Your Website Needs More Than Just a Launch
Launching a new website is an important step for any business, but the work doesn’t necessarily end when the site goes live.
Websites need ongoing technical care to remain secure, updated and functioning properly. Many businesses also need help making content changes, adding pages, improving search visibility and keeping their website current.
That’s where the difference between website maintenance and website management becomes important.
Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they can represent two very different levels of ongoing website support.
What Is Website Maintenance?
Website maintenance focuses primarily on the technical health and reliability of your website.
Think of it as taking care of the systems behind the scenes that help keep your website running properly.
Depending on your website and provider, maintenance may include:
- WordPress, theme and plugin updates
- Website backups
- Security monitoring
- Uptime monitoring
- SSL certificate management
- Hosting-related support
- Basic performance monitoring
- Technical troubleshooting
These services may not be highly visible to your customers, but they’re important to the long-term health of your website.
An outdated plugin, failed backup or security issue can become a much larger problem if no one is monitoring the technical side of the site.
What Is Website Management?
Website management goes beyond technical maintenance.
It provides hands-on assistance with the website itself and is designed for businesses that want someone available to help manage, update and improve their online presence.
Website management may include services such as:
- Updating text and images
- Adding or modifying website pages
- Posting news or blog content
- Updating forms and website information
- Content improvements
- On-page SEO updates
- Search visibility monitoring
- Website performance reviews
- Troubleshooting and technical assistance
- Ongoing website recommendations
The exact services depend on the management plan and the needs of the website.
For many small businesses, website management essentially means having a professional available when something needs to be changed, improved or addressed.
A Simple Way to Understand the Difference
The easiest way to think about website maintenance vs. website management is this:
Website maintenance takes care of the website’s technical foundation.
Website management helps take care of the website as an ongoing business tool.
A website can be technically healthy but still contain outdated information, old photos, incorrect hours, expired promotions or content that hasn’t been updated in years.
Maintenance helps keep the website running.
Management helps keep the website useful, accurate and evolving with your business.
Does Every Business Need Website Management?
Not necessarily.
Some business owners are comfortable making their own website changes and only need someone to handle hosting, security, backups and software updates.
In that situation, a technical website care or maintenance service may be enough.
Other businesses don’t have the time, staff or desire to manage their own website. They would rather send their changes to someone who already understands their site and can take care of the work professionally.
That’s where a website management plan becomes valuable.
What Happens When You Need a New Page?
This is a good example of the difference between maintenance and management.
Suppose your business adds a new service and needs another page on the website.
Technical maintenance would continue keeping the website secure and operational, but creating and adding that new page is a website management service.
The same applies when you need to replace photos, update staff information, post an announcement, modify a form or make other changes to the site’s content.
Having an ongoing management relationship means you already have someone familiar with your website when those needs arise.
How DARR Designs Handles Website Care and Management
At DARR Designs, we separate these services so clients can choose the level of assistance that makes sense for them.
Website Care provides the technical foundation and includes services such as managed website hosting, SSL, security monitoring, routine backups, uptime monitoring and WordPress, theme and plugin updates.
For businesses that want more hands-on assistance, Website Management includes Website Care plus monthly service time and additional services based on the selected plan.
This approach allows a business that simply needs dependable technical care to have it without paying for management services it doesn’t need, while businesses that want ongoing help have several levels of support available.
The Value of Having Someone Who Already Knows Your Website
One of the biggest advantages of ongoing website management isn’t simply getting changes made.
It’s having someone who already understands how your website is built, what your business does and how the different pieces of the site work together.
When you need help, you aren’t starting over with a new developer or trying to explain your entire website to someone unfamiliar with it.
That ongoing relationship can make updates, troubleshooting and future improvements considerably easier.
Which Option Is Right for Your Business?
Website Care may be the better fit if you:
- Primarily need hosting, security, backups and technical maintenance
- Make your own content changes
- Rarely need assistance with the website
- Want someone monitoring the technical foundation
Website Management may make more sense if you:
- Regularly need website changes or updates
- Don’t want to manage the website yourself
- Need assistance adding or modifying pages
- Want ongoing SEO or content assistance
- Prefer having someone familiar with your website available when needed
There isn’t one correct answer for every business. The right level of support depends on how involved you want to be in managing your website and how frequently you expect to need professional assistance.
Protect Your Website — and Keep It Working for Your Business
Your website is an ongoing part of your business, not simply a project that ends on launch day.
Keeping its technical foundation maintained is important. Keeping its content accurate, useful and aligned with your business can be just as important.
Whether you need dependable Website Care or more comprehensive Website Management, the goal is the same: keep your website secure, current and working for your business.
Contact DARR Designs for Professional Assistance