Website Maintenance Programs: Do I need one?

Have you launched a new website… and, feeling overwhelmed with the upkeep? Or, perhaps you’re wondering who to call if your site crashes, or gets hacked? It can be a really daunting responsibility.

This also applies to those in the market for a new website. You will no doubt want a team to call when they have questions, someone to maintain their updates, and ofcourse back up their intel – beyond going live!

It’s a valid concern, and that’s why web developers are jumping on board to offer their clients Web Maintenance Plans.

SO, what is a Web Maintenance Plan (WMP)?

A WMP is designed to give you peace of mind once your site goes live, or even for an existing site. There are plenty of elements involved in the upkeep of a live site, and most importantly, there are plenty of security reasons aswell.

Most WMP’s will start with a base package which will cover the basics i.e. back-ups, site support, while more involved (and yes, more expensive) packages may include everything from a number of website edits per month to marketing and brand assistance. Why you ask? Most web developers don’t want to say “sayonara” the second your site goes live. It’s well within their skillset to offer ongoing support to ensure your combined creation stays safe, runs smoothly and quickly, and is easily updated, and it makes sense to trust the person who created your site to care for it going forward.

Things you want in your WMP and why

Daily Off-Site Back-ups: This one is a vital element to any WMP. Daily site back-ups may seem extreme, but the truth is sometimes websites vanish into thin air – yes, it does happen! By allowing an external party to manage this for you, you don’t have to worry about losing any updates, content, or data.

Site Monitoring: If you’re a small business owner, you probably don’t know what to look for in terms of monitoring your site or reading reports. Most WMP’s will include a monthly report to show you who is visiting your site, when, and to what areas. It’s shown to be super helpful for businesses to determine their strengths and weaknesses online.

SEO: SEO is an ever-evolving beast, and to be honest, most small business owners still struggle with understanding and implementing SEO strategies. But, we don’t blame you since SEO has changed significantly over the years. This is thanks to the algorithm and advertising rules implemented by some search engines, and social media platforms. If SEO gives you a headache, make sure your site ranks well consistently by ensuring this is within your WMP.

Software Updates: These can be timely if you want to manage this yourself, and you may not even know they are available to you. If you have an expert taking care of your updates, your site will be working at its peak all the time. Since updates can occur weekly, leave it to the experts, we say!

Website Security: Web security is vital to the survival of your website. While your web developer can’t guarantee that you won’t ever experience a hacking of some sort, their expertise and software will make your site as hack-proof as possible. They will also have those daily back-ups for you as we discussed above.

Web Assistance Allowance: Some WMP’s will include a number of web assistance sessions within the package. For example, 2 x 3o minute phone calls or 2 x 30 minute website edits made by your developer. Our tip: If you have these included in your package, be sure to make the most of them! Your site can always do with some tweaks along the way, and you can always benefit from the guidance.

SGD WMP Plans

Here at SGD, we offer plans from $150 per month. Each plan offers a varied range of the services mentioned above and more – including email domain management and e-newsletter services.