Your website build is not the last website-related cost you’ll face.
Once you have a website, the costs are here to stay. Much like your real life home, your 24-hour, online home has a built-in need for regular care. Beyond the annual costs of SSL certificates, CRMs and hosting, routine checks and website maintenance are necessary – and don’t have to be expensive.
30,000 websites are attacked and hacked daily. Are you willing to pay the costs of not keeping your website updated?
COST OF A HACK
If your website is hacked, there are two potential solutions: repair it – or replace it. Either is costly. Your online security is the most paramount reason to keep your website maintained, when you factor in:
- the cost of your developer to investigate and remedy the situation,
- the time spent communicating with parties to amend the situation,
- the potential loss of sales while your site is down or not functioning correctly
A monthly website maintenance package ensures all plugins are current and compatible with the latest website theme. If any are outdated, no longer in use or have ceased to be developed, they are removed. This protects you from the risk of security breaches.
COST OF LOST SALES
The Digital Age has seen us develop a low tolerance to slow websites and poor user experience. Every millisecond counts. Research found that a 1 second delay can reduce your page conversions by 7%. That’s a $25 000 bottom line difference, if you’re making $1 000 a day.
Don’t let your site’s speed affect your page abandonment. Website platforms are continually developing to improve performance and load speed. Failing to update your software can cause delayed loading times and glitches. Nothing looks more unprofessional than error messages because of an incompatible backend.
Scheduled monthly attention will guarantee your website not only loads effectively, but is an affirming experience for your customers to revisit.
COST OF LOST DATA
60% of companies shut down within six months of experiencing data loss. A frightening statistic, considering more than half of business owners don’t have a contingency plan if they were to lose their data. While the first step is to prioritise website security, data loss can also occur from human error and system failure.
For peace of mind, establish frequent backups. A good website developer will set up automatic website backups. This way, if something was to ever happen and you do encounter data loss, you have a recent backup that you can recover and reinstall from.
COST OF LOST CREDIBILITY
Design is the biggest influence in your website’s first impression. 75% of consumers base your credibility off your website. It’s never been more important to put your best online foot forward. Website trends come and go. What was current when your website was designed and developed may be out of date now.
If you’re in charge of updating your site, have a pulse on what is happening in the online space. Routinely update your site to align with the latest expectations, user experience (UX) best practices and features of your website platform. This will keep your website current and breed confidence with your customer.
COST OF POOR RANKINGS & LOW TRAFFIC
Your visibility on search engines are a direct reflection of your website’s health. Google accounts for 79% of all desktop search traffic, worldwide.
Can’t find yourself on Page 1 of Google? You’re missing out on 91% of all traffic. And there may be a few contributing factors. Not only is site speed and user experience paramount for premium search visibility, search engine algorithms also look for fresh content to ensure your site is relevant.
For your site to stay topical and visible, perform regular upkeep, changes and additions. Can’t bet on yourself to post regular content? Have someone hold you accountable. One day a month, while performing maintenance and checks, they are tasked with uploading your latest content. This deadline can support you in having a regular content-creation practice.
You are now acutely aware of the risks you face if you ignore regular website maintenance. Don’t live in the realm of uncertainty, questioning if your business investment is safe online. Keep your website updated.
Prevention is far more affordable than a cure (or repair, or a replace).
If you’d like one less hassle in your business life, our experienced web development team can help. Our monthly maintenance packages optimise your site for security, performance, usability and credibility. Click to book your free consultation or call us on 1300 314 172 to find out more.
