Apr 09 2008
Points are important to performance
It’s not uncommon to build or redesign your web site, be satisfied with the end result and then put it on the back burner, assuming the site will continue to perform for months, or years to come.
Unfortunately, without a regular maintenance program to ensure your site’s continued performance, you could be caught off-guard when your site ceases to send you leads or drops off the Internet altogether.
Here are some of the things you should include in a regular site maintenance program:
| · | Domain registration renewal: Once your site domain (web address) is registered, it can be very easy to forget that the domain must be renewed once every year or two or ten, depending on the time period for which you originally purchased the domain. Theoretically, you should receive a notice from your registrar (normally Network Solutions or any reputable one) when it’s time to renew the domain. But, in our experience, those notifications are not regularly received by companies, oftentimes because the contact person for that domain registration within your company has changed. Not renewing the domain before it expires will result in your web site no longer being accessible by you or anyone else until that domain is renewed. That’s the best-case scenario. The worst-case scenario is that another company can sneak in and buy your domain right out from under you if you’ve let it lapse for too long. Set yourself a reminder to check on your domain renewal to prevent either of these things from happening. |
| · | Broken links: As sites are updated over time, it’s easy for errors to be made in the linking or navigation structure that can cause broken links to occur within the site. Likewise, if you’re linking to external sites, you’ll need to check periodically that those sites are still active and living at the same web address. Periodically check all links, both internal and external, to make sure their still linked to an active page. |
| · | Contact forms: Check to make sure your contact form is still working. Occasionally, for no apparent reason, these forms can break, resulting in your potential leads not reaching you. |
| · | Search engine performance: Run a search engine analysis on your site quarterly to make sure the site is still performing under important keywords that would generate qualified traffic to your web site. |
| · | Content review: Most businesses evolve over time, adding new products and services, eliminating or changing obsolete programs, and creating opportunities for more valuable customer interactions. It’s important that your web site reflect the most current way your company does business so that prospects who contact you get exactly what they expect. Additionally, some search engines pay attention to how often your site is updated and look favorably on sites that add or alter content periodically. |
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