When you get your website you can just check it off of the list and forget about it—right? …umm, not so much. This sort of thinking fits in the same box as “Build it and they will come” regarding web traffic.

There are several problems with this approach. Websites are valuable tools, and your best return on investment is

to refresh the content from time to time. It used to be that search engine optimization (SEO) which attracts search engines revolved around things called “meta tags” where keywords were stuffed into the code for your web page and many people called it good. Keywords are still a factor, but they have become a much more interactive process. Search engines now look for what is referred to as “fresh content.” This could be a new blog post or any other changes to the content of the website. This applies to website visitors as well, and is of greater concern. Unless your website has a useful tool or a terrific set of resources, why should they come back if nothing ever changes? Search engines and visitors have a lot in common in this respect.

Another reason to check back in with your website is security—someone is less likely to hack or shanghai a website that gets regular attention. This is true of all sorts of websites, but particularly so for WordPress.

The thing about WordPress is that it is constantly being updated with improvements—new features, improved security—all of which affects the themes and plugins created to work within it. If you allow your website to go unattended for long periods of time you run the risk of it needing serious repairs rather than simple preventative maintenance. If you are not prepared to do this yourself, this is something to keep in mind when you are asked if you want someone else to maintain your website for you…

To your business success!