Website Management 101: What, Why, & How. Everything You Need To Know

Businesses of all sizes and types require a robust online presence to inform potential clients and customers about their products and services.

Website management is vital to this presence, ensuring content is correctly displayed and optimized to reach the broadest possible audience.

This website management and maintenance guide covers everything from the core elements that need to be addressed to the best resources and tools for the job.

What Is Website Management?

Website management is the process of correctly maintaining and updating a website to ensure it performs optimally and appeals to the intended target audience.

A fundamental element of making a business website, it covers everything from maintaining the backend and databases to the site’s design and functionality.

It can be performed internally by professionals within a company or by hiring website management services with dedicated specialists for specific roles.

There are many excellent resources and tools to assist with website management, with artificial intelligence playing a more significant role in delivering exceptional results.

Website management is vital for sites that include an online store, helping drive traffic and increase sales through various optimization processes.

Why Managing Your Website Is Important

Many benefits to website management make the time and effort needed to perform the related tasks a great return on the initial investment.

The best business website examples showcase these advantages, from the intuitive, user-friendly interface and experience to overall site speed and functionality.

Some of the key benefits of implementing robust website management systems include:

• Reliable technical performance: One of the most severe consequences of a poorly managed website is a lack of technical performance, with broken links, slow loading, and other performance-related issues turning visitors away. Website management services identify and correct these issues to minimize bounce rates and increase conversions to sales.
• Data protection and security threats: With cyberattacks and hacking on the rise, effective website management allows owners to protect their customer data and avoid other breaches that disrupt their daily business operations.
• Keeping content fresh and up to date: Websites that become neglected over time often suffer from out-of-date content and information, negatively reflecting the business’s professionalism. Website management ensures this content is updated as needed while improving the site’s search engine ranking.

By partnering with a website management company or managing these processes in-house, businesses can ensure their website adheres to the latest tech trends for optimal results.

Key Elements Of Website Management

Before we explore the principles of website management in detail, here’s an overview of the key elements you need to be aware of to ensure a comprehensive review of your site.

When planning and implementing the management process, include the following aspects:

• Site backup and security: Backing up a website in case of a malfunction or invasive hackers is essential for mitigating disasters and should be complemented by robust measures to protect against security threats.
• Website accessibility: Optimizing websites for accessibility is vital for increasing online reach, from providing alt text for images and videos to creating forms and other interactive elements that are easy for people with disabilities to use.
• Search engine optimization: Search engines respond favorably to websites that have been optimized across all content, from text-based content in blogs and landing pages to product descriptions in online stores.
• Visually appealing design: An outdated website can have a profound negative impact on the business brand, so it pays to review regularly and, if necessary, update the site with a visually appealing redesign when necessary.
• Performance monitoring: Page loading speeds, plug-in functionality, and other performance-related issues are at the core of website performance monitoring, with many robust website management tools available to streamline identifying and addressing any problems.

Let’s work through the complete website management process, breaking down the steps you can take to address these vital elements.

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How To Manage Your Website (Step-By-Step)

Whether you’re running a small business or addressing the online presence of a major corporation, website management is essential for delivering a positive user experience.

Here’s a complete breakdown of the core website management tasks, from using the best content management system to implementing digital marketing efforts.

Step 1: Select A Content Management System

A content management system (CMS) is a core feature included when making a website and managing various assets, such as videos and images.

Playing a key role in overall website management and optimization, a CMS provides the foundation from which content is managed and organized throughout the site.

A content management system is especially important for websites that include an online store, catalog products, and streamline SEO in descriptions.

When selecting a CMS, choose one with a user-friendly interface, content creation, and collaboration tools that allow for easy edits and complete version control.

You should also take the time to familiarize yourself with the latest content management trends, such as AI integration and predictive data analytics.

Step 2: Create A Backup Of The Website

Creating a website backup is another essential step in managing content and protecting it from unforeseen errors and malicious attacks.

Many management tools provide full backup features, such as downloading and saving files and databases, that keep the site up and running.

Regular backups are an ongoing aspect of website management, and automation tools are available to ensure this process is not overlooked.

This process is also vital whenever large-scale adjustments are made to a business website, allowing for quick reversions following accidental changes.

Step 3: Update Website Security

Another core aspect of website maintenance is security, and robust data protection and security measures should be implemented before any website is launched.

With an increasing number of cybersecurity threats and trends to be aware of, this step should be one of the top priorities for any business owner.

This includes using an SSL certificate, enabling two-factor authorization for administrative accounts, and working with a secure hosting provider with reliable protocols.

Regular website management includes scanning the site for potential breaches and including anti-malware tools that block bots from entering the website.

Step 4: Implement Website Monitoring

Most websites experience problems with their pages at some point, resulting in 404-page errors and other issues that impact the user’s experience.

