Do you have a Webmaster?

With modern websites becoming more and more sophisticated in both look and behavior the expectation that a standard web hosting company will take care of everything your website needs is simply not correct.  The game plan of hiring a web designer that builds a new website and then moves it to a hosting company to sit indefinitely is no longer a viable plan for you or your website. Today you really need a webmaster.

Why Do You Need a Webmaster?

Because websites require a lot more attention to keep them running securely and optimally than they did in the past.

The content management systems that dominate the web today – WordPress, Joomla & Drupal are living and breathing systems – not static systems that once installed can sit for any reasonable period of time without any additional care and maintenance.

The Importance of Continued Management

Secondly – Your Website is made up of core engines and many additional plugins including some that are licensed. They ALL have to managed, maintained and renewed.

Today website updates are released “continuously” and they are always critical to security and functionality. When you have a website that is not being managed the website will become less secure and less functional. The worse case being when your website has “paid for” licenses for plugins that make the website look and feel great and those licenses expire. (usually a year after your new website was designed). Who is responsible for these now? Your hosting company or the web designer?

What else does a Webmaster do?

Most good websites will always have new content being added or updated and that is another consideration for a website owner. To have a partner that not only knows how to update your website but also understands the layout & design and has a good understanding about you and your business is invaluable.  Who is going to manage your content and/or help you when you want to manage your content? Who can also provide you with training? The answer is simple one – A Webmaster!

Web Hosting companies simply are not setup to help you manage your content (they don’t even have access to your site’s administration) and if your previous designer is no longer in the picture then your website can really end up in no man’s land (as in no one is responsible for your website).

What Can a Webmaster Help With?

A skilled webmaster can assist with tasks like:

• Managing your email accounts
• Renewing your domain annually
• Updating your secure server certificate
• Keeping plugin and software licenses up to date
• Optimizing site speed, SEO, and images
• Reviewing Google Analytics and traffic reports
• Updating site content, images, and media
• Providing custom training or review meetings
• Supporting landing pages and e-news campaigns
• Assisting with platforms like Google Business Profile
• Offering design, development, or marketing services
• Delivering support through email and phone via our helpdesk

Bear Web Design Can Help!

We have been helping our clients manage their websites since we built our very first website nearly 20 years ago. It is something we are very good at and it provides our clients with great value having a webmaster as part of their team. If you have a website that is currently sitting with a hosting company but not being actively managed by a webmaster then we would like to hear from you and see if we can become your webmaster.