The days of āset it and forget itā web development are long behind us. The truth is your business needs consistent and persistent website maintenance in order to stay safe, relevant, and successful ā no matter how good your current site may seem from the outside looking in.Ā
Whether you last updated your site 2 months ago or 10 years ago, your digital presence requires constant attention from industry professionals. Integral to everything from brand presence to cybersecurity, a well-maintained website isnāt just good practice ā itās practically essential.Ā Ā
Donāt believe us?Ā
Hold on to your wireframes ā here are a few reasons why your business needs website maintenance.Ā Ā
SecurityĀ Ā
Not to sound like a broken record, but your business isnāt safe.Ā Ā
Businesses suffered 50% more cyberattacks per week in 2021 than in 2020,Ā according to a recent study by checkpoint research.Ā Whatās more,Ā Cybersecurity Ventures reports thatĀ cybercrime alone is expected to cost businesses $10.5 trillion annually by 2025.Ā Ā
And the longer you leave your website untouched and unmonitored, the more vulnerable your business becomes to these rising attacks.Ā Ā
You see, regardless of the initial quality of your development, your website runs on software that requires constant tweaks and bug fixes to protect your company (and, in turn, your companyās sensitive data) from threats the likes of phishing, malware, ransomware, hackers, and more. Without website maintenance and management in place to deploy and oversee the success of these fixes, you leave your business in danger.Ā Ā
ComplianceĀ
Similarly, continued website maintenance is crucial to your businessās compliance. Whether it’s changes to accessibility laws or updates to data management best practices, making regular improvements to your website will ensure that your organization stays compliant with certain laws.Ā Ā
Without expert attention, these compliance changes can quickly build up and render your businessās digital face outdated and untrustworthy ā which can be a huge red flag to customers, partners, and search engines alike.Ā Ā
TrafficĀ
Speaking of search engines, website maintenance is just as crucial to your marketing capabilities as it is to your security.Ā Ā
Keeping your website looking fresh and feeling functional will help it rank on Google while also enticing potential customers and clients. Increasing SEO activities, consistently updating content, adding links, and running regular audits can ā and should ā be a part of this regular process.Ā Ā
In fact,Ā studies showĀ that you only have about 50 milliseconds to make a good first impression to customers online. While you would be forgiven for thinking that a great initial design would be enough, the truth is that making meaningful changes and tracking their success is one of the only tried and true ways to tell if your website, well, works.Ā Ā
BrandingĀ Ā
As your brand evolves, so too must your website.Ā Ā
Ideally, once your business lands on a set of branding guidelines, you would stick to it, but realistically we know that that isnāt always the case. Website maintenance services give your organization the digital elasticity it needs to grow and change as needed, providing much-needed scalability for your brand as a whole.Ā Ā
We Aim to Maintain (Among Other Things)Ā
At EMPIST, we make it our goal to keep your entire technology ecosystem up to the task ā including your website. Website maintenance in tandem with our advanced cybersecurity services, cloud solutions, IT managed services, and digital solutions will help you cultivate an online brand thatās just as strong as it is safe.Ā Ā