Website maintenance is all the work needed to keep a website secure, up to date and working properly — from security updates and backups to updating texts and images.
What does website maintenance cover?
Maintenance is more than adjusting a piece of text now and then. In practice it consists of a number of recurring elements:
Software updates
With a CMS, updating the core, the theme and all extensions.
Security patches
Closing known vulnerabilities before they are exploited.
Backups
Make copies regularly, and check that restoring works.
Monitoring
Keeping watch on whether the site is reachable and the certificate remains valid.
Content changes
Texts, prices, photos and new pages.
Technical checks
Broken links, loading speed and error messages.
Why is maintenance important?
Most websites are not hacked through a targeted attack. It usually happens via automated scanners that look for known weak spots in outdated software. Overdue maintenance is therefore the biggest risk you run.
Visitors notice it immediately
Is information incorrect, or does a page show an error message? That costs trust, and therefore enquiries.
So do search engines
Search engines value a site that is fast, available and error-free.
The difference between a CMS site and an HTML site
The maintenance burden depends heavily on how your site is built.
Ongoing work
- Software is running permanently and needs to be updated.
- Every month, updates appear for the core and the extensions.
- That is structural work; agencies usually charge a fixed amount per year for it.
Most of it disappears
- No core, no database and no plug-ins that go out of date.
- What remains: hosting, a valid certificate and the changes you want yourself.
You can read how a static site works at HTML websites without a CMS. That is precisely the idea behind a website without maintenance costs.
How often is maintenance needed?
CMS website: monthly
Updating monthly is a sensible rhythm, with immediate action as soon as an important security vulnerability becomes known.
Backups: daily
Preferably automatic. More about that in backups explained.
Static site: no update rhythm
Maintenance is limited to content changes, whenever you want them.
Do it yourself or outsource it?
Possible, but demanding
- It takes time, discipline and some technical knowledge.
- An update can break something, and then you need to know what you are doing.
It simply keeps going
- That is why many organisations opt for a fixed package.
- Updates, backups and checks keep running, without anyone having to think about them.
You can read what we take care of in that respect at website maintenance.