By supporting your website with a monthly maintenance plan, you guarantee an excellent experience for your users. If users are happy, they’ll become regular visitors and recommend your website to others.
Thus, a well-maintained website will help you retain customers and find new ones.
In this article, we’ll teach you how to create a monthly maintenance plan for your website or choose the ideal package if you outsource it to a web design agency.
Key Takeaways:
- A monthly website maintenance plan will ensure users an excellent experience, support your SEO strategy, and protect it from the threat of cyber attacks.
- The basic website maintenance plan must provide services that cover three key areas: User Experience, Performance, and Security.
- Customize your monthly website maintenance plan by adding services that support its purpose and functions.
- You can create an in-house website maintenance team or outsource the service to a professional web development agency.
What Are The Benefits Of a Monthly Website Maintenance Plan?
The website is your business hub on the Internet, from building your brand to generating leads to processing sales.
You can run many business activities on your website:
- Marketing and Promotion
- Sales
- Customer Support
- Product and Service Information
- Communication
- Logistics
The website is open 24/7 and accessible to anyone with Internet service. Earn while you sleep!
Here’s the problem…
You might be oblivious to your website’s health. Much like a car, you typically realize it needs repairs only after it breaks down on the road.
Here’s the difference…
Your car is a depreciating asset. The second it leaves the showroom, it loses value. Your website can become a revenue-generating machine. It’s an asset that can pay dividends for years.
Here’s the reality…
You must take care of your website by providing it with a monthly maintenance plan.
Here are the benefits of a monthly website maintenance plan…
1. Ensure Website Optimum Performance
There’s no secret to the success of McDonald’s and Starbucks. Every time you enter their store, the product quality and service are the same. Your expectations are met because McDonald’s and Starbucks have standardized their operations.
Users have set their expectations on your website from their first visit. They come back because they had a memorable first experience:
- Mobile-responsive
- Fast download speed
- Excellent navigation
- High-quality content
- Accessible to multiple browsers
- Fully-functioning buttons and links
If the experience isn’t good the second time, they might not return.
A maintenance plan audits website performance, identifies slow-loading pages, responsiveness issues, and other potential problems, and conducts the necessary repairs.
2. Deliver Results For Your SEO Strategy
You spend time and resources creating optimized content, distributing them across varied online channels, and reviewing analytics.
Your efforts are encouraging people to click on your URL.
You don’t want them disappointed when they land on your website. First-time visitors will abandon the search and patronize your competitor’s website.
3. Get a Boost In The Search Rankings
Google is big on User Experience (UX).
Website speed, mobile responsiveness, security, high-quality content, and navigability are ranking factors in Google’s search algorithm.
The search engine giant sees and knows everything on the Internet. If Google determines that users are satisfied with their experience using your website, it will reward you with a boost in the search rankings.
4. Protect Your Online Business From Cyber Threats
Plugins are software programs that allow your website to perform specific functions. If plugins aren’t updated, hacking software can override and use them as entry points.
A website maintenance plan includes auditing your plugins. Outdated plugins are updated while unused ones are deleted.
You might have to upgrade your security plugins to protect your website from more dangerous malware.
What Services Are Covered By A Website Maintenance Plan?
A website maintenance plan must provide services that cover three key areas of website operation:
1. User Experience
- Design Aesthetics
- Content Quality
- On-Page SEO
2. Optimum Performance
- Technical SEO
- Functionality
- Conversion Rate
3. Security
- Updated security features
- Website audit
Thus, a basic monthly website maintenance plan must include the following services:
- WordPress updates – plugins, templates, and system (WP websites).
- Daily cloud-based backups.
- Database optimization.
- Spam cleanup.
- Email support.
- Submission of maintenance of reports.
In addition to plugins, WordPress also advises if updates on its templates and system are available. Templates and the WP system must be updated to accommodate the latest technology and to secure the website.
Scheduling daily cloud-based backups will protect your assets should your website get hacked, files accidentally deleted, or an update go wrong. You can retrieve the backup files and get your website up and running immediately.
