Why Regular Website Maintenance Services are Critical for Your Business

Maintaining a website is essential for any business that uses its website to market and sell its products and services online.

Websites are seen as the digital storefront of your business, where customers can browse, purchase products and services, and learn more about your brand. However, most business owners assume that creating a beautiful and functional website is enough.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Modern website technology is evolving steadily and needs monthly website maintenance services to keep them up to date and secure.

With a regular website maintenance service, your site may be protected from various issues that could leave potential customers turning away from your business and going to your competition.

In this article, we’ll explore what website maintenance service entails, its benefits, and what costs you can expect.

Why might you need a website maintenance or support service?

 

Comprehensive website maintenance services are essential for successful online business trading or marketing operations. 

Website support plans should include regular website checks and updates for potential errors, malware, or other security issues.

It should also include regularly scheduled maintenance tasks like plugin updates, tech support, hosting, and changes to the content and design to ensure your website is aesthetically pleasing and up-to-date.

It is also important to have regularly scheduled website cloud backups to ensure you will retain important content in an emergency. 

Without a comprehensive and effective website maintenance plan, your website can quickly become outdated and unusable, hurting your business. 

Websites are a lot more complex than they used to be

Most websites are powered by a Content Management System, an application that controls all aspects of website publishing. It is responsible for everything from content creation and management to page layout. WordPress, Joomla, Magento, Shopify, Drupal, and online services like Wix and Squarespace are the most popular CMS systems.

WordPress is the most widely used CMS system in the world.

It powers over half the websites online. It’s a great platform for small to medium-sized websites because it’s user-friendly. It offers many features, flexible customisation options, and tools and plugins to help you market and sell your products and services online.

It’s an awesome tool, but due to the platform’s open-source nature, it’s constantly releasing updates. If the updates between the Core WordPress system and the plugins get too far out of sync, it can cause serious site security issues to your site.

The reason websites break

Websites can break down for various reasons, from technical issues to user error. Common technical issues can include problems with a website’s hosting, server configuration, outdated WordPress Theme or Plugin or security vulnerabilities. 

Websites can also break due to browser or operating system compatibility issues.

User error can also be blamed, such as when a user attempts to upload an incompatible or malicious file to a website, changes a website’s code, uploads a new plugin, or messes with the website’s settings. 

A knowledgeable web developer can often identify and fix these issues. In some cases, website owners may need to enlist the help of a professional web developer to pinpoint and resolve the issue.

A lot of unseen work is required in the backend of your website that you would never think is needed, but it is crucial to keep your website secure and running smoothly.

Here are a few of the most common issues caused when a website or plugin fails.

 

• • Your payments may not be collected through your online store or membership website.

• • Hackers can exploit loopholes in older technology and crash your website, leading to a “This Site Is Dangerous” Warning.

• • Critical errors because it is no longer compatible with your hosting company or another plugin or theme.

• • Slow performance: as technology improves, it offers performance benefits and can improve the speed of your website, which is always a good thing for your site visitors

• • Customers can no longer log in and access their products or services.

• • Worst Case scenario – Your website can be lost completely (I’ve seen this happen to a few Companies)

 

Any of these issues can cause big issues for your business.

These reasons increase the reason businesses need website maintenance and WordPress support services.

WordPress maintenance services can be invaluable for website owners who want to ensure their site is secure, functional, and up-to-date.

Keeping your site updated ensures customers enjoy a seamless and secure online experience when visiting your site. When it comes to the success of a business, having a website that is constantly monitored, managed, and updated is essential.

Why do website owners not update their websites?

Website owners not updating their websites often puzzles many people – why aren’t websites kept up to date with fresh content and timely information, or at least the tools used on their sites updated to the latest versions?

The answer is usually a combination of factors, but the biggest is often time constraints, lack of knowledge and fear of breaking the site. 

