You’ve invested time and money into getting your business website designed, developed and launched.
Everything looks great, the contact forms are working and customers can find you online.
Job done, right?
Not quite!
A website isn’t something you can simply launch and forget about. Much like your computer or smartphone, the software behind it needs regular updates and a bit of looking after to keep everything running smoothly.
So, what can actually happen if your website isn’t maintained?
Outdated software can create security risks
WordPress websites rely on software, themes and plugins to function.
These are regularly updated to fix bugs, improve compatibility and address newly discovered security vulnerabilities.
If those updates are ignored, your website could become an easier target for hackers or malicious software.
That doesn’t mean every outdated website will be hacked, or that regular maintenance can prevent every attack. But keeping everything up to date is an important part of reducing the risk.
And it’s not always a case of clicking ‘Update All’ and hoping for the best. Updates sometimes need checking to make sure they haven’t caused problems elsewhere on the site.
Things can stop working properly
Ever visited a website where the contact form doesn’t send, a button goes nowhere or something looks completely different from how it should?
Sometimes these problems are caused by outdated software, incompatible plugins or changes to the systems a website relies on.
The frustrating part is that you might not even realise something has stopped working until a customer tells you – or worse, you discover you’ve been missing enquiries.
Regular maintenance helps reduce the risk of technical problems, while monitoring can help identify certain issues before they turn into bigger headaches.
Your website could become slower or unreliable
A poorly maintained website can develop performance problems over time.
Outdated plugins, software conflicts and technical errors can all affect how reliably your website runs.
And if your website becomes unavailable, even temporarily, potential customers may simply move on to somebody else.
Monitoring your website’s availability and keeping its software maintained can help identify issues sooner, so they can be investigated and resolved.
What happens if something goes seriously wrong?
This is where backups become particularly important.
If a website is damaged by a failed update, malware or another technical problem, having a recent, usable backup can make recovery much easier.
Without one, restoring the website could be considerably more complicated, expensive or, in some cases, impossible.
It’s also important that backups are taken regularly and can actually be restored when needed. Simply assuming your hosting company has everything covered isn’t always enough.
How DFX Website Care keeps your website looked after
When I design and develop a new WordPress website, my involvement doesn’t simply end when it goes live.
Every new WordPress website I host requires ongoing DFX Website Care, which brings together managed hosting, regular software updates, scheduled backups, security and vulnerability monitoring, uptime monitoring and technical website support.
There are two straightforward plans: DFX Essential Website Care and DFX Pro Website Care.
Essential provides the core hosting, maintenance, weekly backups and security monitoring needed to look after your website, while Pro offers daily backups, monthly malware scanning and up to 60 minutes of technical website support each month.
I’ll recommend the most suitable plan based on your website’s requirements.
Of course, no maintenance service can guarantee that a website will never experience a problem, but regular care helps reduce the risks and ensures there’s a process in place when something needs attention.
A little maintenance now can save a lot of hassle later
Your website is often one of the first places potential customers go to find out about your business.
Keeping it maintained isn’t particularly glamorous, but neither is discovering your contact form hasn’t worked for three weeks!
Regular updates, backups and monitoring are simply part of looking after something you’ve already invested in.
Whether you’re having a new website built or already have a WordPress website hosted with me, you can explore my DFX Website Care Plans to see what’s included and how I look after your website once it’s live.