Optimizing the database and cleaning up spam will eliminate unnecessary files and help your website load faster. Email support and report submissions are conveniences that help manage website operations such as customer service and data analytics.
These basic services should cover websites for small businesses, blogs, personal use, brochures, portfolios, and other types without complicated features.
Complicated or more complex websites are a different matter.
How To Choose The Right Website Maintenance Plan For Your Business
Complex websites handle large volumes of data, gigabytes to terabytes of data, to manage high-resolution images, videos, and documents.
These websites run sensitive functions such as processing payments and collecting customer information. Many complex websites have built-in search engines and special voice and image search features.
Examples of complex websites are:
- E-Commerce
- Membership/Subscription Websites
- Learning Management Systems (LMS)
- Social Media
- Travel/Booking websites
- Online Education
- News Aggregators
- Directories
- Job Market/Freelance websites
Basic services will not be enough for complex websites. You’ll need additional services to ensure their safety and performance.
You might want to consider additional services such as:
- Uptime and security monitoring.
- Frequent performance scans and optimization audits.
- Regular WooCommerce updates (WP websites).
- Open access to WordPress training videos (WP websites).
- Dedicated time for monthly support.
- Scan and fix broken links.
- SSL Content resolution.
- Comment moderation.
- Submission of reports for keywords and Google Analytics.
If you don’t have a background in web design, you might be thinking “How would I know which services I need for my website maintenance plan?”
Talk to the person who knows your website more than anyone else.
Your web designer.
Ask your web designer to audit your website and give recommendations. If he’s not available, hire the services of a professional web designer or an agency.
Make sure you have the administration username and password so the new web designer can access the control panel and institute the improvements.
Later, we’ll discuss whether you should create an in-house website maintenance team or outsource the function to an agency.
For now, let’s find out how maintenance services are scheduled in a monthly plan.
How Are Services Scheduled In A Monthly Website Maintenance Plan?
Let’s go back to the services included in a basic monthly website maintenance plan:
- WordPress updates.
- Daily cloud-based backups.
- Database optimization.
- Spam cleanup.
- Email support.
- Submission of maintenance of reports.
These services aren’t performed at the same time. They are scheduled throughout the month.
Here’s a sample schedule of how the services are carried out monthly:
- Daily: Website backups.
- Weekly: Plugin updates and spam cleanup.
- Monthly: Template and System updates, email support, database optimization, and submission of maintenance reports.
We can’t overemphasize how important daily website backups are!
A 2024 Sci-Tech Today study revealed hacking attempts occur every 39 seconds worldwide.
Contrary to popular opinion, hackers aren’t limiting their scope of targets to big corporations. Small business websites are more vulnerable to hackers because their limited funds keep them from upgrading security features.
Hacking software scours the Internet for websites with vulnerabilities – outdated plugins, systems, and templates.
If you don’t have a monthly website maintenance plan, you could be the next hacking victim.
How about complex websites? How would the additional services be scheduled?
- Daily: Website backups, uptime and security monitoring, performance scans, access to WP training videos, and content moderation.
- Weekly: Plugin updates, spam cleanup, WooCommerce updates, email support, and scan and fix broken links.
- Monthly: Template and System updates, email support, database optimization, submission of maintenance reports, SSL content moderation, optimization audits, submission of reports for keywords, and Google Analytics.
The monthly reports on keywords and Google Analytics are important for tracking your website’s overall performance. Summarize and present the results in quarterly and annual performance reviews.
A comprehensive Quarterly Performance Review (QPR) is essential for evaluating key areas of operation and personnel. QPRs are used to grade the performance of your team and individual members and as benchmarks for improvement.
- Is the level of engagement on content improving?
- Are the current SEO tactics driving traffic to the website?
- Are the CTAs generating leads?
- Is the customer support team resolving issues faster and speeding up turnaround times?
- Is the quality of content delivering legit backlinks?
