pondSoup has designed and built hundreds of websites over 20+ years. As the internet and website technology have evolved, so have the requirements for maintaining security, functionality, and search engine performance. We recommend updating WordPress websites at least quarterly, monthly or more frequently for sites with advanced functionalities (e-commerce, events or course listings, and the like). Website maintenance is a relatively inexpensive investment in your website, and business.
pondSoup offers website care plans tailored to your website's maintenance requirements - plus plan members receive a discount on additional website development services. Contact us below to learn more.
Keep your website performing optimally
As components of a website age, their compatibility with browsers deteriorates.
Modern WordPress websites are comprised of the WordPress core, the framework or theme that give the website it's "look and feel," and plugins that add functionality such as e-commerce, event listings, or email forms. All of these elements are periodically updated by their respective developers, usually in sync with major updates to the WordPress core. If a website is not maintained regularly, older versions of plugins and themes can create performance issues with browsers, and, in extreme cases, loss of website functionalities.
Keep your website secure
Regular website maintenance keeps hackers at bay and your website, yours.
Keeping a website up-to-date is imperative for security. Even if you have a simple informational site for your business, hackers can utilize it as a platform for nefarious activities. The advantage of utilizing an open-source system like WordPress is the vast community of users works to keep it safe and secure for all. The drawback is this security requires keeping up with website maintenance to reap the advantage. Compared to the less-supported alternatives, and the limitations and/or costs of proprietary platforms, it's minor.
It should be noted that a website is only as secure as the servers it is hosted on - which is why we utilize WPEngine for all our clients.
Schedule Website maintenance with content updates
If you make regular additions to your website, run updates at the same time.
Many of our clients have recurring events, announcements, newsletters, or products that require periodic development work. We take the opportunity to update WordPress, their theme framework, and site plugins. We always update websites on a staging environment, to work out of the public eye; it's a simple matter to update everything and test the website before deploying back to their live environment. When we're finished, we also republish the website with search engines. They love it.
Keep your website "fresh" for search engines
Google loves regular website updates, and maintenance is a good excuse to make them.
Search algorithms are finicky beasts. They're constantly tinkered with by the search engines, and keeping on top of what type of content and links are important, and how to best structure content to be found, is a full-time job. (If you need help we offer digital marketing strategy services and our team is the best). One thing remains constant - static, unchanging websites drop from search engines, quickly. The best solution is to regularly add and update content on a website. The second-best solution (at least that we've identified), is to at the least semi-regularly update the components of a website, and republish some key content at the same time with minor modifications. This provides both the recommended periodic website maintenance, and "fresh" (or, refreshed) content for the search engines to chew on.
