So you’ve spent a good portion of your marketing budget on getting your website done, or updated and now your designer is offering you a maintenance plan, or a care plan or something similar. You thought all the hard work was done and the spending was finished.
Are we there yet?
Can’t you just set and forget about your new website and let it bring you new clients and do all the heavy lifting for you?
If only this was true – we could all sit back and rake in the coin. But unfortunately it doesn’t work that way.
Websites, like any asset need ongoing maintenance to keep them in good working order and secure. All sites are prone to hacking and malware, just like any other software assets you own. Keeping your website safe and hack free is only part of a webcare plan.
What is a webcare plan?
Webcare plans can include basic support such as upgrading your software and plugins (additional software added by your designer to make your site do exactly what you want it to do).
They should also include regular backups too, just in case the unthinkable happens and your site is hacked.
A premium webcare plan can include content updates for your website each month, phone support, Google Analytics reporting, Mail Chimp account maintenance, email support and so on.
All of these will come at a price and depending on your budget and what you want your website to achieve you should have access to a range of options to best fit your unique needs.
Peace of Mind
Having a webcare plan in place means you know exactly what it will cost you every month to keep your site secure, up to date and fresh.
It will provide you with peace of mind, a bit like an insurance policy, to know that your site is working 24/7 and if it’s not, the costs of resolving it are covered without you having to come up with additional cash to cover an unexpected expense.
If your plan includes content upgrades then this can help you to keep your content fresh, relevant and interesting to your target market.
Not only will your clients love you for this, Google will love you too and we all want that. (If you’d like to understand more ways to get Google to love you, check out this blog I wrote a while ago.)
A webcare plan means that not only are you keeping your business information up to date, you have a designer or developer looking out for your online digital assets too.
Someone's got your back
Which means that when you are not around, someone else is taking care of your site. You might even be able to take a break – as a small business owner that can be priceless.
A webcare plan is an offer for your designer or developer to help you keep your most important online asset functioning at its best.
How much does it cost?
Costs for webcare plans will vary greatly between services, depending on what is included. If you are paying for software updates, plugin updates and security checks and backups then you should be paying no more than $200 per month.
If your webcare plan includes content updates then the prices will increase according to the number of hours offered each month. And remember if you are paying for 3 hours a month, you should be using them to your advantage – it’s like having a marketing or technical assistant on your side each month. I’ve seen webcare plans that range up to $1000 per month but for that clients also receive a lot of content updates and technical support options.
How to get the most out of your webcare plan
When preparing your marketing plan, consider how you might utilise your website to support your other marketing efforts – do you want to add a special offer to your website or create a free download to attract new clients? All of these things can be taken care of with a fixed price webcare plan.
A good web developer or designer will also offer you new ideas about how you can improve your web presence and will be able to discuss with you ways that other businesses are increasing their online traffic and customer engagement.
With a premium webcare plan you not only get the ‘labour’ component of the plan, you should also be able to engage with your designer to try out new ideas, consider online marketing options and test out different approaches.
Having an ongoing relationship with the person or organisation who manages your website can be invaluable when it comes to peace of mind, knowing that someone else has your back and there is someone else who is focused on your long term success. They will get to know your unique business needs and goals and help you grow your business over time.
If you don’t have a webcare plan, why not buy yourself an early Christmas present – give yourself the gift of peace of mind, security and support for 2020 and beyond.
If you’d like to chat about which webcare plan is best for your needs, feel free to book a half-hour phone hook-up here and we can go through the options together.
P.S.
Found a spelling or grammatical error in this post? Then contact me as soon as possible and let me know. In return for your super proof reading, I will offer you a free 30-minute review of your digital presence and some fresh ideas you can try out for free.
This Post Has One Comment
Thanks, Helen
Your monthly updates are so helpful and informative. Gret to shared knowledge and resources.
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