You may not be aware that your site needs to be kept up to date, that you need more technical capabilities to make these changes to your site, or that you may need more resources to pay for an outside web developer to do it.

Furthermore, the website owner may be intimidated by the complexity of the updates, so they do nothing, which over time makes updating the site more dangerous and likely to break or cause issues.

This creates a perfect storm of obstacles facing website owners regarding website maintenance or updates.

Is a Website maintenance plan right for you?

Every website needs regular maintenance if it is going to continue to function properly. But with so many website maintenance plans available, it can be hard to decide if the cost is worth it.

The answer will largely depend on the complexity of your website and your comfort level with troubleshooting problems. If you are comfortable with setting up your website, daily backups and fixing any issues that may arise, then a maintenance plan might not be necessary.

However, if you run a complex website or you’re not confident about making changes on your own, then a comprehensive website maintenance plan is strongly recommended. 

Knowing that experienced professionals are monitoring your website and can handle any problem quickly and efficiently can provide peace of mind.

WordPress support services can also help you improve your website for a much cheaper fee than hiring a web design agency or freelancer.

Types of businesses that should consider a support service.

 

• • If your business is well established and receives website traffic organically, or you drive traffic to the site through paid ads, email marketing or affiliates, then keeping the website online is crucial.

• • Your business generates leads, enquiries, and marketing subscribers.

• • If you have an e-commerce website or membership site, take regular payments, and support customers or members,

• • If you want to improve your site performance over 6 – 12 months

• • Your site is often updated with new content, and you want to add new custom features.

• • You have multiple WordPress sites, and they take up a lot of time.

Ultimately, the decision to pay for monthly WordPress maintenance services will depend on your business needs and the type of support you need. 

If you are trying to decide whether website maintenance is the right choice for you, it is important to talk to a professional who can provide you with the best advice.

These are the typical reasons a web maintenance service may be a good idea for you.

 

• • You are busy, and time is limited, and you do not want to waste your time managing your website

• • You know what you want to achieve with your site, but you don’t have the technical skills to get it done

• • You or your team are complete technophobes, and the thought of messing with your website fills you with dread

• • You want to get better results from your online marketing

• • You want to make steady progress with your website, and you want expert WordPress advice and guidance

• • You have a limited budget and can’t afford to custom site redesign and rebuild

Now we know why a web support service is a good idea, and if it’s right for you, let’s see what’s typically included in website maintenance services.

What is included in a website maintenance package?

What are the activities of website maintenance?

A typical WordPress website maintenance service includes features such as weekly updates to themes, plugins, and the core WordPress software. You can also expect web hosting, automated backups of both files and databases, regular security scans for malware, link integrity checks, uptime monitoring, and website performance reviews.

More advanced plans will include speed optimisation, content uploading, new plugin set-up, design changes and marketing support. These can include search engine optimisation, email marketing automation and ecommerce or membership support.

What are the benefits of a website maintenance service?

Creating an effective website can be daunting and requires ongoing work and support. A good website is never finished. From content creation to marketing your business, they can require a lot of work to make overall site improvements.

There are numerous benefits to having ongoing support for your website. Let’s look at the technical benefits of a Support Service.

Enhanced Website Security

Website security should be one of the top priorities for any online business.

Regular website maintenance involves installing and updating security measures and software.

Uptime monitoring to detect and notify any site crashes and limit the time any issues may cause

Furthermore, your website’s software and plugins, including the CMS, should be updated regularly to keep up with the latest security patches to limit vulnerabilities.

Website Hosting and Backups

When you choose a website support company, they’ll usually host your website. WordPress hosting providers should provide regular automatic daily website backups of your files and customer data. Their database backups should be stored on the server, and a cloud backup should be stored in a different location that can easily be accessed in an emergency.

Having reliable backups is the key to ensuring your website and its content remain secure.

Even if you don’t have web support, check with your hosting provider at a bare minimum, ensure they backup your site daily, and maintain backups for 30 days. And that they can restore backups if needed.

