What Are The Greatest Website Maintenance Resources?

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

This article explores website maintenance services and resources you can use online to maintain your sites.

A “good website” is more than a successful design or revamp. Creating a website and going live is just the tip of the iceberg in your “online presence journey.” Just like any functioning machine, a website also needs frequent maintenance to make sure that it is always running smoothly and optimally. Regular backups, website performance monitoring, and secure website maintenance can help guard against data loss and hacking attempts.

Website maintenance is an important part of keeping your website in top-notch condition and ensuring that nothing is going on in the backend that is disrupting its flow and functionality.

As a result, your website is considered “healthy” and allows Google to link it to the appropriate searches being made by users online. Your website will then meet the criteria needed to rank higher in Google searches. A frequently maintained website has the potential for growth by reaching a broader audience and increasing traffic exponentially. When you have increased traffic, it allows for the potential for new customers and an increase in sales.

How Is Website Maintenance Done?

Website maintenance involves performing a specific set of tasks to make sure it is running properly. It prevents any unwanted technical issues from surfacing on your website and gives an overall boost to the user experience. Some tasks are simple and do not require further explanation, such as frequently taking backups of your websites in case of disasters or updating content and images.

Additionally, other tasks can include performing regular software updates, auditing website performance, and ensuring website security. Professional website maintenance services, which web development companies like ours offer, can also be used to ensure that all necessary tasks get completed effectively and efficiently. Regular maintenance not only improves the user experience but also helps to increase the website’s visibility and ranking on search engines.

Different Types of Website Maintenance Tasks:

1. Performance Optimization

Performance optimization is the process that helps identify any potential problems that your website may have. These could be changing image size and resolution or reducing excess codes. Images can take up a lot of space if they are high resolution. When you have hundreds of product images, it can really impact the loading speed of your website. It is important to compress your files accordingly to make sure that their size is as small as possible while maintaining an optimal resolution. Too much unnecessary CSS code in your website also slows it down and results in large file sizes for no practical reason. So when you make sure that your images and codes are in order, it ultimately boosts your website speed.

2. Device Compatibility And Accessibility

Improving device compatibility means making sure that your website can handle many different types of devices. Some websites are only compatible with desktop computers, which leaves out all mobile, tablet, and other users. If they were to log onto your website from other devices, the poor compatibility could drive traffic away as users will get confused by the poor layout and stop browsing, making you miss out on many potential clients. As a means to make the website accessible to all users, device compatibility will expand your user base from desktops to all devices.

3. Security Management

Security management is the most important step of website maintenance. If someone can hack your website, they can cause havoc that you would not want to experience. They will then have access to your website’s most sensitive information, which should only be accessible to you. If they have malicious intentions, they can even post offensive content that can drive traffic away from your website by upsetting users. This is only if they do not plan on leaking any sensitive information that belongs to your users. Which can cause even bigger problems as it can create legal troubles for you.
Managing your security should be at the top of your list to make sure that you always have good protection and backup plans in case of an attack.

4. Plugin Update

Third-party developers usually create plugins. However, the pros and cons of that are that they keep adding new features, so eventually, your old plugins are no longer supported, and they require frequent updating. Sometimes, a plugin update may result in your website no longer functioning properly. So keeping track of plugins and their updates is important to running your website smoothly.

All of these practices are website maintenance services that agencies cover. If you do not have the budget to pay someone and want to learn these skills yourself, here is a list of useful website maintenance resources that you can try.

Useful Website Maintenance Resources:

1) W3Schools

W3Schools is a go-to website for web development tutorials and resources. It offers a wide range of tutorials and examples on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, and more, making it a great resource for beginners and experienced developers alike. Its user-friendly interface and clear explanations make learning and navigating new skills easy.

2) Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow is a community-driven platform where developers can ask and answer questions on a wide variety of topics. It is known for its vast knowledge base and active community, making it a valuable resource for finding solutions to complex programming problems. Additionally, it has a voting system that allows users to vote on the most helpful answers, making it easier for users to find the most relevant solutions.

3) Mozilla Developer Network

Mozilla Developer Network is a comprehensive resource for web developers. It offers a wide range of articles, tutorials, and reference materials on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, web standards, and more. The site is well-organized and easy to navigate, making it a great resource for developers of all skill levels. Additionally, it’s a non-profit organization, which means it’s more focused on community and education than profit.

4) SitePoint

SitePoint is a website that provides a wealth of information on web development and design. It offers articles, tutorials, and courses on a wide range of topics, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and more. The site’s content is well-written, easy to understand, and up-to-date, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and experienced developers. Additionally, it offers a premium service where you can access more advanced and exclusive tutorials.

5) WordPress Codex

The WordPress Codex is the official documentation for the WordPress content management system. It offers detailed information on installation, customization, and troubleshooting, as well as developer resources such as APIs, hooks, and more. The codex is an excellent resource for those who want to learn how to use and customize WordPress, whether they are beginners or experienced developers. Additionally, it’s an open-source project, which means that it’s constantly updated and improved by the community.

6) CSS-Tricks

CSS-Tricks is a website that provides resources and tutorials on web development and design, with a focus on CSS. They have a blog that offers articles on a wide range of topics, including CSS, JavaScript, and web design. Additionally, they also have a forum where users can ask and answer questions about web development.

7) WPBeginner

WPBeginner is a website that provides resources and tutorials specifically for WordPress users. They offer a wide range of tutorials on topics such as WordPress installation, customization, and troubleshooting. Additionally, they also have a blog that provides tips and tricks on how to optimize your WordPress site.

8) Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. It provides valuable insights into how users interact with your website, including which pages they visit, how long they stay on the site, and what actions they take. This information can be used to optimize your site and improve its performance. You can use the knowledge of how the customer is navigating themselves around your website to your advantage by placing certain images/ads/buttons that could improve their flow.

These resources can be a great addition to your website maintenance toolkit, and they can help you keep your site running smoothly and improve its performance. It’s important to reiterate that website maintenance is an ongoing process, and you should regularly check your website’s performance, update its software and plugins, and monitor for any issues. By utilizing a combination of the resources mentioned, you can ensure that your website is always in tip-top shape and ready to serve your visitors.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, website maintenance services also include optimizing the website’s search engine rankings, implementing new features and functionalities, and ensuring the website is mobile-friendly and accessible to people with disabilities. By keeping the website updated and well-maintained, businesses can ensure that it remains relevant, engaging, and accessible to their target audience. Additionally, regular maintenance can prevent potential issues from arising, such as a website crash or data loss, which can result in a loss of business.