February 7

Why You Need a Website Care Plan

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Congratulations! You’ve just implemented a brand-new, shiny website for the world to see. Now that it’s complete, it’s time to focus elsewhere and forget about it, right? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Now is the time to protect your investment and make sure the hub of your online presence is attracting potential customers instead of repelling them.

But why? What’s happening that I need a Website Care Plan (a.k.a. Website Maintenance Plan) immediately after publishing a new website?

Online Technology Changes Rapidly

At WP Custom Websites, we focus on WordPress. WordPress releases a significant update on average every 120 days. In addition, minor releases come out as needed to fix bugs and security threats.

A WordPress website requires a theme and plugins to extend the functionality and create your unique website. The theme and plugin authors also release new versions to enhance functionality or correct vulnerabilities and security risks.

On top of that, your website server runs different software programs that are constantly changing. How this software runs will impact how your website runs. For example, WordPress requires a programming language called PHP to run. New PHP versions are released annually with specific end-of-life dates. These interdependencies create a constant cycle of change.

Websites are Constantly Under Attack

WordPress powers over 40% of websites today, making WordPress the most popular tool overall for creating sites on the internet today.

That popularity has a dark side – it attracts the attention of hackers because of the vast number of websites available to exploit. When hackers find a vulnerability, it is published to the world for anyone up to no good to manipulate.

Your Business is Constantly Changing

The world we live in is constantly changing. In light of current events, businesses are rapidly evolving to offer additional or different products and services. As your business changes, your website needs to change. Remember, your website is the hub of your online presence. What customers see there will determine if they follow through and pick up the phone, send an email, or purchase a product or service online.

In addition, online marketing starts with your website. The philosophy “build it and they will come” does not work in the online world. You build it to establish an online presence. It’s best to keep changing, adding, and fine-tuning your website to get noticed and increase website traffic.

How Does a Website Care Plan Help My Business?

Security: If your clients trust your website, they’ll trust you.

Keeping your website up-to-date protects your customers, your business, and your reputation from cyber threats. Websites are targeted 24/7 by attackers & spammers trying to find vulnerabilities to exploit. Exploitation can result in a hacker taking over your website, stealing sensitive data, spreading viruses, spamming your contact lists, and much more.

Cost Savings: If clients can find your business on the web, you will acquire more business and increase revenue.

Keeping your website running smoothly will give you peace of mind and save you money in the long run. New, up-to-date, and relevant content along with a top-performing website tells your potential clients your business is open and current. Besides impressing clients, it boosts your corporate image, positively impacts your search engine rankings, and drives more business to your website.

Failure to add new content or upgrade the website will result in your website peaking shortly after publication and falling in the search rankings as technology and content stagnate with time.

User Experience: If a client can use your website, they will stay on your website, increasing business and revenue.

The time a potential client spends on your website depends upon their experience when they get there. A website visitor will move on to the next company listed in their search results if they:

  • have difficulty navigating the site, 
  • have to wait for the site to load, 
  • are unable to complete a task or find the information they want.  

In addition, the website has to perform and be usable no matter the device (mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer) used to access it.

When Does a WordPress Website Care Plan Start?

The plan for maintaining your WordPress website should begin before building your website. Maintenace, performance, and security considerations influence your website infrastructure and setup. In addition, choosing the right combination of technology to implement your website will extend the technology lifespan of your website.

What are the Critical Steps in Establishing and Implementing a Website Care Plan?

  1. Choose a quality hosting provider 
  2. Choose your WordPress theme and supporting plugins with care. 
  3. Document your website maintenance plan 
  4. Execute the plan at regular intervals (e.g., monthly) – including additional custom work or hands-on manual testing
  5. Measure, monitor, and report on the website 

What Makes WP Custom Website’s Website Care Plans Unique?

With today’s technology and tools, anyone who spends enough time with WordPress can create a beautiful-looking website. In addition, anyone can set up automatic monitors and send a monthly report without touching or looking at your website.

At WP Custom Websites, we consider ourselves your business partner. We care about the quality of your website build, its overall health, and its longevity. So when something goes wrong, or you need help adding or modifying your website content, we’re someone to call. 

Our Website Care Plans offer different service levels and pricing based on your business needs, such as:

  • Adding content
  • Regular, minor modifications for SEO or marketing strategies
  • Manual, hands-on testing to verify the user experience

Finally, all Website Care Plans offer discounted a la carte pricing for services outside of the maintenance plan. 


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