Your website is loading, so everything must be fine. It's an easy assumption to make when you've got a business to run.
But a form can stop sending emails without changing how the page looks. A backup can fail quietly. The opening hours you changed on your shop door might still be wrong online.
Website maintenance is about catching those small problems before they become awkward ones. Here's the routine I'd start with.
Keep the software up to date
If your website uses WordPress, plugins or another website platform, someone needs to look after its updates. Custom websites have software dependencies too, even when there isn't an update button in a dashboard.
Before a significant update, check that you have a recent backup and a way to undo the change. For bigger changes, use a separate test version of the site first.
Afterwards, open the important pages and test the things customers use. Does the menu work on a phone? Can someone send an enquiry? Does the booking button still go to the right place?
Don't leave a known security update waiting for the next monthly review. Ask whoever manages the site how urgent it is and how they'll apply it safely.
Check the backup, not just the backup setting
A tick beside “automatic backups” doesn't tell you whether yesterday's copy actually completed.
Check when the last successful backup ran, what it contains and where it's stored. Keep an independent copy outside the live hosting account. For an important website, test a restoration somewhere separate from the live site.
I've covered this in more detail in the website backup guide.
Send yourself a test enquiry
This is a useful check because you can follow it all the way through.
Use a test email address you can access. Submit the form, then check that the enquiry reaches the business, any promised acknowledgement arrives, and replying goes to the right person. If the website stores enquiries, confirm the record is there too.
A success message on the page is only one part of that test. Check telephone links, email addresses and booking links as well. Use a test mode for payments rather than placing accidental live orders.
Review who has access
Does a former employee still have an administrator account? Is a supplier using a shared login nobody else controls?
Remove access that's no longer needed. Use separate accounts, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication where available. Check hosting, domain and email access as well as the website login.
Also check that HTTPS works without browser warnings and that someone receives certificate and renewal notices.
Read the pages as a customer
Start with the homepage, services and contact page. Check prices, hours, phone numbers and the services you actually offer now. Remove old promotions and broken links.
Then try the site on an ordinary phone. Look for slow images, menus covering the content, buttons that are difficult to press and pages that jump while loading. A test score can help find a problem, but the useful question is whether customers can get things done.
Give each job a sensible schedule
The right routine depends on the website. An online shop needs closer attention than a brochure site that changes occasionally.
As a starting point:
- Run automated availability checks and backups at a frequency that matches how much the site changes. Review failures promptly.
- Set aside time each month for contact tests, routine updates and access checks. Deal with urgent security issues sooner.
- Every few months, review content, mobile usability, loading speed and older pages.
- Check domain and hosting renewals before they're due, with current contact and payment details.
Keep a short record of what changed, who handled it and whether the checks passed. It makes the next problem easier to trace.
Want someone to keep an eye on it?
You don't need to spend your evenings checking plugins and backup logs. You do need to know who's responsible for them.
Have a look at hosting and ongoing website care, or tell me what your website needs. I'll help you work out a routine that fits the business.