4 Terrible Excuses Small Businesses Make For Avoiding Website Maintenance
Small business website maintenance is crucial. Here are 4 of the biggest excuses companies still use to avoid investing in their websites the way they should...
Do you really need website maintenance?
Okay, sure, there are big websites that are obvious hacking targets. Like Target. Or Amazon. But you’re a small business owner, with a small business website. You don’t need the most cutting edge site, is it that bad if you skip a few updates? Regular website maintenance is probably nice, but is it really really necessary for your business?
Yes. Really, really yes.
We’ve talked about this before, but just because your website is small, doesn’t mean it isn’t vulnerable to common security threats. And if you want to stay relevant when it comes to ranking, the last thing you want is an out-of-date, non-mobile-friendly website holding your business back.
We hear a lot of excuses for avoiding website maintenance.
Excuse #1: It’s SO Time Consuming
Website maintenance for small business does take time. Of course it does… what part of running a business doesn’t take time and effort? But as we all know, any aspect of your business that can help with growth is worth investing that time into.
Updating a website doesn’t happen with a snap of your fingers. Especially if you haven’t worked with websites before. It can take time to learn what you’re doing when it comes to website maintenance tasks, even the basic ones.
Like with any other element of your business, it’s important to consider the division of labor, and to rely on help when you need it. If you find that website maintenance is taking too much of your time away from other parts of your business that you should be focused on, get help! Whether you look within your organization or choose to hire web specialists, find someone who can take it on effectively.
Taking the time to keep plugins updated, themes mobile-friendly, and images optimized for speed will be well worth the investment. And don’t even get us started on the time you save by staying up to date on security threats rather than trying to fix a compromised system.
Excuse #2: What If I Break It?
Some folks avoid even trying to update their website because they are afraid they’ll break the whole thing.
That’s why I never change the oil in my car. I’m afraid of breaking the whole engine. That makes sense, right?
Sorry. The oil in my car needs to be changed, no matter how scared I am to pop the hood. If I don’t change the oil, gunk builds up and keeps the parts from running smoothly.
Your website needs to be maintained regularly as well. If you’re using old themes, plugins, or other components, your site doesn’t work as well as it should. On top of that, older components are more vulnerable to attack, because hackers have had longer to discover all the vulnerabilities in your system.
Hey, the nervousness is understandable. It can be scary to update and upgrade sections of your website when you don’t have a ton of experience. But that’s what backups are for! The fear of irreversibly breaking your website shouldn’t hold you back from the basic maintenance tasks that help keep your website from breaking in the first place.
Plus, you can always rely on reasonably priced web maintenance services. Just like I rely on my oil-change place.
Don’t you wish your website came with a check engine light? Rely on the Pros to find and resolve issues before they compromise your system!
Excuse #3: I’m Not A “Techie.”
Not one of these guys?
Okay, maybe you don’t know an HTML from a C++. That doesn’t give you a free pass when it comes to leaving your website outdated.
There are some basic maintenance tasks, like checking when your themes and plug-ins were last updated, testing the various components of your website (like ecommerce) for functionality, or making sure that the system is being backed up regularly that don’t require any coding knowledge at all.
What if you run into something you really can’t fix yourself? It’s okay, help is out there!
Remember my oil change analogy? Not knowing how to do something doesn’t mean it doesn’t need to get done. Make sure you learn the basics, or that you can rely on someone that does.
Excuse #4: It’s Expensive
That all makes sense, you may be thinking. But you don’t have the time to spare to invest in learning all about website maintenance procedure. And you certainly don’t have the money to hire a web developer on your staff.
If you don’t have the time or staff necessary to keep your website up to snuff yourself, that doesn’t mean that you need to take a huge hit to your budget to hire outside help. There are plenty of affordable web maintenance services for companies just like yours. Make a small investment into keeping your website effective, and you will see your site drive real, measurable growth to your business.
After all, you can’t ignore any other aspect of your business. Your website is no different.
Out of excuses? Our Unlimited Web Design packages start at just $299/month and are designed to provide you a reliable partner to help you grow your business!
