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Research, content strategy, wire-framing, design, and development. So much goes into launching that new awesome website of yours! But soon after launch day, it can be easy to neglect the proper care of your professional home on the web. Keeping things fresh can be a challenge without ongoing support, but we’re here to help!
With the release of WordPress 5.0, major updates are coming to websites everywhere. As we prepare our site and yours, we’re taking a look at how proper maintenance can keep your website on top. In part one of our three-part series, we’ll start with some of the little things that can go a long way.
Performance
Let’s start where your customers, new and old, will notice it most. Did you know that your website’s speed can affect your search ranking?
Google measures bounce rates (the percentage of people who leave your site on arrival) as part of your search ranking score.
Even if your website loads quickly on it’s launch date, this can change for the worse as you add new plugins, update old ones, and refresh your website’s content. That new banner photo might be everything you’ve dreamed about, but have you kept that file size in check?
A watchful eye and a bit of optimization can make all the difference in your visitors continued enjoyment, and Google’s daily ranking of your website.
Contact Forms
A full-featured website can mean plenty of plugins. SEO tools, social media feeds, image galleries, and of course, your tried and true contact form. Then again, when did you last use your own contact form? Are you sure that your messages are coming through?
As plugins update, they need to stay compatible with WordPress, but they also must remain compatible with each other. Each website has different plugins, and little inconsistencies can add up into one big mess. What might have seemed to be oh so dependable when you launched may not continue to be as reliable as you’d think.
With many plugins, it can be obvious just by looking at your page that something is amiss. When it comes to your contact form, however, testing is truly a must.
Dropped leads from your contact form can be disastrous for your business. Of course, we know this, and prevention is the best cure. Everyone needs a routine checkup.
Moving Forward with Maintenance
Keeping on top of performance and plugins might seem small at first, but they make a big difference to your website’s search rankings and lead captures.
Up next, we’ll be taking a look at the importance of safety, and how WordPress maintenance can keep your website up even when things go wrong.
In the meantime, we hope you’ve gained a new appreciation for the “mundane” task of maintenance. If you’d like to know more, we’re happy to help! Call us or stop by our marketing agency in Vancouver – we always have chocolate!