The website management process mitigates these issues through robust and ongoing website monitoring, which identifies and fixes technical flaws as and when they arise.

Various webmaster tools can be incorporated into a site to monitor technical performance, providing comprehensive auditing through automation processes.

Such tools ensure that dead pages and broken links are fixed promptly and that under-the-hood factors such as tags and indexes function correctly.

Related reading: A step-by-step guide to the website design timeline.

Step 5: Test & Optimize Website Performance

A related aspect of the website management process is optimization, which draws on the data provided by monitoring to enhance performance throughout the site.

Implementing testing and optimization protocols is a vital element of any website launch checklist that continues throughout the site’s lifespan.

This includes testing the site’s loading speed, correcting any server issues, and checking the user interface to ensure it is optimized for the end user.

Some website builders include these testing tools in their models, making it easier to review website speed and other performance-related issues within the CMS.

Step 6: Refresh The Site’s Design

The visual design of a website is an important aspect that impacts the customer experience, incorporating relevant brand elements that increase a company’s online visibility.

It also includes technical performance aspects that website management needs to address, such as JavaScript and CSS code embedded in the design that may be causing issues.

As such, these design elements need to be regularly reviewed to ensure they aren’t causing performance issues while also reflecting the company’s core brand pillars.

If necessary, new graphics should be created to improve the site’s appearance, factoring in how these changes can positively impact the user’s ability to navigate the content.

You can also implement A/B testing to analyze design elements and how they impact the site’s performance, such as experimenting with CTAs and other components.

Step 7: Update For Search Engine Optimization

Another key role a website manager performs is optimizing content for search engine results, impacting visitor-facing text and descriptions and backend text on all web pages.

SEO is constantly changing as engines such as Google update their algorithms, making it vital to implement an SEO strategy that’s adaptable to changes.

It’s applicable across all site pages, with blog posts and online store descriptions critical to get right when combined with marketing strategies.

Fortunately, there are many small business automation tools that can speed up the SEO process and save money when managing a website on a budget.

Step 8: Implement Marketing Strategies

The final step in website management is implementing marketing strategies, which can gather reliable data to drive future growth and improvement.

There are many places to advertise a business, both online and in the real world, from low-budget options to partnering with professional digital marketing services.

SEO helps underpin marketing initiatives, with social media marketing, email campaigns, and paid ads all providing insights into how well your content performs.

With social media’s influence on marketing growing exponentially, it’s another core aspect of proper website management that can help businesses achieve online success.

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Website Management Resources

Website management can seem daunting, but fortunately, there are many excellent tools for freelancers that can streamline these processes.

If you’re saving money on website management services and tackling the process yourself, these tools and resources will help you achieve the desired results.

• Google Search Console: With search engine optimization vital for a website’s ranking online, Google Search Console provides in-depth analytics tools to help you choose the best keywords for your content.
• PageSpeed Insights: If your website is experiencing poor performance and slow loading speeds, PageSpeed Insights will help you identify these obstacles and rectify the problem.
• Hootsuite: Social media is vital for promoting a business online and reaching customers to engage them with content, and Hootsuite’s robust scheduling tools can streamline this process.
• Dropbox: If you’re looking for reliable file management tools with comprehensive sharing capabilities, Dropbox includes everything from file synchronization to version history and recovery.
• Semrush: Online marketing strategies can be streamlined using Semrush, which covers SEO, competitor analysis, and complete site audits covering backlinks and insights.

With an increasing number of AI tools for small business owners emerging to help with various goals, the website management process has never been more straightforward.

Website Management Expenses

Website management is a key factor in the cost of building a website. While the size and scope of a site impact the budget, there are common factors to be mindful of.

These factors include:

• Site traffic: The more visitors your website receives, the higher the maintenance cost will become due to the additional strain on servers and other backend considerations.
• Frequency of updates: Regular website management and maintenance will increase the costs, particularly if you’re using a website management company to handle these processes for you.
• Scope of backups and recovery: The more recovery points that are needed and the overall scope of backing up a complete website will also impact the required budget for the task.
• SSL certificates: Designed to protect multiple subdomains and prevent security breaches, an SSL certificate can cost anywhere between $50 and $1000 per year, depending on the site’s requirements.
• SEO services: Optimization for search engines costs vary considerably, from basic SEO on a budget to full-scale optimization across all content, costing thousands of dollars each month.

Before signing up for website management services, schedule a free website consultation to gain a clear insight into the costs of maintaining your online presence.

Summary

Website management is increasingly necessary for all business types to ensure they can compete with their rivals and carve out a slice of online real estate.

Whether setting up a new company or overhauling your online presence, this guide provides a great starting point for implementing effective website management.

As your website grows, review these steps regularly to ensure your content continues to reach the intended audience and advance your business goals.