Important Maintenance Tips for Every Website Owner
Website maintenance is an unavoidable necessity due to security, stability and user experience find out which maintenance tips not to neglect.
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The evolution of the internet has made it possible for anyone to own a website. Whether it’s celebrating a shared passion or building a small business from scratch, there are robust custom and simple no-code options for all.
The problem lies in maintaining those websites for security and functionality. Here are some important maintenance tips for every website owner to follow.
Run Routine Audits
Your website may appear to be running smoothly on the front end, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t problems behind the scenes.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is how sites like Google and Bing prioritize content. There are two overarching factors that impact SEO: content and technical components.
On-page SEO pertains to the content you create and publish. Things like keyword relevance, title tagging, and meta descriptions impact on-page SEO.
Technical SEO is more about the user experience. Things like site speed, page loading times, link structure, and security influence technical SEO.
In either case, the better the SEO, the more likely search engines will rank your content higher over time. In other words, this consideration is critical for reaching your audience.
Use a tool like Semrush or Ahrefs to run regular SEO audits on your site. These tools will tell you if there’s room for improvement in your content or if technical issues are negatively impacting your website rankings. From there, you can head to a programming forum for more insight on how to fix things or hire a pro to help you.
Schedule Regular Back-Ups
Another top priority for website owners is scheduling regular back-ups. Many platforms (WordPress, for example) offer routine back-ups as a part of the package. However, it’s also integral to ensure you have access to backup files and can restore your site if an issue arises.
Site back-ups are important on several levels. First, if you’re new to web development or poking around in the back end, it’s all too easy to make a mistake that takes down your site. Having a recent backup will let you restore the site with minimal disruption.
If your website is a business hub, back-ups could save your otherwise successful enterprise from imminent failure. According to a study by the University of Texas, 94% of companies that experience a significant data loss go under— 43% never reopen, and 51% close within two years following the incident.
Ideally, your website will follow the 3-2-1 rule of data back-ups. You’ll have three copies of your backup: one original and two duplicates. The backups will be stored on two types of media (an external hard drive and a cloud drive, for example). One backup will be kept elsewhere (offsite or internationally).
The idea is that you’ll always have a backup, no matter the event— whether someone hacks your website or a hurricane destroys your head office.
Prioritize Updates
Many website owners can relate to the ever-growing queue of updates. You log in to your WordPress account and see three pending updates. You’re busy updating content or processing orders and put the updates on the back burner. The same thing happens the next day and the next.
Updates aren’t just for new features and debugging issues; they play an integral role in site functionality and security. Failing to install updates could leave your site at risk for a security breach or slow the page speed and negatively impact the user experience.
Click the updates as soon as you see them. Make it a habit and adjust your workflow.
Use Alerts
There comes a time in every website owner’s life when everything seems fine as you log off, but then you return to a disaster later on. Website downtime negatively impacts SEO. If you have a monetized site, an error could cost you lost revenue.
Using a web monitoring service that sends alerts when an error arises will help you act fast to solve problems. Some web monitoring services also use AI to predict potential issues so you can take a proactive stance. These tools are a must if your website will be a source of income.
Website maintenance keeps users (and Google) happy. Prioritize these fundamental tasks to ensure your website is safe, functional, and enjoyable to use.
