A Beginner’s Guide to Website Maintenance

E-commerce has become a cornerstone of the global retail landscape, with the United Kingdom standing as one of Europe’s most advanced markets. In 2024, UK online retail sales reached £3.63 billion during the Black Friday to Cyber Monday period, marking a 5.2% year-on-year increase. 

This rapid growth underscores the critical importance of robust website maintenance. For businesses operating in this dynamic environment, ensuring that their online platforms are secure, efficient, and user-friendly is paramount. Regular website maintenance not only enhances security and performance but also ensures compliance with evolving industry standards, directly impacting customer satisfaction and sales.

Your website is a critical asset for your business, serving as the first point of contact for potential customers and a hub for your online presence. However, the work doesn’t stop after launch if you want to grow your ecommerce business. Website maintenance is an ongoing process that ensures your site remains functional, secure, and effective in achieving your business goals.

This comprehensive guide explains why website maintenance is essential, outlines 12 critical steps to maintain your site, and highlights how professional website maintenance services can help you keep your website in peak condition.

How Much Does Website Maintenance Cost?

The cost of website maintenance depends on several factors, including whether you outsource to a professional agency or manage it internally using your own business resources. Outsourcing often provides access to expert services and tools, while in-house management may require investments in training, additional staff, and the necessary software or hardware.

When considering outsourcing, it’s essential to research and compare digital agencies. Look beyond the price of their packages—evaluate the quality of their service, reputation, and expertise in managing platforms like WordPress, WooCommerce, or Laravel. For in-house maintenance, consider the hidden costs such as salaries, time allocation, and the potential for missed updates or security risks.

Other expenses include recurring costs like domain name renewals, secure sockets layer (SSL) certificates, and website hosting fees. These can vary significantly between providers, so understanding these components is key to effective budgeting.

At Yellowball, we tailor website maintenance plans to suit your needs, offering comprehensive support to keep your site secure, optimised, and performing at its best. Whether you choose in-house or outsourced maintenance, a clear understanding of the associated costs will help ensure your website remains a valuable and reliable asset for your business. Yellowball’s website maintenance plans start from £290+ VAT per month.

12 Essential Steps for Maintaining Your Website

Website maintenance involves a combination of technical updates, performance monitoring, and content optimisation. Here’s a detailed guide to keeping your site in top shape:

1. Regularly Back Up Your Website

Backups are critical for recovering your site in case of data loss, hacking, or server crashes.

• What to Do: Set up automatic backups with your hosting provider or plugins like UpdraftPlus (WordPress).
• Frequency: Weekly or daily, depending on how often your site changes.
• Storage: Store backups securely on cloud services (e.g., Google Drive) or external hard drives.

2. Update Software, Plugins, and Themes

Outdated software is a security risk and can cause compatibility issues.

• What to Do: Regularly check for updates for your CMS, plugins, and themes. Use a staging environment to test updates before applying them to the live site.
• Frequency: Weekly for critical updates and monthly for minor ones.

3. Monitor Website Performance

Slow websites drive users away. Monitoring tools help you identify and fix performance issues.

• What to Do: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to analyse load times. Optimise images, enable browser caching, and minify CSS and JavaScript files to improve speed.

4. Fix Broken Links

Broken links frustrate users and harm your SEO rankings.

• What to Do: Use tools like Screaming Frog or Broken Link Checker to identify and fix broken internal and external links. Set up 301 redirects for removed pages.
• Frequency: Perform checks quarterly or after significant content updates.

5. Test Forms and Interactive Features

Forms, chatbots, and interactive elements drive user engagement and conversions.

• What to Do: Regularly test contact forms, subscription forms, and checkout processes. Ensure all fields are functional and error messages are clear.
• Frequency: Monthly or after making significant changes to your site.

6. Optimise for Mobile Devices

A responsive website ensures seamless experiences across devices.

• What to Do: Use tools to identify mobile-specific issues. Adjust layouts, font sizes, and button placements for better usability.
• Frequency: Test quarterly and after major design updates.

7. Check Security Features

Securing your site is essential to protect user data and maintain trust.

• What to Do: Regularly review firewalls, SSL certificates, and malware scanners. Use plugins like Wordfence for WordPress or consult experts for a full security audit.
• Frequency: Perform checks monthly and after major updates.

8. Update and Optimise Content

Fresh content engages users and improves your search engine rankings.

• What to Do: Update blog posts, refresh product descriptions, and ensure all information is accurate. Add new keywords or trending topics to optimise for SEO.
• Frequency: Refresh content monthly and audit your entire site annually.

9. Audit Website Analytics

Analytics provide insights into your site’s performance and user behaviour.

• What to Do: Use Google Analytics to monitor metrics like bounce rates, conversion rates, and traffic sources. Identify underperforming pages and refine them.
• Frequency: Review analytics monthly to inform your maintenance priorities.

10. Validate Website Accessibility

Accessibility ensures your site is usable by everyone, including those with disabilities.

• What to Do: Test your site against WCAG standards using tools like WAVE or Axe. Check for keyboard navigation, alt text, and screen reader compatibility.
• Frequency: Perform accessibility audits biannually or after major updates.

11. Test Browser Compatibility

Ensure your website works seamlessly across different browsers.

• What to Do: Test your site on popular browsers like Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. Check for inconsistencies in layout or functionality.
• Frequency: Test quarterly or when browsers release major updates.

12. Review Domain and Hosting

Ensure your domain and hosting plans meet your site’s needs.

• What to Do: Check domain renewal dates and hosting plan capacity. Upgrade your hosting plan if traffic growth is slowing your site.
• Frequency: Review annually or as your business scales.