- Are the blogs converting visits into sales?
- What is the average download speed of the website?
- Which pages are dragging download speed?
Print hard copies or create soft copies of the QPRs and distribute them to your team as references.
Conduct a website audit at the end of the year. The audit findings can identify flaws in website design, functionality, content quality, and off-page and on-page optimization strategies.
💡Note: A monthly website maintenance plan not only ensures optimal performance and protection from hackers throughout the year but also collects and organizes valuable information to guide your decision-making.
Outsourcing Vs. In-House: Which Website Maintenance Arrangement Is Best For You?
You have two options for website maintenance:
Create an in-house website maintenance team.
Outsource website maintenance to a professional web development agency.
What skills are needed for a website maintenance team?
- Web Developer – Web design, front, and back-end programming, and security. If your budget allows, you can hire specialized personnel for these roles.
- SEO Professional – Keyword research, search intent, content writing, and website design.
- Content Writer – Creative and SEO writing, keyword research, topic research, and quality assurance.
- Graphic Designer – Creative, web design, and SEO.
- Editor – Content writing, SEO, keyword research, topic research, and quality assurance.
- Quality Assurance – Content writing, SEO, keyword and topic research.
- Digital Marketer – Content writing, content marketing, video marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, SEO, and copywriting.
Whether you opt for an in-house or outsourced solution, these skills are needed to ensure the safety, integrity, and performance of your website.
Which one is for you? Let’s discuss the pros and cons of both options.
1. In-House Website Maintenance Team
The Pros:
- Shared space/close collaboration allows you to better manage and oversee the team’s performance.
- Ability to address or resolve pressing issues immediately.
The Cons:
- Hiring Full-Time Employees (FTEs) is expensive because you have to assure them of fixed hours and benefits.
- You can be distracted from managing the core functions of your business.
- Your website isn’t secured 24/7. FTEs work only eight hours daily. Likewise, they can get sick.
- FTEs can resign or get fired. You’ll spend time looking for replacements.
2. Outsource Website Maintenance to a Professional Web Development Agency
The Pros:
- Outsourcing is a cheaper option because all you have to do is to subscribe to the services.
- The cost of a monthly website maintenance plan can range from $99 to $219.
- Budget efficient because you don’t have to hire FTEs for each position. The cost of the subscription covers payment for the required skills.
- Outsourcing increases productivity because you can focus on managing the core functions of your business.
- Your website is protected and secured 24/7, 365 days a year… while you sleep!
- You don’t have to worry about finding available employees, as an agency maintains a roster of talent who are always ready.
- If you’re not happy with the service, simply terminate the subscription. You’re saved from the vicious cycle of hiring-firing-hiring employees.
The Cons:
There might be a delay in addressing technical issues, especially if there’s a time zone differential.
There might be issues in routing, receiving, and timely responding to communications.
If this is your first time outsourcing services, you’ll need time to adjust to an arrangement in which you have no direct control over the activities.
Conclusion
So which one’s for you?
Consider setting up an in-house website development team if…
- You have sufficient funds to finance the team.
- You have a background in web design and development.
- You prefer a shared space arrangement and have direct control over activities and decision-making.
Consider outsourcing website maintenance services if…
- You’re running a small business with limited funds.
- You don’t have knowledge and experience in web development, SEO, and content writing.
- Ensuring website security is your number one priority.
- You have experience working with remote teams.
- You want to allocate more time to managing the core functions of your business.
- The important takeaway is to secure your website with a monthly maintenance plan.
Don’t worry about the expenses. Since a website generates income for your business, expenses can be viewed as investments.
Also, a website maintenance plan diagnoses and identifies issues before they become full-blown problems. It’s cheaper to pay for maintenance than a full-scale repair or rebuild of a hacked website.
If you have a WP website and we’ve convinced you, check out our managed WordPress maintenance services and choose the package that fits your needs and budget.
To be sure, contact us. Let’s book a free 30-minute consultation and discuss the best approach to managing your website.
