Website management: the ultimate guide
It’s so obvious it barely seems worth mentioning – a website is crucial to any business’s success. After all, if yours doesn’t have one, it’s almost as though you don’t exist. Your website is your virtual shop window, telling the world about what you do or sell, conveying its brand and professionalism, and encouraging visitors to make a purchase.
However, it’s not enough to build a site and just leave it online – it needs constant management and updating to stay secure, operational and relevant so that it continues serving its original purpose.
Website management doesn’t have to sap all your time and resources. And it doesn’t have to feel a chore. But if you’re not sure where even to start, you’re far from alone. Here, we offer a guide to website management so you can make an informed decision on the best way forward.
What is website management?
Website management is the process of managing a site proactively so that it always operates at maximum capacity. The specific tasks involved will vary according to your needs. However, all websites typically need some of the same aspects to function well and securely.
For example, software updates, site back-ups, security, uptime monitoring and content updates are important to any online presence.
Don’t confuse this discipline with website development, which refers to a site’s initial design and construction. Site management is more to do with ongoing maintenance and optimisation.
Why does website management matter?
Whatever the size of your organisation, your website is one of its most critical assets.
Without website management, there can be issues from slow-loading pages to extended downtime, which can be hugely detrimental to the effective operation of your business. Security can also be a problem, since you need to protect yourself from hackers and malware. Equally, you also need to add and update content constantly if you want to stay relevant and fresh.
Website management also ensures optimal technical performance and prevents everything from loading faults to broken links.
With the right management, your website will be easy to navigate, look appealing and create a great user experience so that people feel encouraged to engage with your content.
Apart from anything else, a website whose management is below par just reflects terribly on the organisation and can be costly in terms of losing business and hampering growth. So not doing it can prove to be a false economy. Conversely, do this effectively and trust and credibility will soar.
How often is website management needed?
This will depend on your site’s size and complexity and how frequently you need to update it, although, generally speaking, website maintenance should be as regular as possible. But, for the majority, monthly maintenance is adequate.
However if, say, you process orders from customers every day, you’ll require more frequent back-ups than a rarely visited site.
Equally, some tasks, such as maintenance and uptime monitoring, need to be done constantly. And even if you automate some tasks, you need to have a contingency plan in place in case anything goes wrong, plus a recent back-up from which you can restore your website.
Is website management something I can do myself?
In some cases, for example if your site is comparatively simple, and you have the technical know-how and time, the answer to this question may be yes. But, beyond that, for example if your website has advanced functionality, or you’re pressed for time, professional outsourced management is the best way forward. In the long run, you’ll save time and money and reduce stress. As you can see from the list above, there are quite a few different tasks involved in website management, so you’d need to be sure you can handle all of them.
Outsourcing also boosts efficiency, while giving you access to specialised skills and enhanced security. Finally, you save the resources and time that would otherwise be used to hire or train a team in-house.
Website Management from SWSweb
At SWSweb, we offer expert website management services, freeing you up to focus on running your business. With us you get a complete website maintenance package, from website hosting to back-ups and security updates, as well as website design and development.
What’s more, our website hosting is managed round the clock, 24/7, so out-of-hours emergency support is always there.
Let us keep your website running at optimal speed and performing at its very best. We’re also available to do regular edits of your content, alongside frequent design and development updates whenever you need them.
Our suite of website management services encompasses maintenance and support and website hosting as well as search engine optimisation and security management.
We’ve been supporting a huge range of businesses with their websites since 2012. And although we were first established to handle content updates and small fixes, we’ve since mushroomed into a successful web management business, with a particular expertise in WordPress and Joomla sites.
Get in touch today and let us know what you need. Give us a call, email us or fill in the simple online form. Alternatively, chat to us online. Whatever you need for your site, we’re happy to help.