Welcome back to the fifth and final installation of our e-commerce site build series! Today’s post is about e-commerce website care, or the aftercare and maintenance needed for your site post-launch. To go back to the beginning of the series, click here.
What is E-Commerce Website Care?
Once your site is launched, congratulations are in order. You are the owner of a brand-new, fully functioning website! While the process of building your business’ online home is complete, the need for maintenance is just beginning.
Contrary to what you may think, websites, especially those dedicated to e-commerce, are not “set it and forget it.” Much like a physical store needs daily stock updates, frequent cleaning, and occasional updates to fixtures like shelving, your website needs regular attention to thrive. Maintenance tasks are varied and can range from updating product quantities and descriptions to changing the checkout process or page design. Some of these updates can be performed by you or your team with limited technical expertise required; other parts of e-commerce website care demand an experienced professional to ensure the security and uninterrupted operation of your site.
Sure, it’s possible to let your site go without care. But doing so would be similar to letting your car languish without maintenance. Early in its life, it might run and drive just fine, but it’s bound to break down eventually. Wouldn’t you rather pay for regular oil and tire changes than have a blowout on the highway?
In general, it’s important to make sure that someone is completing care tasks on your site at least monthly. Otherwise, you run the risk of something “breaking” and going unnoticed or being behind on updates.
What are my Options for E-Commerce Website Care?
If possible, it’s usually best (or at least easiest) to have the same team that created your website perform the aftercare. Fortunately, this is the bread and butter of many development agencies. From the moment they created a quote for your website, your team was probably planning on a long-term relationship with your business. If you don’t have a plan in place to get your e-commerce website care managed, start by asking your developer. It’s highly likely that, if they don’t have plans built for long-term management, they can recommend a different industry professional you can trust.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this e-commerce post series!