If you don’t have this, you could lose your site completely.

Improved Website Speed and Performance

Your website’s speed and performance significantly impact user experience. Today’s customers expect websites to load at lightning speed so any delays could lead to a high bounce rate. Regular website maintenance includes optimising images, compressing JavaScript and CSS, and minifying code. These optimisations will improve your website’s load time, enhance user experience, and drive conversions.

Poor performance scores can also impact your rankings in search engines.

Improved Website Design and User Experience

A well-designed website can make the difference between success and failure. It can mean better customer engagement.

A good website design is integral for success. To make it easier for users to find and navigate your website, you need to consider their needs first.

By creating content that solves visitors’ problems, optimising for mobile devices, and placing certain design elements where they can be easily accessed, you can create an overall positive experience. 

Improving website design and user experience should be a continuous process. Keep track of user engagement and track changes over time. If something doesn’t seem to be working, tweak it accordingly.

Your goal should be to build trust and keep visitors coming back. A great website design and user experience should be achievable with the right strategies.

Enhanced SEO Ranking

Your website’s search engine ranking should be a top priority if you want your website to be found by potential customers. Regular website maintenance involves fixing broken links, optimising website pages and creating fresh, relevant, and engaging content for your targeted audience.

These practices will help your website improve its search engine rankings, making it easier for potential customers to find your business.

Marketing Support / Data Capture

Capturing enquiries and subscribers Is an essential aspect of online marketing for businesses. It enables them to effectively gather and analyse relevant information to shape their marketing and sales strategies. By accurately gathering data from various sources, companies can gain valuable insights into customer behaviour, sales patterns, and spending habits.

This information enables you to optimise your marketing campaigns for maximum impact. With an effective data capture system, businesses can transform data into actionable insights that drive improved marketing and sales performance.

The Personal Benefits

 

Peace Of Mind

Outsourcing your web support and site care to reliable professionals can help reduce stress and provide a sense of security because you have faith that their website is in the hands of professionals. Just knowing you have a daily website backup can be reassuring.

Time-Saving for busy business owners

By outsourcing your website tasks, business owners can free up their time and use it to pursue creative activities, focus more on marketing and sales and grow their business. The time cost of managing updates on your website yourself can harm your business’s growth.

Making and tracking progress with your online marketing

You must track how customers interact with your website and evaluate how effective your marketing efforts are.

Utilising analytics can help you identify any areas of opportunity and inspire new ideas for future campaigns and strategies.

The issue is most business owners need to learn how to set up and install these valuable tracking tools; a good web support team will know how to configure and install these for you so you can measure your efforts and make changes when needed.

Your Support Expectations

When choosing a professional WordPress website maintenance service, it’s wise to set your expectations; if your budget is limited, you can’t expect unlimited updates or custom web development.

But if you know what you want to achieve and see it as a partnership with your chosen provider, they can offer huge long-term benefits.

The Different Types Of Website Support Plans?

Depending on your needs and budget, various types of website support plans exist. A monthly or annual plan is the most cost-effective way for most businesses to ensure you get the sitecare you need for your wordpress websites.

A Basic Website support plan

Lower-cost plans typically perform regular maintenance tasks like daily backups, server monitoring, security scanning, tech support, WordPress updates, plugin updates, theme updates and some content uploading or website edits.

This support plan is perfect for you if your business wants peace of mind that your website is regularly updated and you have someone to turn to for basic changes or technical support and fixes when needed. 

Or you have a limited budget and want to improve your site over time and can’t afford to have a professional redesign and rebuild now but find the idea of spreading the cost appealing.

A More Advanced Website Maintenance Services

A full website maintenance service will include everything included in a basic plan but will offer their clients more dedicated time and advanced custom services.

These can include

 

• • Custom WordPress development for new features like setting up an online store on your site.

