· Paul Carnevale
Most websites are sold as finished products. A launch date arrives, everyone celebrates, and the site is handed over. Then life goes on, and the website quietly starts to age.
That is not a flaw in your website. It is just the nature of the thing. Information changes, your organization evolves, and the technology around your site keeps moving.
What happens to a website that is left alone
Information goes out of date. Hours, staff, events, prices and programs change. A visitor who finds last year’s event, or a phone number that no longer works, loses confidence in everything else.
Small things break unnoticed. A contact form stops sending email. A link goes dead. A page loads slowly. Nobody notices until a customer or supporter mentions it, or worse, does not.
The people who know it move on. A volunteer webmaster leaves. A staff member who managed the site changes jobs. Suddenly nobody knows where the logins are, or who to ask.
It drifts away from your goals. Maybe you launched a new program, or started taking donations, or changed your services. A website that never changes cannot keep up.
What ongoing care actually looks like
Good website care is not mysterious. It usually includes:
- Updates when you need them. You send a message, and someone makes the change.
- Regular check-ups. Someone looks at your links, forms and uptime on a schedule, so problems get found early.
- Quiet upkeep. The technical housekeeping, such as updates and backups, happens without you having to think about it.
- A familiar voice. When you do have a question, you reach someone who already knows your site.
- Suggestions. Now and then, someone who knows your goals says, “This might be worth improving.”
How often should it be updated?
There is no single answer. A site for a small business with the same hours and services year after year may need very little. An organization with events, newsletters or seasonal programs may need something every week. What matters most is not frequency, but that someone is responsible for noticing when something needs to change.
What it costs
Care does not have to be expensive. Our care plans start at $49 a month, with higher plans for organizations that publish more often. They are month to month, so you can cancel any time.
The real benefit is peace of mind
You have an organization to run. Knowing that someone dependable is watching over your website, and that you can reach them when you need to, is worth more than any individual task on the list.
If that sounds like what you are missing, read about website care and support, or tell us what is happening with your website.
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