Congratulations are in order! You’ve just executed a successful launch.

Your content strategy is solidified, and your buyer personas have been set. Your customers are beginning to move through your user journey exactly how you want, and everything is going according to plan. 

Now that your website is live, it seems like all you need to do is sit back, relax, and watch the conversions roll in. But that isn’t the case!

Think of your website or web app the same way you would a garden. To see significant results, you need to care for it all year round. You water plants, pull weeds, and fertilize soil to eventually enjoy the fruits of your labor. 

Your website is the same. 

Ongoing maintenance is necessary if you want your website or web app to thrive! 

Post-Launch Requirements

Whether you’ve launched a website, web application, or mobile app, you need to continuously monitor and update the backend to keep users happy and reduce bounce rates. Luckily, your website is not set in stone and can be adjusted whenever necessary. 

So, what should you consider post-launch? 

Platform updates 

• Platforms like Drupal and WordPress implement plugin updates on a regular basis. Ensuring these updates are monitored and executed means your website stays fresh!

Troubleshooting

• Though your website (hopefully) went through dozens of rounds of testing, some small details may have slipped through the cracks during launch. Consistent troubleshooting post-launch ensures these discrepancies are caught and handled before they evolve into a larger issue. 

Bug fixes and security updates

• A security system is imperative to the success of your product. However, even with the best firewall on the market, bugs can still find their way in. Proactive monitoring prevents these kinds of errors from causing damage to your site (even if they’re just non-malicious errors and coding mistakes!). It’s also important to stay on top of various security updates from your web host to keep your site and your customers safe.

SEO monitoring 

• SEO (search engine optimization) is an important part of any website build. Constant algorithm updates and fluctuations in trends, search queries, and new competition all influence your web rankings. Consistent updates call for consistent monitoring, which means increased rankings and higher authority scores!

Related reading: ​​Is WordPress VIP The Right Choice For You?

How can a retainer solution help?

When seeking the right agency to handle your ongoing support, it helps to look to the agency who built your digital product! They already know the ins and outs of your website and can react to any errors or slowed response times quickly and efficiently.

Benefits of a retainer agency

• You have access to a reliable and knowledgeable support staff that offers best practices for enhancing your product.
• A retainer agency is more cost-effective; you save money by not spending on expensive one-off contracts. 
• A team proactively monitors your website so you can ensure everything continues running smoothly. 
• Adding new functionalities is easier with a team on hand. Your digital product stays updated with a quicker turnaround time for requests.
• Retainer-based relationships allow for opportunities to initiate bigger projects and enable you to have customized support to fit your unique needs.  

Risks of not having ongoing support 

• If you miss security updates, your website is more susceptible to breaches and critical errors that could cause your customers to lose trust in your business, which leads to a devalued reputation and serious delays. 
• Without consistent updates, your website could become irrelevant if your content isn’t actively monitored and adjusted. 
• Undetected bugs and other errors can seriously affect your website’s performance. 

Related reading: Tips For Migrating Content Off Of Your Legacy CMS

Ongoing support ensures your website or web app performs at its most optimal level, ultimately keeping your users satisfied, their data protected, and your digital product safe. 

Launch your website with confidence and rely on the same agency for support maintenance. Partner with Mindgrub today!