Any website developer will say you need maintenance as soon as your website goes live. Unlike a brand new car, usually the first 100 miles a website takes your business will be littered with pot-holes and engine failures that you need to keep a close eye on to stop it falling flat. 

Merely having a site ticking over no longer keeps the engine running in this high-speed analogy of a world of infinite internet highways. Regular updating and maintenance are crucial to ensuring that your site is running at its best and your host does not fail you when you need it most. 

From day one, websites need to operate correctly and smoothly to ensure that they maintain security, keep increasing the number of new visitors, boost return traffic and much more. Here are just a few reasons why reputable website development companies often offer free maintenance in the first month or two after launch, and why those who are familiar with the site (aka the architects and designers) are best suited to keeping her up and running.  

Genuine Security

One of the main reasons regular maintenance needs to be done on any website is to ensure that all back doors are closed, and security is as tight as possible. Through your Content Management System (CMS), such as WordPress, there is often a regular flow of patches and security updates that are designed to help prevent hackers from stealing data or worse. 

Boosting Traffic

Believe it or not, good security helps to boost site traffic. Search engines such as Google raise the ranking of sites that are updated regularly – updated with both content and security patches. It’s simple SEO logic that a higher ranking increases your site’s visibility which in turn increases the number of customers. Many people think that lies in content and content alone, but when an IT nerd is under the hood fixing broken links, replacing dead images, deleting duplicate information and fixing code, the race to the top of the Google search ranking gets a lot easier.

All for the Visitor

At the end of the day, when a site is up online but barely thriving, many business owners are happy. It ticks the boxes and costs nothing. But in the long run, that’s bad for a million reasons. Aside from what’s already mentioned above, one of the best arguments for investing in professional support and maintenance is that a well-maintained website not only boosts SEO but builds trust in your brand. Users think, that if they have invested so much effort into my end experience, they must be dedicated to good service and quality products. 

Overall, website support and maintenance is a must for any serious website owner – regardless of its purpose. Regular maintenance is a crucial aspect of both search engine optimisation and a safe and secure end-user experience. But not all maintenance is the same – contact Myk Baxter Marketing for a full website evaluation and find out where your engine is stalling, and your back doors are being left open.