The Dangers of DIY Website Maintenance: A Guide for Clients

So you’ve finally completed your web design project and are ready to take your shiny new website live.

But before you start celebrating, it’s important to consider the ongoing maintenance and management of your website. While it may be tempting to try and handle this yourself, the truth is that maintaining and editing a website can be a complex and time-consuming process, especially if you’re not familiar with the inner workings of your website’s content management system (CMS).

In this article, we’ll explore the dangers of trying to do DIY website maintenance and why it’s usually best to leave this task to professionals.

The complexities of website maintenance

• Updating content: One of the most important aspects of website maintenance is keeping your content fresh and relevant. This can involve adding new pages or blog posts, updating existing content, or deleting old or outdated material.
• Adding new features or functionality: As your business grows and evolves, you may want to add new features or functionality to your website. This can involve custom coding or integrating with third-party services, which can be complex and time-consuming.
• Security and backups: Ensuring the security and stability of your website is crucial. This involves regularly backing up your website, as well as keeping your CMS and plugins up to date to prevent vulnerabilities and hacks.
• SEO and performance: To ensure that your website ranks well in search engines and performs optimally, you’ll need to regularly optimize your website for SEO and performance. This can involve updating meta tags, optimizing images, and fixing broken links.

The risks of DIY website maintenance

• Time-consuming: Managing and maintaining a website can be a full-time job, especially if you’re not familiar with the CMS or website code. This can take up a significant amount of time that could be better spent on other aspects of your business.
• Costly mistakes: If you’re not familiar with website code or the CMS, it’s easy to make mistakes that can have serious consequences. For example, you may accidentally delete important files or break the website’s functionality, which can be costly and time-consuming to fix.
• Security vulnerabilities: Failing to keep your CMS and plugins up to date can leave your website vulnerable to hacks and other security threats. This can not only damage your reputation, but it can also result in lost data and revenue.

The benefits of hiring a web designer for ongoing maintenance

• Save time: By hiring a web designer to handle your website maintenance, you can free up time to focus on other aspects of your business.
• Expertise and experience: Web designers have the expertise and experience to handle the complexities of website maintenance, ensuring that your website stays healthy and performs optimally.
• Ongoing support: Most web designers offer ongoing support and maintenance as part of their services. This means you’ll have someone to turn to if you have any questions or need help with something.
• Cost-effective: While it may seem expensive to hire a web designer for ongoing maintenance, the time and cost savings of not having to handle the maintenance yourself can make it a cost-effective option in the long run.

Check out which website maintenance services we offer.

In conclusion, while it may be tempting to try and handle website maintenance yourself, the risks and complexities of DIY website maintenance usually make it a better option to leave this task to the professionals.

By hiring a web designer to handle ongoing maintenance, you can save time, avoid costly mistakes, and ensure that your website stays healthy and performs optimally. So before you start tinkering with your website, consider the benefits of hiring a web designer for ongoing maintenance and support.