Who knew having a website could do more harm to your business than good? This is the case if you refuse to use quality web management services.
With the right provider, you can ensure the security and sustainability of your site stay intact. For instance, you can get back up for your data, regular web security testing and more.
One of the more recent data breaches of 2017 involved a popular company called Uber. What makes this a really bad scenario is that the breach occurred in 2016 and Uber decided to hide it until now. Imagine the discontent from their users.
The only thing worse than a breach is hiding it from your customers. The legal repercussions will be even worse on your part.
However, the key is to prevent a breach from occurring in the first place. In the following, we’ll see how web security testing and other services can keep your customers happy.
Why is Web Performance So Important?
It’s hard to ignore how savvy today’s consumers are. In fact, most won’t deal with a brand if they feel an ounce of doubt about their legitimacy or security.
But it’s not just about protecting their data. Consumers are also looking for a quality user experience. If your website is too slow or won’t load on mobile devices, then you can expect to lose a ton of traffic.
This is especially true for mobile users. In fact, 40% of mobile users will abandon a site that takes longer than three seconds to load.
Now, let’s take an even closer look at how web management services can improve your online presence.
Reduce Abandonment Rates
As we just mentioned, bounce rates are higher on sites that take 4+ seconds to load. With mobile traffic surpassing desktop traffic, this becomes even more problematic.
In recent years, we’ve seen 78% of shopping carts abandoned by mobile users. And this is compared to 70% of desktop carts.
About 22% said they abandon carts because of website errors and crashes. Without the right web hosting and maintenance, your site may perform poorly and increase abandonment rates.
Enhance Customer Loyalty
Consumers like dealing with brands that are consistent and high-quality. If you can provide a great web experience each time, then you can earn yourself a fan base of happy customers.
And when you have happy customers, you have brand advocates, which means more referrals to your business.
Improve Your SEO
Search engine optimization plays a major role in your site’s visibility. Google and other search engines use site load speed and security as factors in considering your ranking.
This is where web security testing comes in handy. A secure and seamless user experience is good in the eyes of Google. As long as you’re pleasing visitors, you’ll stay at the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs).
There are various red flags search engines look for when ranking a site. For instance, high bounce rates, cart abandonment and slow load times can all negatively impact your position in the SERPs.
This is also why it’s highly essential to have a mobile-friendly design. If you don’t already have one, consider upgrading to a site with a responsive design.
Lower Data Charges for Your Visitors
Mobile users and some desktop users have limited data plans. Smartphone plans typically have only a few gigabytes of data usage per month.
Having a site that’s too big will use up a lot of your visitors’ data, leading to excess charges (if they go over their limit at that time).
Visitors will avoid browsing through your site on their mobile devices, which will likely decrease sales. A web management service can lighten your website load and prevent this issue. You want to make a great first impression, so visitors will come back time and time again.
Minimize the Risk of Website Hackers
It’s every online retailer’s worst nightmare. Their customers trust them to safeguard their personal and financial data. Then comes along a hacker and steals millions of records.
This happens to even the retail giants, like Home Depot and Target. In other words, no one is safe – not without the proper web security testing and site management.
It’s important to have an expert who can find loopholes and glitches in your site, so they’re not exploited by hackers. The payout for major data breaches can potentially bankrupt a small or medium-sized business, so be careful.
Maintain the Integrity of Your Data
Loss and corrupted data files happen to even the best of us. This is why it’s so important to back up your data. A web management service can store your files in a remote location. This way, when your systems crash, your data doesn’t go with it.
It’s also good to have cloud access to such files, so you can continue operations while your systems are being fixed.
Let’s also factor in human error. It’s not uncommon for employees to accidentally delete an important file. With your data backed up, you won’t have to worry about this.
Avoid Viruses and Malware
Another hazard to your data and security are viruses and malware. These are created by hackers for malicious purposes.
If your site isn’t properly secured, these viruses can infiltrate your systems and either steal data or corrupt it, causing a complete shut down of operations.
It’s important to keep your site’s firewall updated, so these viruses aren’t able to get through.
Get Web Security Testing and More
Now that you see the importance of web management services, it’s imperative to find a provider that can give your site the attention it needs. At WordPress Website Management, we offer a number of services that can protect your site and its visitors.
For instance, we offer packages that include updates, backups, security, monitoring, maintenance, and reporting.
If you have a WordPress website, then it’s important to keep everything up-to-date. Contact us today to see how we can help you prevent data loss and corruption.