CommonPlaces doesn’t just design and build websites, we also maintain them.
Maintenance is key to giving your users confidence in your organization and creating a consistent user experience for them. Not every customer wants this maintenance service, and while we hope to convince our clients otherwise, we respect the customer’s right to forego this option. Each organization has its own needs and budget.
However, we recently had a client who contacted us because their email was not working. We soon discovered that the problem had nothing to do with us. Their domain had expired due to a credit card misunderstanding, and since his email was down, he never got the notice that they were putting his domain up for sale.
There are opportunists lurking in cyberspace who thrive on these situations. They pounce on unprotected, established domain names, which can now be purchased for a fraction of their current value to the business owners. These manipulative individuals then offer to sell back the domain name for an outrageous price. If you are the owner of a business and have spent years establishing your brand through a website, where all your business emails and product transactions are handled, you have no real choice but to pay their demanded price.
This is just one example of what can happen when you handle your own website maintenance. Consider just a few of the regular tasks associated with web support:
Application Updates
Third-party CMS Applications regularly need updating, along with security revisions. Does your team have the time and knowledge for this?
Backup
Backing up your website daily, including your database and all files, should be common practice. If the server crashes or your site gets hacked, a web hosting company will provide limited assistance, at best.
Track Site Speed
If your site takes more than a couple of seconds to load, you’ve already lost business. This has to be closely observed and maintained to ensure a flawless user experience.
Fix Crashes
It is more a question of when crashes will happen, not if. No site is immune to downtime, even major sites such as Facebook, Amazon, and Apple have ‘crashed’ at some point. Pinpointing the underlying cause of the crash (code, malware, and web host issues) is only half the problem. You still need to fix it. Any time that your website is down means lost web traffic and potential clients.
Don’t go it alone. The risk is too great.
Although you may be tempted to save money by doing self-maintenance, one mishap can cost you thousands of dollars and many lost hours of work. At CommonPlaces, we offer a lasting partnership with our clients. Whether you already have an existing site or are building a new one, our support programs will provide you with peace of mind. Our expert team offers domain management, website maintenance, application management, hotline support, mentoring, training, and consultation.
Intrigued? Find more here or get in touch with us! We would love to connect.
