How to Choose the Right Website Maintenance Company

7.5 min. read

Choosing a reputable website maintenance company is not an easy endeavor. Here's what you should look for before you commit to collaborate

Do you remember the day when your website was built? You were most likely excited that your business is officially online and enthusiastic that now your product/service will be easier to purchase.

However, as time went by, you came to understand that maintaining a website is extremely time-consuming and tedious. From writing blog posts and adding images to editing content and installing plugins, you found yourself short on time to focus on your core business tasks.

If you are in this situation, you'll be relieved to hear that hiring a web maintenance company is a great way to save time and money. The trick is to find one that has years of experience, employs the best people, and has a solid reputation.

Here are a few tips for choosing a website maintenance company that will bring you peace of mind and reduce your stress:

Understand the company's website maintenance pricing

Before making an investment, make sure you understand the company's pricing plans.

Maintenance costs vary significantly. There are several factors at play, including:

the size of your website
the complexity and functionality of your website, and
the pricing model of your service provider

On average, online businesses may spend anywhere from $35 to $5000 per month for maintenance. For example, a small business website may pay from $35 to $100 per month, while an e-commerce website may expect to pay anywhere from $1500 to $2500 per month.

Know what type of services you’ll need

Different companies offer different services with their maintenance packages. For that reason, it's important to be clear about what type of services you'll need.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

How many hours per week can I dedicate to maintaining my website
Should I be focusing my attention on growing the business?
Do I want to update text, links, images, videos, and files on the website
Will I need help with writing blog posts, or do I have the time to write them myself?
Do I possess the skills to do the Search Engine Optimization tasks, or will I need assistance?
Do I want to worry about website hosting, or should the company do that for me as well?

Know what type of services the company offers

Once you're clear on what type of website support you'll need, look at what the provider includes with their website maintenance services. There are a few essential services that every maintenance company should offer. Those services include:

Checking for 404 errors
Checking for broken links
Updating core plugins and website software
Posting weekly blog posts
Testing website loading speed
Analyzing security scans Analyzing website statistics
Updating web graphics and photos
Modifying layouts, themes, and templates
Mobile optimization
Renewing website domain name and hosting plan
Updating website design
Providing regular recommendations for improving your website

Make sure the company has many years of experience

A company that has plenty of years of experience will do an excellent job of maintaining your website. A professional company will help you develop an effective website maintenance plan that fits your needs, resources, and budget.

Make sure the team working on your web maintenance strategy are seasoned professionals with years of experience. Those employees will be well-trained and will have worked on many projects.

Do keep in mind, though, that many reputable maintenance companies will require an ongoing, monthly relationship. They might not be able to work with you on an on and off basis.

Get in touch with the company in advance and ask them a few questions. By doing so, you'll understand how experienced the company is before you commit to collaborate. Explain to them exactly what type of website support you need, and ask what kind of services they can offer. You'll set the stage for a successful collaboration and leave your website's health in good hands.

Check the company's reputation

A bit of research before doing business with a company can prevent a lot of aggravation. Luckily, thanks to social media and a simple internet search, it's easier than ever to check the reputation of a company.

You want the company to have plenty of happy clients, truthful testimonials and reviews, and references that will guarantee the company's professionalism.

The first thing you want to do is to check the agency's website for inconsistencies and indicators of professionalism. For example, if it says one thing on one page and then contradicts itself on another page, that's a red flag. Or, if there are many spelling and grammar mistakes, then that's another sign of unprofessionalism.

The second thing you can do is check Yelp. Yelp is similar to Yellow Pages, but it's completely digital. Reviews here are written by real people who have used a company's product or service. You'll find detailed and updated reviews about the reliability and reputation of any business.

Other consumer review platforms that you can check include Angie's List, TrustPilot, Google My Business, and Glassdoor. A quick search of a company's name will open many reviews and insights, both positive and negative.

There are also tons of reviews available on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. People on social media are not scared to share their complaints, both on company pages and their own feeds. Simply search for the company's name and see what others have been posting about the business. Look at what customers are writing but also at the company's responses, as that can be the real indicator of good customer service.

Why Exai is a great maintenance company for your business

Exai is the ideal solution for building, managed hosting, and maintaining your website. We offer a wide range of services that include web management, hosting, and website maintenance. Your website will be kept to standards with our one-of-a-kind functionality of auto-updates.

Some of the services we offer are:

Website migration on the Exai platform.
Hosting services.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) updates.
Plugin updates.
Managing website up-time 24/7.
Security and malware scans.
Full mobile compliance.
Content updates.
System and software updates.

We offer three types of packages, including:

Small package: the small package is suitable for websites with 20 pages or less. The price of the package is a one-time payment of $690 with which your website will be migrated to a fully managed solution on the Exai platform. For an additional $11/month billed annually, you’ll get a hosting service for your website with full upkeep services included in the fee. Or, you can opt to pay $15/month billed monthly and get a premium hosting service for your website and website maintenance services.

Medium package: if your website has 40 pages or less, then the medium package is for you. It's a one-time payment of $870 that includes migrating your website to a fully managed solution on the Exai platform. For $11/month annually, or $15/month billed monthly, you'll gain access to our hosting and website maintenance services.

Custom package: the custom package is for a website with up to 100 pages. You need to request a personal quote. Contact us on chat so you can get a tailored quote.

New Solutions From Exai

Up until now, there hasn't been a reliable software integrated into a CMS platform that can detect and fix broken/invalid links automatically. Exai's new automatic fixer of invalid and broken links means no more manual work.

Instead of manually looking and fixing broken/invalid links, the software will do it for you. This new feature will be integrated into our CMS's software and will be part of our regular website hosting plan.

You might be wondering, what does this functionality mean for my business?

Let's imagine that a client lands on your website and clicks on a link, eager to read the content. But instead of getting the information they want, an error appears saying that the page they requested is unavailable.

Frustrated and disappointed, the client will leave your website and go to your competitors. The chances of them coming back are poor.

Apart from a negative user experience, high bounce rates due to broken links can negatively affect your SEO. If a customer enters your page but soon leaves without clicking anywhere, this signals to Google that your result doesn't match the user's intent. As a result, it will rank your page lower in the search results.

With Exai's automatic fixer, any broken or invalid links your website has will be found and resolved timely and effectively.

Key Takeaways

A website maintenance agency can make or break your business. By choosing the one that fits your preferences, budget, and needs, you'll have peace of mind knowing your online business is in good hands. The time you'll save not dealing with day-to-day maintenance tasks, you can dedicate to growing the scope of your business and ensuring customers are happy.

To sum up:

Maintaining a website is a time-consuming and tedious task.
Hiring a web maintaining agency is a great way to save time and money.
The trick is to find a reputable company that offers the type of maintenance services your business needs.

Contact Exai today to start improving your online business.