Website Maintenance Best Practices | Law Firm Marketing Automation | Medical Practice Marketing Automation

Launching a new website is only part of the journey. Once it’s live, you have to maintain and manage it so that it remains current and successful for your business. It’s a little like buying a new car—sure, it drives great off the lot, but if you don’t fill up the tank, take it in for oil changes, and replace the tires, it won’t be long before it just doesn’t get you anywhere. 

You can, of course, handle the management of your own website—if you have the time, energy, and know-how to do it well. The problem many attorneys and podiatrists run into is that managing a website can be a huge time sink, and it’s not necessarily as easy as it sometimes looks. 

For example, it may seem simple to delete an old article on your website, but that simple change can cause a ripple effect of problems if it’s not handled correctly, which could ultimately lead to a drop in your search engine rankings. And this doesn’t even take into account ongoing website management issues like security, hosting, technical issues, and routine changes and tweaks.

When we’re talking about your website’s success, all those little things are connected!  

Unfortunately, there is no magical amount of time (or money) that you can invest in your website that will guarantee success or get you a certain number of clients. However, each time you update your website, review your performance, or adjust your marketing strategy, you are improving your online presence and taking a step toward bigger wins. 

If you’re in it to win it, you need to know what it takes to maintain a successful website for years to come. 

7 Tips for Improving Your Website Maintenance Strategy

You might have created a website that looks great and uses all the most current search engine optimization tactics, but that doesn’t mean you can sit back and forget about it once it’s live. Websites need some regular love and attention to really perform well! 

Here are some of the main things you should be doing to manage your website for the long term:

Keep adding new content.

Content remains king! One of the best things you can do to keep your website fresh is to add new articles, videos, and other content regularly. This shows search engines and potential clients that you are still active and engaged online. It also fleshes out your website over time, so that it becomes an even more powerful and authoritative resource for your “perfect clients.” Find out how to build a more powerful content strategy.  

Update your old content.

If you regularly add new content, you should also regularly review old content to make sure that it’s still accurate and reflects your current strategy. Imagine landing on a website that has three great blog posts at the top, but 35 blog posts that are thin and outdated below that! Those old pages can drag down your SEO performance, and it just plain looks bad when people start digging deeper into your site. Not sure how to turn it around? Find out how to perform a content audit on your website.  

Fix what’s broken.

Broken links, broken formatting, and slow-loading pages can chase away even the most intrepid web users. However, a lot of website owners don’t notice something is wrong until their traffic has already trickled to a stop. Avoid that fate by taking some time to look over your website regularly and fix any broken links, images, or design elements you see. If you can catch problems early, you can take care of most of them while it’s still a simple fix. See something you don’t know how to fix on your own? Give our team a call at 888.886.0939.

React to changes in SEO and web technology.

If you want your potential clients to find you online, you need to implement current SEO (search engine optimization) techniques and play by the rules. Unfortunately, the “rules” of the SEO game change all the time. If you’re not paying attention, you risk losing traffic or getting in major trouble with Google. And, if you’re not paying attention to the backend technology that runs your website, you risk making major mistakes in privacy, security, and the core of how your website works for visitors.

Use web analytics tools.

Without analytics data, you can’t know how well your website is really performing or how to make it better. Your regular website maintenance routine should include monitoring traffic, bounce rate, and other stats for your website and main landing pages. Google Analytics and other data tools give you a ton of information about your website’s performance. If you know how to use that analytics data, then you know what’s working, what isn’t, and exactly where to concentrate your efforts. You save time and get better results!

Consider a redesign every few years.

Don’t let your website get stale! Like we said above, website technology and SEO practices change quickly. After just two or three years, your website can lag behind newer websites in design, speed, function, and nearly everything else. Think you’re past due for a fresh design? Whether you’re looking for a total “rebranding” or just want a thorough tune-up on the backend, you can request a design consultation to start developing your ideas.   

Get marketing software that you will actually use.

Your marketing software should make it easier to manage your website, not harder. With DSS (Dynamic Self-Syndication), you can quickly add pages, update existing pages, or even delete pages that are no longer relevant. It’s even easy to revert to an older version of the page if you change your mind! You get an overview of your analytics data each time you log in, and you can streamline your tasks for everything we outlined above—and more! Having software that you really like and that’s easy to use makes a huge difference in how well you can maintain your website. When you find the right fit, managing your website can become something you look forward to doing for your business.    

Don’t Let Your Hard Work and Marketing Dollars Go to Waste

How you manage your website after it has gone live can make a huge difference in how that marketing investment performs for you in the long run. If you don’t keep up with it, it’s like buying a great car—with all the bells and whistles—and leaving it to rust in the driveway. 

At Foster Web Marketing, we want you to be involved in your own marketing journey—and your own marketing success! Whether you want to consult with our team, use your own team, or do it yourself, our DSS marketing software is ready to adapt to the way YOU want to manage your website. We designed it to be both powerful and easy to use so that you can get in there and really do what you need to do to succeed. 

The best part is that you can take advantage of DSS and still have the full support of our SEO experts and development team if you run into trouble or decide that your website management is too much work to handle alone!

We respect those who want lots of assistance, and we respect those who would like to take the reins for themselves. 

Are You Considering Adding Marketing Automation Software To Your Law Firm or Medical Practice Strategy?

If you feel you're missing out on your share of leads for your law firm or medical practice there's a good chance you are. The good news is Foster Web Marketing is here to help! Please contact us online or call our office directly at 888.866.0939 to schedule your free consultation with our experienced marketing team. We've been helping clients throughout the United States and internationally since 1998 and are confident we can help you not only reach, but exceed your goals.

Shannon Gifford
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Front-End Developer at Foster Web Marketing
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