A quality website is invaluable for today’s businesses, but launching it is only step one. To fully capitalize on its potential, you need a comprehensive website maintenance strategy.
For companies in Grand Rapids, Michigan, regular website upkeep should be a top priority. Maintaining and improving your site over time is essential for attracting and converting more customers.
Follow this guide on the importance of website maintenance and 10 tips to maximize your online presence.
Why Website Maintenance Matters
After investing significant time and money into developing your website, it may be tempting to leave it as is. But an outdated or neglected website can actually damage your business.
Here are 5 key reasons ongoing maintenance is crucial:
1. Improved Search Engine Rankings
Search engine algorithms and trends are constantly changing. Without updating content, metadata, links and technical elements, your rankings will steadily decline.
Regular maintenance activities like content optimization, technical audits and link building are required to maintain visibility.
2. Increased Conversions
An outdated website frustrates visitors and reduces conversions. By continually testing and optimizing page layouts, content, calls-to-action and forms, you increase sales from your traffic.
Fixing broken links and speed issues also encourages visitors to complete desired actions.
3. Enhanced User Experience
Over time, websites become cluttered and confusing. Streamlining navigation, optimizing page load speeds and improving mobile responsiveness enhances the user experience.
This helps you better engage and retain both new and returning visitors.
4. New Functionality
Customer needs and preferences change. With ongoing maintenance, you can add new functionality like AI chatbots, scheduling services and online payments that improve the customer journey.
Updates also ensure compatibility with new browsers and devices.
5. Brand Consistency
Your brand messaging and visual identity may evolve. Maintenance provides opportunities to refresh content to reflect changes and keep branding consistent.
It also prevents presenting outdated information that damages credibility.
In summary, comprehensive website maintenance is required to achieve maximum value from your investment and consistently attract, engage, and convert visitors.
10 Website Maintenance Tips
To leverage your website’s full potential, consider these 10 tips:
1. Designate Responsibility
Assign a staff member or team to handle website maintenance. They should understand goals to guide priorities and have access to administer the site.
Create an editorial calendar detailing regular activities and ownership.
2. Continuously Create Fresh Content
Search engines favor websites with frequent new content. Develop a content strategy and calendar focused on target keywords and topics that align with customer interests.
Update pages, blog posts and visual assets regularly. Repurpose content for newsletters, social media and ads.
3. Perform Regular Backups
Back up the website database, files and code regularly to prevent losing changes or restore past versions if needed.
Test restores to ensure the process works. Consider automated cloud backups for efficiency.
4. Check Links and Plugins
Review links, images, videos and integrated third-party plugins monthly to fix any that are outdated or broken.
Update plugins and themes when new versions are released to fix bugs and enhance performance.
5. Monitor Site Speed
Page load times greatly impact conversions and rankings. Use online tools to regularly audit speed and quickly address any declines.
Compress images, enable caching, minimize redirects and optimize web host configuration.
6. Improve Mobile Optimization
With Google’s mobile-first indexing, mobile optimization is critical. Check monthly that pages function well on mobile devices and fix navigation, text, images and forms as needed.
Also test across different devices like tablets and feature phones.
7. Refresh Visuals
Visually dated websites appear abandoned and less credible. Update images, illustrations, icons, photos, videos, and fonts periodically to look fresh.
Create new color palettes and themes to complement new branding as needed.
8. Expand Local SEO
Ensure your website and Google My Business listing contain consistent NAP (name, address and phone) information and area-specific content.
Feature schema markup for address, opening hours, and other info Google displays prominently.
9. Review Analytics Insights
Analyze web traffic metrics, top landing pages, acquisition channels, and conversions regularly to guide optimization priorities.
Set up reports, segment users, and compare time periods to identify issues and opportunities.
10. Test and Update Forms
Improve conversion rates by A/B testing new form layouts, copy, inputs and calls-to-action. Update forms to fix technical issues and enhance mobile responsiveness.
Confirm forms are accessible, secure and compliant with standards.
Prioritize Ongoing Website Maintenance
By developing processes to continually maintain and enhance your website, you ensure it effectively supports your Grand Rapids business goals now and in the future.
Focus on improving user experience, conversions, and organic growth through fresh content, technical improvements, and design updates. Tap available tools and expertise to work efficiently.
With dynamic maintenance best practices in place, your website will thrive as a revenue-generating business asset for many years to come.
Does your Grand Rapids business website need some TLC?
As a WordPress web design agency, we can take website maintenance off your plate so you can focus on your core operations.
Our team of experts will handle all aspects of maintaining and optimizing your WordPress site including:
- Monthly content edits and backups
- Speed and security enhancements
- Responsive design checks
- SEO best practices implementation
- Analytics review and improvement recommendations
Let us seamlessly maintain your WordPress website so it continues converting visitors into customers for your Grand Rapids business.
Contact us today for a customized maintenance plan!