• • Fixing More technical issues affecting your SEO efforts

• • Speed optimisation

• • Uptime monitoring

• • Custom Design and build of new landing pages

• • Creating custom content and publishing it to your blog for you

• • Setting up lead generation forms

You will also have more enhanced support access in your plan

 

• • A dedicated account manager

• • unlimited website edits

• • Managing customer support for you

• • 24/7 support

• • or direct WhatsApp support access.

A more advanced support plan could be perfect for you if you have a website that you are generally happy with and performs well.

But you want to improve key areas like SEO, speed, and support with more advanced tasks like online sales and CRM integrations, which require unlimited edits and custom tasks.

How much does it cost to hire someone to maintain a website?

The cost of monthly website maintenance packages depends on various factors, including the size of your site, your site type, and the frequency of maintenance required.

For example, an e-commerce site or membership website can take much more time to run WordPress updates due to the multiple moving parts and the ordering and content access management compared to a simple WordPress site.

Lower budget support plans

The typical cost for affordable maintenance services ranges between £35 and £100 per month for a starter plan to cover the basics support tasks.

Higher-priced support plans

More dedicated website maintenance services range between £150 and £500 a month, depending on how much support time you want to be dedicated to improving your site and marketing each month will determine the best website maintenance package for you. 

What else can a website maintenance company do?

You may also want additional support services with your marketing, services like SEO optimisation, Google Ads or Facebook Ads, monthly blog content creation and publishing or email content services; these will come with additional monthly fees.

What should you look for in website maintenance companies?

When looking for the best website maintenance services for you, it’s important to ensure the team you choose has an experienced team of developers offering clients WordPress services like website design and development, website usability, and marketing, and, most importantly, they have experience and skills with the tools your WordPress site is built with.

Let’s say your website is built on WordPress and uses Divi theme builder, but they dont have much experience with this tool. They may make more of a mess than they can solve trying to figure out how it works, so it is worth looking for a partner with expertise in the tools your website has installed.

We offer a wide range of web design and marketing services at Melt. Still, we specialise in offering support and maintenance plans for WordPress, WooCommerce, Membership, and Elementor websites.

With over 30 years of combined experience, we are WordPress experts and will always be confident we can help anyone with a WordPress site. 

However, if your website is on Shopify, Magento or another CMS system, we wouldn’t take you on as a client and advise you to seek an expert on those systems.

Ask them about their experience and processes for routine website maintenance, security, backups, search engine optimisation, speed optimisation, and other related tasks. It is also essential to review their portfolio to see the quality of their work.

Communication and Turnaround times

Furthermore, evaluate their communication style and availability to provide specific turnaround times for any issues that might arise. In short, ensure the team is experienced, knowledgeable, and communicative so your website runs smoothly and any maintenance needed is handled promptly.

Monthly Support Time

Some support providers may offer fixed monthly support time per site to run updates, security fixes and other amends to improve your website. Some offer a use it or lose it policy.

With all of our support plans, any unused time each month is rolled to the next month and can be used for bigger projects later on, like design improvements or setting up more advanced features on your website.

Do they offer other website maintenance resources? 

These may include website training, how-to videos or other benefits like free plugin licences, discounts for other tools or an extended network for other services that could help your business.

Get a web audit first.

A Good web maintenance service provider will normally offer a free or paid website discovery audit to see how many issues your website has, how it’s built and if they can support it.

We offer free WordPress website audits here. Our site Audits include security scans, SEO, speed and technical reports to find any issues with your website and other areas that could be improved and determine if you need website maintenance services.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, WordPress website maintenance services can be critical for any business to sell or market online.

Regular website maintenance services enhance your site’s security, speed, performance, and SEO ranking, save you time and give you peace of mind.

With the cost of most website maintenance support plans ranging between £75-£500 per month, neglecting regular maintenance could lead to more costly problems in the long run. 

Therefore, it’s wise to seek professional WordPress maintenance services to keep your website in top condition and ensure its longevity.