Why do you need Website Maintenance?

Source: freepik

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Introduction

Building a website is like building a house, with each coming season there are going to be changes in the environment that you need to address to keep your house intact. In the case of a website, these changes are advancements in IT technology ( SEO algorithms , CMS updates, data security and more ). Just as we ensure that every bolt, tile, faucet etc. are routinely maintained in our homes, it's the same with website maintenance.

Website maintenance includes ensuring your site is compliant with the latest modern standards of technology, user experience, performance and security. There is a saying - “Rust to Dust '' , which implies that without maintenance, even the best websites can wither away. Exemplifi is a leader in website maintenance and you can scroll down below for our comprehensive list of maintenance solutions to keep your website always in the best shape.

Website maintenance is the process of keeping a website up-to-date and running smoothly as well as performing optimally. It includes tasks like ensuring all the links on your site are working, regularly updating content, and fixing any broken links. It also involves more general housekeeping tasks like backing up your site regularly and monitoring your site's performance. Let’s talk about some points below why you need website maintenance.

Website crashes

There will be a chance of your website crashing for multiple reasons. If something goes wrong, like a hack, DDOS attack or a downed server, you need a fast response. People with this knowledge and familiarity with your website and its functionality will be able to resolve the concerns more quickly.

Long Term SEO is affected

SEO is the cornerstone of a great performing website. By maintaining your website, you will improve SEO rankings, boost online traffic, and increase conversion rate. A well-maintained website will always create a good first impression. 

Uptime could deteriorate

Good uptime is ensuring that your website has adequate security. This includes securing the server from hacking attempts, blocking off bots and malware, performing regular backups of files and database data so it can be accessed in the event of an emergency or disaster recovery.

Accessibility Issues can show up

Accessibility is never a one-and-done project, it requires ongoing support and continued work for your website. WCAG updates its recommendations to meet the standards regularly. Similarly, your content needs to be updated to meet guidelines. Regular accessibility tests will help you catch these problems. When you develop a website that is equally convenient for people with and without disabilities, audience reach will increase

Broken links can happen 

Broken links and pages can discourage visitors from digging deeper into your website. As a result, you need to check for and repair these issues. That way, catching problems before the customer loses business and money.

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Typical Website Maintenance Activities

We’ve put together a list of some of the most common website errors we’ve seen through our experience with technical audits and website assessments, and the steps to take to fix them.

Performance Monitoring and Reporting

One of the most crucial website maintenance activities is testing web pages to make sure they load quickly. If your site is full of slowly loading pages, it will impact site traffic. Users leaving certain pages faster than others can be a sign of performance issues, but Exemplifi stands to improve them.

Updating Plugins and Integrations

Some plugins and integrations that run on your website are constantly being updated to improve functionality and reduce issues. Updated versions of plugins/integrations improve features and user experience (at best), and at worst can cause these parts of your website to fail, which can result in part of your website breaking or the entire website going down.

Security Scans

Security scanning ensures that the site is secure from any potential threats. Exemplifi regularly scans the website using the sucuri site checker tool and fixes security vulnerabilities before they cause any damage. This helps to protect both the website and its users from potential harm. Keeping the website always at low security risk levels always adds value to the website.

Uptime Monitoring

Exemplifi always makes sure the customer website is always accessible to visitors and potential users. We alert customers as soon as the site is down and fix the issue. We use a tool called status cake to monitor this activity.

SSL Monitoring

SSL certificate monitoring is an automated way of checking whether an SSL certificate is valid and when it expires. When a website's SSL certificate becomes invalid or close to the expiration date, Exemplifi doesn’t miss to alert the Customer.

Domain Monitoring

Having your domain name registered for multiple years shows a commitment to your business, your site and your content. When the Domain becomes invalid or close to the expiration date, Exemplifi team alerts the customer.

SEO Monitoring

Exemplifi ensures the customer website is visible in search engines. This includes tracking your Broken Links, Duplicate page titles, Missing meta description..etc. SEO monitoring can help you identify potential problems and take steps to fix them. If users click on your website from search results and arrive on a 404 page, they will turn around and find another site from the search results.With a tool like Screaming Frog, you can find broken links fast.

Accessibility Monitoring

If any new pages are added, content changed accessibility issues may come up. Exemplifi evaluates regularly how your website meets essential thresholds for usability. Exemplifi uses tools like Wave, Accessibe..etc to find accessibility issues and fix them and report to clients if any content needs to be updated. Issues like alt-text for hyperlinks, labels for button text, alt-text for images..etc issues will come up on a regular basis and we fix them.

Responsive Testing

Exemplifi believes and statistics show that website responsiveness produces a better user experience. So, we ensure the website is responsive by testing on various devices using browserstack tools. Below are the five key points why we need responsive testing.

• Google Prioritizes Mobile-First,
• Improved Usability,
• Better Customer Experience,
• Improved Page Speed,
• Lower Bounce Rate

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Final Thoughts

These are all the important things you need to know about maintaining your website. If your website passes the necessary maintenance checks, it will save you unforeseen problems and easier time ensuring that your visitors can always find the best content on it.