This is a question that we get asked a lot at Hypen. To put it shortly, yes, website maintenance is very important. Here are a few reasons why web maintenance is useful for your business.

1. A majority of customers carry out online research

Before customers make a purchase online, most people will take a look at your website before buying your product. If your website gives customers a negative impression then this could lead to a missed sale. No business wants that.

2. Site visitors take value in user experience

Among the customers who have a poor user experience, around 90% will shop with a competitor instead. Regular website maintenance prevents these poor user experiences and encourages potential clients to stay on your site, which can increase your chance of making a sale.

3. Website security

A website that isn’t maintained means that the frequent security updates and checks aren’t carried out on your site. Website maintenance helps protect your site from cyber attacks by keeping your security systems up to date. 

4. Search Engine Optimisation

If users leave your site shortly after arriving on it, Google might view this as a sign that your website and content isn’t relevant. This information (bounce rate) can lead to lower ranking in search results. Meaning that you could see less traffic going to your website.

5. Backdated websites

Your website is an extremely important part of your business, it represents you as a person or company and is often what will decide a sale or not. If your website hasn’t been maintained in a while it can cost you dearly, once you are behind it can be a very tedious task to bring your site back up to speed.

Keeping on top of website maintenance will prevent any unwanted work and stress on top of your workload!

How often should my website be maintained?

As a short answer, most websites should be maintained at least once a week. If you want to keep on top of your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and keep your clients up to date frequently – once a week should be your aim.

Frequent website maintenance also means that your website will have necessary security updates applied to your site. This can be carried out in many different ways, from SSL certificate renewal to Plugin updates (if neccessary).

Hypen.