Businesses are quite aware of the fact, that in order to remain competitive, they need a website. Thus, hiring a web design company and investing in a well-designed and user-friendly website is always a priority, as websites are a brand entity or the face of any business. However, it is not something which an enterprise can simply "setup and forget" – entities need to ensure that the website is competent, it is effective and engaging. Just as our home, our car or our gadgets need regular maintenance, website maintenance is a critical component in the successful running of any company or enterprise.
These days, most websites run on CMS or content management system. The CMS powers the website backend. It enables users to bring changes in the content fast, even without expert knowledge on web development. Just as website content needs to be regularly updated, CMS software update is an essential part of website maintenance. Though, it is always convenient to use the older version or the familiar CMS, using an outdated or an unsupported CMS can be risky.
Here are some reasons why CMS update is necessary:
If the content management system is not upgraded it remains exposed to different kinds of cyber-attacks. An outdated CMS is extremely vulnerable and is susceptible to various hacker attacks that easily identify the weak spots of the website. Such kind of security lapses and breaches mean compromising sensitive data which can hugely impact the online credibility of the business. Security releases and updates ensure that the website is robust, helping to prevent hacking. Software automation testings is also an important part of ensuring a safe website.
If the CMS is not updated, users might regularly face technical problems in the form of coding errors, faulty plugins and bugs. Errors and bugs slow the loading speed of the website and can hamper several processes, which directly affects the business. All such problems can be easily resolved with a simple CMS update.
Updating the CMS means improved overall functioning of the website. The improved or the updated version comes with efficient coding. It means better navigation and faster browsing speed – the site is more responsive. A simple CMS upgrade can help in implementing newly created standards. It helps in boosting back-end interface and improves the front-end capabilities as well, which is extremely essential for the expansion and growth of the website.
In situations when the CMS upgrade is avoided or delayed, it might lead to increase in expenses because fixing security breaches or lapses or a broken website will involve a considerable amount of time and money.
Having a website maintenance plan is crucial for your search engine rankings. Having a strong digital marketing plan or spending a great deal of money on SEO practices doesn’t help always, if the website isn’t maintained well. An extremely slow-loading website, broken links, old and outdated content and spelling or grammatical errors can be extremely harmful for search engine rankings. With no website maintenance, your website will slowly fade away and fall lower in search results which mean no new customers to your website. In fact, a poorly maintained website turns off existing or repetitive visitors as well.
As per Google's latest search algorithm, it has fine-tuned its ability to pick fresh and frequently updated websites and ranks them in top results. In fact, if your website doesn't have fresh content, why will your customers return?
Search Engines do not like broken links. No one likes a 404 error message. Search engines will doubt the credibility of your website, which will have a direct effect on website rankings.
An updated and well-maintained website loads faster. It is not just about how patiently a visitor waits for the page to load, it is also important because search engines have now included website load speed in search algorithms. This means a faster loading website is going to fly to the top search results while slower ones will sink low.
A website is the public reflection of the corporate image. If a website is poorly designed and maintained, it decreases the credibility of the brand. Outdated information, spelling errors, broken links, dead pages and slow loading speed can be detrimental to the brand image of the company. Customers visit a website to find latest news, information, updates or offerings. In the absence of such information, there is a sense of negativity in the minds of customers who start doubting the credibility of the business. In the long-run it hampers the brand reputation or image of the company. It is extremely important to carry out website maintenance to match the corporate image of the company.
Are you neglecting your website for too long and need to perform some content or software updates? Talk to our CMS experts today on how we can improve your website.