Have you ever had a frustration related to your website management?
You’re probably one of a large group of people that have had issues with their website.
The trouble with websites is the simple management of everything related to it. Websites are great to have, but they can be a real pain in the buns.
If you’re looking to simplify your website management we’ve got five tips for you.
1. Use A Reputable CMS
Many companies that provide website design and development have their own custom content management systems (CMS). This is the dashboard that allows you to control the content on your website.
While a custom CMS can be tailored to fit your exact needs there are risks.
The company would have to keep the CMS up-to-date for the latest usability standards.
Being on a custom CMS will also make it difficult for you to switch to a different CMS later.
Sarah Lynn Design often uses Expression Engine as a CMS for clients. I use it as well for my personal website. It’s a good system and the great thing is that it’s available for anyone to use. There is a great support community around it including designers and developers that know how to use it.
WordPress is my other favorite. If your designer or manager goes away for whatever reason there is always someone that can help.
2. Create Systems For Updates and Changes
Internally, websites can often go unnoticed.
Setup a system of reminders so you know when you need to update your site or make changes.
A common schedule item is a blog. You can schedule to post a new blog each month or each week. You can also schedule time to review the content on the site to make sure it’s up-to-date.
3. Assign Roles and Responsibilities
If no one is in responsible for the updates and changes on your website then things will never get done. You might have intentions of doing it, but unless you put someone in charge it won’t happen.
Assign roles for people for the various aspects of the site like blogging, website content, designs, images, etc.
Give them the roles they need in the CMS – ExpressionEngine and WordPress allow people to have different levels of access to the admin, which is perfect for the different roles you’ll have at your company.
4. Auto-Renew Your Domain and Hosting
People forget to renew their domains and hosting accounts.
You don’t realize how much of a pain it can be until it happens, but it does happen fairly often to people. Don’t feel bad if it’s happened to you because you’re not the only one.
Set these up to auto-renew. Also check with the providers and make sure you get one that sends emails well in advance letting you know that something is coming up to renew.
Go Daddy, for all the criticism they get, is actually pretty good with reminders. And they allow for auto-renew, which is a double backup in case you forget.
5. Have Backup and Update Plans
When you start working on your site it’s always a good idea to back it up. Do it right from the beginning with the designer and developer. Make sure they have backups of everything they’re working on.
When the site launches setup a backup program to automatically back the site up continuously.
Also signup for the update plan with your developer or website designer. They work with updates all the time. They can test your site to make sure it’s ready for various updates.
It may cost you a little each month, but keeping your site up-to-date will keep the site protected from security issues and you’ll avoid other things that can make your site go crazy each month.
Conclusion
Website management is one of the most frustrating things for business owners and managers.
Go through these steps and it should make the process a little easier. It’s most about preparing ahead of time and putting systems in place so you won’t be as likely to forget things.
If you have any additional tips for website management please share them in the comments.
