Keeping Up with the Internet – Why Website Updates & Security Maintenance are Vital
There are many factors that dictate the success of a website, such as design, SEO, content and functionality. An important factor that many businesses tend to ignore is website maintenance, often opting out of a maintenance plan to save money, leaving their websites vulnerable to attack and failure.
Routine design and security updates can save you money in the long run by decreasing the risk of hacks and website failure from out-of-date software and components.
Safe & Secure
“Help! Our website has been hacked!” is not an uncommon plea in the website development industry. Websites that sit idle without technology, design and security updates are sitting ducks for internet hackers and computer viruses.
Content Management Systems (CMS), such as WordPress, Joomla or Drupal, are constantly updated to eliminate vulnerabilities. It is important for your web developer to stay on top of these updates to decrease the chances of your site falling victim to hackers. Website security is an ongoing process and an essential part of managing a website.
Security updates should be done regularly. The minimal monthly fee to keep your site updated is far less costly than an entire rebuild or the expense to hire an expert to fix a hacked website. You must also consider the potential loss of business and income when your site is not functioning or completely unavailable.
Be sure your web developer is making periodic backups of your website. In a worst case scenario, a website can be restored to a previous version of the site. The scheduling of backups should be based on how often information is being added to your site.
SSL - Why You Need It
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is the standard technology for keeping an internet connection secure and safeguarding sensitive data that is being sent between two systems. It prevents information from being read or modified during transmission. It’s the technology that puts the “s” in your https:.
SSL is essential for protecting your website, even if it doesn't handle sensitive information like credit cards.
Google’s latest SSL requirement may also impact your website in search results. If your website is not available in https it’s possible that you may see a loss in traffic and user trust.
First Impressions are Important.
An attractive, informative website greets your clients and potential customers with a visual experience that projects professionalism and organization and instills confidence in your company. An up-to-date, responsive site shows your visitors that your company is a legitimate, professional business.
A recent survey found that 81% of internet users think less of a brand if their website is not up-to-date. Landing on a “broken” or non-responsive site may turn away visitors and cost you potential income. Keeping your website and its components current will help to avoid website failure.
What is Responsiveness?
Responsive websites detect the visitor's screen size and orientation and change the layout accordingly across a wide range of devices (mobile phones, tablets, laptops and desktop computer monitors). >>> This provides easy navigation for visitors and helps to keep them on your site. If your website is not responsive, you are certainly losing potential customers.
By 2020, 70.4% of all mobile phone users will access the Internet from their mobile phones. With mobile usage increasing every day, businesses need to include a mobile-friendly version of their site for people on smartphones and tablets.
The Need for Speed
Visitors also want quick and easy access to information. A major reason why consumers leave a website is because the content takes forever to load. Out-dated technology and poorly designed websites will not operate properly on the ever-advancing internet.
Since website design trends are constantly changing, it is extremely important that you keep your website up-to-date, secure, fast and easy to use.
Please contact us for a consultation regarding your website and design needs. kim@kimhardingdesign.com • 267-987-4092 • www.kimhardingdesign.com.
