4 Things Your Web Provider Should be Doing
You have a million things on your plate. Babysitting your website provider should not be one of them!
Partnering with a dependable company is critical for your website’s health and maintenance. What could be worse than seeing your website going down, either literally or in Google search rankings?
Yet not all website companies are built the same. Your minimum expectations for your web provider should include the following four areas of service.
(1) Regular Updates and Maintenance
A website is a living entity. It’s not “one and done” once you hit publish – it needs regular check-ups!
This includes maintenance, such as updating plug-ins and testing links, as well as regular updates to your content management system (CMS). For a website to rank well on search engines, it needs to be refreshed with new content. Whether you’re publishing blogs, adding events, or just making copy updates, these all need to be completed on a regular basis.
When you have a company constantly checking on the health of your website, things can also be fixed in a timely manner. Breaks happen – but they should be solved quickly, with the right oversight.
(2) Secure Hosting
Have you ever tried to visit a website but it took too long to load? Or perhaps never loaded at all?
That website has a hosting problem.
“Hosting” refers to a remote web server that safely stores your files (website code and media) and connects your users to your site. Your website needs to be securely hosted to ensure it is safe for users to browse. Secure hosting also prevents potential hackers from taking over your site.
(3) Continual Improvements
Unless you’re running a web development company yourself, you probably aren’t keeping up on all the latest trends in the digital space. And that’s OK! Your website provider is the expert on what’s happening that could impact your website and digital footprint.
Your web provider should also be proactively communicating with you as they spot areas of improvement for your website. Keeping up with these updates means your online performance will get better over time. Your services should include regular consultations to share best practices and strategies, custom tailored to your organization and industry.
(4) Tracking and Analytics
This goes hand-in-hand with the first item on our list, but deserves its own call-out. Your website provider should be tracking website performance and providing regular reports. Without metrics, how can you make informed business decisions?
These analytics will show not only how many website visitors you’re receiving, but how people are interacting with your website and where they spend time. This insight allows you to shift business decisions – perhaps a product or service is more (or less) popular than you realized – and improve customer experiences.
A trustworthy firm gives you peace of mind that these areas of your website are continually monitored, refreshed, and improved. Your most critical needs should be at the top of their list! Get in touch with Webfitters if you need full, reliable services to take good care of your website.