What have you included in your website maintenance calendar? - By: A Prasad

If you have a website, you need to maintain it either by yourself or through a professional. If you are one of those who feel that there is no need for website maintenance, think again. Irrespective of the nature of your business you do need to make regular updates in your website. The web sites need continuous improvement, both at overt levels and in terms of its core ideas. The website should always retain the power to capture and engage the visitor. Emergencies such as a website crash should be included in the website maintenance.
Regular attention needs to be paid to the website maintenance lest it will become obsolete. Outdated websites give the impression of outdated services and expertise. When credibility and consumer confidence are lost, the bottom line suffers. When you keep refreshed relevant content at your site, it catches the attention of both the customers and the search engines.
For the purpose of website maintenance you may create a calendar of various ongoing updates. Along with updates, the calendar should include not only a schedule for various updates but also the projected time frames for content research, development, proofing and a final launch of required content changes
Customers want to visit your website and receive information on upcoming events, sales, new products, specials and more. Fresh content not only informs customers, it builds confidence, keeps them buying your products and/or services, and keeps them returning to your website again and again.

Some of the changes or updating required by any website is
1. Simple text edits such as updates to publish event schedules such as seminars and conference appearance.
2. Addition of content such as client testimonials or press release.
3. Modifications of design to add a lead capture form.
4. Creation of sales announcements or promotions.
5. Creation and testing of forums for sales lead generation, white paper downloads, customer support, client surveys and feedback, conversion of file formats, Word Doc to PDF.
6. Design and creation of client newsletters.
7. Auditing website for browser compatibility. Periodically certain pages or sections are redesigned to improve look and feel, creation of entirely new pages or sections, conducting usability assessments, website accessibility retrofit, reorganizing site structure for ease of future website maintenance.
8. Adding new functionality such as a local search function, add analytic codes so that you can track your sites metrics.
9. Add XML sitemaps and Robots.txt files and developing custom tools such as a store or dealer locator.
10. Taking regular backups of the website and blog database

Some other updates that directly impact your business and need to be updated regularly are pricing changes, calendar changes, specials or sales, adding or deleting or changing links, site makeovers, text content, business news and updates, product additions and photos etc. Then, there is another category of updates which are new Products, new Services, sales-specials, upcoming events, holiday specials, business hour changes, new employees and company news.
A well maintained website performs at the optimum speed possible at all times. The content at website will remain fresh and relevant at all times. There are many website maintenance team works on enhancing existing applications, adding new content, search engine optimization, bug fixing and technical support. You also need to update for search engine optimization.
IF you hire a web site maintenance team, it will work on enhancing the existing applications, adding new content, search engine optimization, bug fixing and technical support. The ranking of the website is kept high in search engine results through the search optimization performed at regular intervals. The web engineers work using Java, NET, ASP, JSP, HTML, DHTML, Flash, Linux and Window environments, backend database and many other technologies needed for your website.

About the Author

Ajay Prasad is President and CEO of Global Marketing Resources, an Orange County California based company that specializes in website design, website maintenance and website marketing. GMR Web Team offers complete website maintenance services for website owners starting at only $25/ hour. For affordable packages on http://www.gmrwebsitemaintenance.com/">website maintenance click on the link. Also check out Orange County Website designs at GM

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