The Cheeky Monkey Media Blog
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Top 10 Website Maintenance Tips
November 4, 2022It is important to keep your website up-to-date and running smoothly. Here are some tips for website maintenance:
1. Backup your website regularly
Regularly backing up your website is critical to ensure that your website is always up and running. There are a few different ways to backup your website, but the most important thing is to do it regularly. The most common way to backup your website is to use a plugin or service that will automatically backup your website for you. There are a few different plugins and services that you can use, but we recommend using UpdraftPlus. UpdraftPlus is a free plugin that will automatically backup your website for you. You can schedule it to backup your website daily, weekly, or monthly. You can also choose how many backups you want to keep. We recommend keeping at least two backups, one on your computer and one on a separate storage device.
2. Update your software and plugins
One of the most important things you can do to keep your computer safe is to update your software and plugins. Fortunately, many security vulnerabilities are discovered and patched every day, so if you’re not keeping up with the latest updates, you’re leaving yourself open to attack. Fortunately, most software these days will update automatically, but it’s still a good idea to check for updates regularly and install them as soon as they’re available.
3. Monitor your website for broken links and errors
One of the most important things you can do to maintain your website is to monitor it for broken links and errors. Use this link for a free web analysis of your first 25 pages. Regularly checking your site ensures that everything is working correctly and that visitors can find the information they need. There are many ways to check for broken links and errors, including using online tools and manually testing your site. If you find any broken links or errors on your website, fix them as soon as possible. Ignoring these problems can make your site look unprofessional and deter visitors from returning.
4. Optimize your website for speed
If you want your website to be successful, it’s important to make sure it loads quickly. No one likes waiting around for a slow website to load, so if you want to keep your visitors happy, you need to optimize your site for speed. Here are a few tips to help you out:
- Use a content delivery network (CDN). A CDN can help improve your site’s loading times by delivering content from servers closer to your visitors’ locations.
- Optimize your images. Large images can take a long time to load, so make sure to optimize them for the web. This means saving them in the proper format and size and using the correct compression settings.
- Minimize your code. Too much code can make your website slow to load, so keep your code clean and concise.
- Use caching. Caching can help to speed up your website by storing frequently accessed files and data so that they don’t need to be loaded from scratch each time a visitor arrives at your site.
5. Keep your content fresh
One of the best ways to keep your website fresh is to regularly add new content. This can be in the form of new posts or simply by updating your existing content. Either way, adding new content on a regular basis will help to keep your readers engaged and coming back for more. Additionally, try to mix up the type of content you offer, whether it’s text, images, videos, or something else. Offering a variety of content will also help to keep things interesting.
6. Promote your website regularly
If you want people to find your website, you need to promote it regularly. There are many ways to do this, and you should try different methods to see what works best for you. You can promote your website on social media, in forums, on other websites, and even offline. Make sure you are promoting your website in places where your target audience is likely to see it. If you promote your website in too many places, you will just be wasting your time. Be strategic about where you promote your website, and you will see better results.
7. Analyze your website traffic
If you want to improve your website, it’s crucial to analyze your traffic. Again, our free SEMrush site audit tool will tell you these metrics. This will help you understand where your visitors are coming from, what they’re interested in, and how they’re interacting with your site. There are a number of tools you can use to track your website traffic, including Google Analytics and WordPress Stats.
8. Secure your website
There are many ways to secure your website, but one of the most important is ensuring your website is SSL certified. SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, is a protocol that encrypts data between your website and your visitor’s web browsers. This ensures that any sensitive information (like credit card numbers) is transmitted securely and can’t be intercepted by third parties. You can tell if a website is SSL certified by looking for the green lock icon in the address bar. Of course, if you’re running an eCommerce website, then SSL is essential. But even if you’re not taking payments on your website, SSL can still give your visitors confidence that your website is safe and trustworthy. And since Google also gives preference to SSL-certified websites in its search results, it’s a good idea to make the switch even if you’re not selling anything online.
9. Hire a website maintenance company
There are many benefits to hiring a website maintenance company (insert shameless plug). Perhaps the most obvious benefit is that it frees up your time to focus on other aspects of your business. A website maintenance company can take care of all the technical aspects of keeping your website running smoothly, including updates, security, and backup. In addition, a website maintenance company can help you to improve your website over time. They can keep an eye on your website analytics and make recommendations for how you can improve your website to attract more visitors and convert more leads. If you are not sure whether or not hiring a website maintenance company is right for you, consider all the benefits and make a decision that is best for your business.
10. Follow these website maintenance tips
Websites are a key part of any business in the modern world. They are often the first port of call for potential customers, so it is crucial that they are kept up-to-date and running smoothly. By following the tips above, you can ensure that your website is maintained to a high standard.
Need professional help? Contact the monkeys at [email protected] or call 1.888.824.3359