Simple Steps You Need For An Effective Web Maintenance Plan
Digitalizing your business doesn't stop once you have a website. Your plan for your business should include a schedule to maintain your website so that you can ensure everything runs smoothly and no problems will arise in the future, or at least you are prepared if any do come up. An excellent way to do this is by setting up a plan.
Creating a maintenance plan is essential if you want your website to run smoothly. Here are some steps on how to construct one:
1. Schedule
Create a schedule for updates and make sure the entire team agrees with it. Updates should be planned at least once per month, but remember that more extensive updates can take more time and should be carried out in a series of stages.
2. Notify Your Visitors
Free up a ‘home' page for notifications and make sure it is the first page potential visitors will see when accessing your website. This is where you can list details about any ongoing updates, maintenance work, or site malfunctions. You should also add a disclaimer to explain why certain pages are difficult to access. This is also an excellent place to add your contact details and indicate when the website is estimated to be fully functional again.
It is essential to include an estimated time range so your visitors will know when they can expect full access.
3. Ensure Accessibility
If possible, ensure that the back-end of your website remains functional so you can still make changes even during maintenance work. You should also set up a system for employees or representatives to input information even when you are unavailable.
4. Identify the Problem Areas
As part of your maintenance plan, you need to identify any problem areas and be on the lookout for anything suspicious or unusual on your website. This way, you can prevent downtime and errors before they become a severe issue. Make sure all members of your team know what to do if something goes wrong.
5. Backup
Any changes to your website should be documented and printed out as a record of what was changed. A backup can also be useful if an update creates an unforeseen problem and you need to revert to the previous version of the website. It is recommended that you keep at least three backups on file – one on the server and at least two others in a different location.
6. Monitor Your Site
After your maintenance plan is set up, you should monitor your website regularly to make sure the updates are working, and no new problems have arisen. Set up alerts for different URLs or parts of your site so that you always get notified if something isn't working. Through multiple checkups, you can avoid major problems from arising and be able to detect more minor issues before they escalate.
Bottomline
A good maintenance plan ensures your website runs smoothly for your customers. It is an essential aspect of digitalizing your business, so make sure you follow a schedule that works best for you and your team!