Why Is Website Maintenance Important?

Website maintenance goes beyond simple updates; it ensures your site remains a valuable and reliable resource for your audience. Here’s a deeper dive into why regular maintenance is essential:

1. Enhances Website Security

Outdated software, plugins, or themes are prime targets for hackers, making regular website maintenance essential for safeguarding your business. While critical national infrastructure is a key target for independent and state-sponsored cyberattacks, attacks on businesses, particularly those handling client data and ecommerce transactions, have seen a sharp rise in the UK, costing British businesses around $55 billion in the past five years.

Ecommerce platforms like WordPress and WooCommerce are particularly attractive targets for attackers due to their widespread use, with WordPress accounting for a massive 43% of all websites on the internet. Unpatched vulnerabilities, setup and maintenance issues, missed security opportunities, and weak passwords can lead to stolen customer information, compromised payment gateways, and fraud.

Regular updates, security patches, and proactive monitoring are critical to protecting your website and its users. Neglecting these measures can result in lost revenue, legal penalties for data protection violations, and a diminished brand reputation.

2. Boosts Website Performance

Website performance is a cornerstone of user satisfaction and SEO success. Research shows that 53% of users abandon a site that takes longer than three seconds to load, leading to lost sales and reduced engagement. For e-commerce sites, delays are even more costly, as sites that load inside 1 second converts 2.5 times more visitors than a site that loads in 5 seconds. 

3. Improves SEO Rankings

Search engines like Google actively favour websites that are fast, error-free, and updated regularly. Routine maintenance ensures your site is free from broken links, duplicate content, or outdated SEO practices, giving you a competitive edge in search rankings.

4. Enhances User Experience (UX)

Your website is often the first impression of your business. A poorly maintained site with broken links, outdated content, or non-functional forms can deter users. Regular UX updates ensure your site remains engaging, intuitive, and functional for all visitors.

5. Supports Mobile Compatibility

With over 58.67% of web traffic coming from mobile devices, ensuring your site performs well across all screen sizes is critical. Maintenance includes testing responsiveness and resolving any mobile compatibility issues to meet user expectations.

6. Maintains Legal and Accessibility Compliance

Websites must comply with regulations like GDPR for data protection and WCAG standards for accessibility. Regular audits ensure your site meets these requirements, avoiding legal complications and making your site inclusive for all users.

7. Protects Your Investment

Your website represents a significant investment of time and resources. Routine maintenance maximises this investment by ensuring your site remains an effective tool for marketing, sales, and customer engagement.

DIY vs. Professional Website Maintenance

Website maintenance can be approached in two ways: handling it in-house or outsourcing to professionals. While managing minor updates and fixes on your own might seem cost-effective, this approach often comes with limitations, particularly as your website grows in complexity and importance. Opting for professional maintenance services, like those offered by Yellowball, provides a comprehensive and strategic edge.

Key Benefits of Professional Website Maintenance

• Technical Expertise: Professionals bring extensive knowledge of platforms like WordPress, Laravel, and WooCommerce, ensuring your site remains functional, secure, and up to date.

• Time Efficiency: Maintaining a website involves routine tasks like updating software, monitoring security, and optimising performance. These tasks can be time-consuming, especially for in-house teams managing other priorities. Professionals handle these efficiently, freeing up your time to focus on strategic business goals.

• Proactive Monitoring and Prevention: Professional maintenance teams conduct regular audits, monitor for potential threats, and perform proactive fixes to prevent issues before they arise. DIY methods often rely on reactive measures, which can result in costly downtime or security breaches.

• Advanced Tools and Resources: Agencies utilise cutting-edge tools for performance monitoring, malware scanning, and SEO optimisation—resources that may be too expensive or complex for DIY users to manage effectively.

• Customised Solutions: No two websites are the same, and professionals tailor maintenance plans to your unique requirements. Whether it’s scaling your site, enhancing SEO, or integrating advanced features, professional services ensure your site evolves alongside your business.

• Compliance and Accessibility: Agencies ensure your site adheres to legal requirements, such as GDPR compliance and accessibility standards (WCAG).

• Reduced Long-Term Costs: While DIY maintenance might save money upfront, the potential for missed updates, security vulnerabilities, and performance issues can lead to higher costs in the long run. Professionals minimise these risks, providing better ROI.

For businesses aiming to maximise their digital presence, professional website maintenance is an investment in security, performance, and scalability.

Website Maintenance FAQs

Why Choose Yellowball for Website Maintenance?

Yellowball has over a decade of experience maintaining, designing, and developing websites across industries. Our services include:

• Expert Maintenance: Comprehensive care for WordPress, WooCommerce, Laravel, and bespoke websites.
• Security and Performance: Regular updates, malware scans, and speed optimisations to ensure peak performance.
• Content Updates: Keep your site relevant and converting with fresh, search engine optimised content.
• Emergency Support: Rapid responses to minimise downtime in case of issues.
• Future-Ready Solutions: Scalable plans that grow with your business. 

Keep Your Website in Top Condition

Website maintenance isn’t just a technical task—it’s a strategic investment in your business’s success. Regular upkeep enhances security, boosts SEO, and ensures a seamless user experience.

At Yellowball, we specialise in delivering comprehensive website maintenance services tailored to your needs. From proactive updates to performance monitoring and SEO optimisation, we keep your site at its best, so you can focus on growing your business. Check out our web design case studies to see the results we’ve delivered for our clients. Ready to make website maintenance hassle-free? Contact Yellowball today to keep your data and customers secure, and your website performing flawlessly.