like backups, security and performance scans should be done fairly often, and other activities may be done on an as-needed basis.
DIY maintenance
If you have the time and some basic technical skills, you can perform basic maintenance tasks like backups, software updates and performance and security checks.
The most important thing for DIYers is to have a solid backup and restore process – but there are plenty of free plugins that can automate this.
Bonus tip: If you take backups, store them somewhere other than your website server. Google Drive and Dropbox will do the job. Storing backups on your web server is like leaving your spare keys in the car – it won’t end well if you lock yourself out.
Outsourcing maintenance
When you outsource, what communications should you expect from your website maintenance professional? The last thing you want is to pay a monthly subscription fee and never hear from your maintenance provider. You figure no news is good news. Right? A good provider will provide a monthly report to show what has been done, including any downtime, etc. They may also issue general alerts, tips, and tricks from time to time.
Red flags when hiring someone to maintain your website
Now that you know what is involved in website maintenance, you know what to look for. Red flags could include
- No reporting or communication
- No breakdown of costings
- No one-one-one support
- Unexplained outages or site slowdowns
Regular website maintenance protects your website, ensures good performance, and maintains search visibility. Whether you manage it yourself or outsource, knowing what’s involved will help you stay ahead of problems – and to intervene if need be.
