Owning a website for personal or business use can have a lot of benefits, but can also be very costly- for a good reason. Websites that are used often and constantly undergoing maintenance cost upwards of $20/30,000 per year. While that might seem like a high number, maintaining a modern, well designed site is more than just buying a domain. Sites are something that you have to keep maintaining and innovating by providing new content for viewer

Building a site should be viewed as a necessary investment towards the growth of your personal brand or business. Having a web presence or owning “virtual real estate” is essential, and in our opinion not enough — it has to do more than just be a landing page. Ask yourself ‘If your website was a sales person, would they still be on your payroll?’ As a business owner, your goal should be that when someone Googles a term, key word or phrase related to your business/brand, your site is the first to pop up.

Some industry experts would use the car analogy here. If your website is a “car”, this means that it drives your business. Everything business related going on the internet, is driven by your website. But you can’t just buy a car and expect that it’s the end of the process. You constantly need to fill up on gas, deal with monthly/ yearly maintenance, and a wash and detail once in awhile always helps. The same applies to owning a website. Maintenance is a significant part of this ownership. Many people put everything into the design and launch of a site but tend to forget about the next steps. After putting all this time and money into a site you should always want it performing at its best!

There are three big mistakes that website owners make in handling their digital marketing investment (because, yes, a website is a marketing tool) :

One and Done

Sites that are abandoned and left without any updates are more vulnerable to hacks. 83% of hacked wordpress sites had never been updated. It’s 2016, if you don’t pay attention to your digital properties you’re not doing it right. It is imperative that you update your platform, plugins and themes. This is not like that annoying “update” alert on your computer or phone that you click “later” to again and again. These updates are critical to help increase security to your site and protect it against potential attacks.

I Got This ?

At Nuscreen, we always encourage and arm our clients with enough knowledge to manage and make changes to their own site. It’s incredibly empowering for them and allows them to have complete control over their site, instead of being dependent on us. We are also adamant about telling those same clients times when they should NOT make changes on their own. There is a reason you had your site designed by someone externally. Using a designer ensures you’re getting the most advanced and innovative site possible. You want to be careful and make sure you aren’t coding yourself into a hole, or wrecking your site.

Don’t be Basic

Your website is not the place to do the bare minimum. Owners should never build a bare boned site that won’t maximize their potential. Websites are one of the first places potential customers will learn about you and that can leave a lasting impression. The experience a visitor goes through on web and mobile could be the deciding factor between them choosing you or a competitor.

You should always try to keep your site modern, dynamic, and refreshed for viewers. Whether you use the car analogy or just keep in mind that your site is a marketing tool, the cost of owning a website is a worthwhile investment that can increase brand recognition, drive traffic, and help your business succeed

Good Luck!