Why Website Maintenance is Important for your Website

If you own or manage a business in Australia, then chances are that you have a functioning website to promote your products and/services. However, what most website owners don’t realise is that websites require regular maintenance.

Why does my website require maintenance?

Well, think of your website like you might think of your car. Your car requires regular servicing to ensure that it continues to drive optimally without the risk of braking down. Your website is very similar. Without regular servicing or ‘maintenance updates’, there are many vulnerabilities that can put your website at risk of being compromised. Some of the most important vulnerabilities include:

1. Security:

Without updating your WordPress software, themes and plugins, your website will run on ‘out-dated’ versions that are at far greater risk of security threats, vulnerabilities and potential hacking attacks. To reduce the risk of your site being hacked or compromised in some other way, update! When WordPress experts discuss these software updates, one of the main things they mention is security. Hackers and other malicious parties watch the release notes, learn about the vulnerability being discussed, and exploit it. According to WPBeginner:

83% of hacked WordPress sites hadn’t been updated.

According to page.ly’s stats, WordPress sites are frequently hacked due to “outdated versions of: PHP, WordPress, themes, or plugins”. WebDesign.com says, “by not updating, you are leaving your sites buggy and open to being hacked.” Furthermore, WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg begs users to update WordPress in order to keep their websites secure!

2. Fix bugs

Updates to WordPress core, plugins, and themes often fix bugs that were discovered in previous versions. To ensure your website isn’t running on outdated and ‘buggy’ software – simply keep your WordPress versions updated!

3. New features and functionality

Updates to WordPress core, plugins, and themes often add new features and ensure optimal functionality of the website. By continuing to run on outdated versions of WordPress, themes and plugins, you run the risk of losing the functionality of your website, which will impact the user experience (UX) to visitors. A negative UX can be detrimental to acquiring new business, leads and enquiries. Make sure you don’t lose potential business and take advantage of the latest features that software updates have to offer, as well as enhanced functionality by servicing your website regularly.

4. Performance:

Keeping your website up to date can also enhance your website performance, largely by decreasing website load times. The speed of a website has become an increasingly important factor in successful Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) as it is a Google ranking factor. Furthermore, speed and performance play a crucial role in UX and how visitors experience your business and website. When compared to business websites that load in 1 second, websites that load in 3 seconds experience a 50% higher bounce rate, 22% fewer page views, and most importantly, 22% fewer conversions.

Summing Up

While it might not seem like a big deal to miss just one update, it’s not worth taking the risk. The one update you miss might just be a very important update. Or, worse still, continuing to not perform regular maintenance is a sure way to put your website at further risk with multiple vulnerabilities and poor website performance. DigitUX provide affordable maintenance services to existing web hosting clients, so that you can enjoy peace of mind with your website. If you would like more information on website maintenance, please contact our local team. SOURCES [https://www.aykira.com.au/2014/04/importance-website-loading-speed-top-3-factors-limit-website-speed/] [https://optimwise.com/why-update-wordpress-and-plugins/]