Today’s digital market is a fiercely competitive space, especially for emerging tech companies. Most have to run a tight ship to stay afloat, which means there are certain things you simply cannot compromise on. It’s common to hear the trendy aphorism, “work smarter, not harder,” in these workspaces. While there’s absolutely some value in this sentiment, it can sometimes lead to lots of cuts in terms of what your business invests in. One of the areas where you should be careful with what you cut is website support.
When it comes to website support in the tech industry, whether you’re starting out as a small business or have already been in the game for some time, you need a team that can deliver on your business needs.
Make these website support services a priority
Here are some essential types of website support services that you should look for in a partner, and never compromise on them
Technical Updates & Functionality
Software performance is integral to website performance. That’s why you need a website support team that routinely ensures your website software is updated and maintains software licenses to ensure the website is secure and running on the latest version. Software updates improve the stability and performance of a website. In addition, outdated software can cause errors, crashes, or slow load times, which can negatively impact the user experience and result in lost business.
Technical updates also ensure that a website remains compatible with new hardware or software technology. This is particularly important for e-commerce websites that rely on third-party tools or plugins to process payments or manage inventory.
So prioritize finding a partner with experience in services like WordPress support and keeping other hosting platforms updated.
Troubleshooting
Website support teams monitor a website’s performance and respond to any issues that arise. Fixing broken links, site errors, HTML errors, slow page load times, or website downtime are all essential tasks to maintaining the health of your website.
In addition, the team provides customer support by responding to user inquiries and helping troubleshoot issues such as forgotten passwords or difficulty navigating the website. These services are the backbone that keeps your website running, so don’t make any compromises on troubleshooting and website maintenance services.
Site design and development
Never underestimate the power of good web design. It’s foundational in curating your brand’s unique UX and how you want users to access information, products, and services. The quality of website design can be the make or break factor for customer conversions.
Creating and developing your website’s design and layout can include everything from coding and programming to graphic design and content creation, so you want to look for a website support partner with experience in these areas.
Optimized User Experience
User experience (UX) involves focusing on the overall experience that users have on your site. Good UX design comes from support teams that thoroughly understand the needs and preferences of website users and design an experience that meets those needs in a way that is intuitive and enjoyable.
By carving out and delivering your ideal user experience, your business will boost user engagement, and conversion rates, promote a positive brand perception and improve accessibility.
SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) involves optimizing your website to improve visibility and ranking on search engines, such as Google. When a website is optimized for search engines, it becomes more accessible and visible to potential customers who are searching for relevant products or services.
This can involve keyword research, content optimization, link building, and other tactics. They should also stay up to date on new SEO best practices. When you prioritize SEO as a part of your website support services, you can:
Increased website traffic: SEO helps increase website traffic by improving a website’s ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). Websites that appear higher on SERPs are more likely to attract clicks and visitors.
Drive conversion rates: SEO can help improve conversion rates by attracting visitors who are more likely to be interested in a business’s products or services. For example, optimizing website content for specific keywords or phrases can attract visitors who are actively searching for those products or services.
Gain a competitive advantage: If you stay competitive by improving their visibility and ranking on search engines. Businesses that invest in SEO are more likely to attract customers than businesses that do not.
Data management
Data management is another essential website support service to prioritize, especially as your business grows and your data grows in value and volume. It involves the organization, storage, and maintenance of website data, which can include customer profiles, order histories, website usage statistics, and other valuable information that can be used to improve the website and its performance.
A solid data management system ensures that website data is secure and protected from cyber threats. This includes implementing security protocols, such as data encryption and access controls, and regularly monitoring for suspicious activity.
In addition, data management can help businesses stay compliant with data privacy regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA. This includes implementing policies and procedures for data collection, storage, and sharing.
Your website support team should know their way around data management systems like MySql, SQL Server, and MongoDB.
Content management
Content management is paramount to website support services because it allows your business to effectively and efficiently create, manage, and publish website content. Support teams know how to efficiently work leverage content management systems (CMS). For example, updating text, images, and videos, blog posts, creating new pages, and organizing content in a user-friendly way.
If content management is done well, it helps your business maintain consistency across its website, ensuring that it aligns with brand messaging and values. This can help build trust and credibility with users.
Analytics
Analytics is a key element of website support services because they provide valuable insights into website performance, user behavior, and customer engagement. By analyzing website data, businesses can make informed decisions about website design, content, marketing strategies, and other important aspects of their online presence.
In addition, analytics can help businesses track the return on investment (ROI) of their website and marketing efforts. By analyzing website data and marketing metrics, businesses can determine which strategies are most effective and make data-driven decisions about future investments.
Your website support team should closely monitor relevant metrics that can inform site improvements/upgrades. This data is essential for your ongoing strategy as you grow as a company.
Security
In today’s Internet-centric world, websites are vulnerable to a wide range of security threats, including hacking, malware, and data breaches. A website that is compromised can result in significant financial loss, damage to reputation, and even legal consequences.
These conditions necessitate high-quality security as a part of website support services. Your support team keeps your website secure from cyber threats by regularly monitoring the site for security breaches.
Prioritizing security means you’re protecting customer data, preventing website downtime, and even protecting the reputation of your business. Customers are more likely to do business with a company that takes their security seriously and protects their data.
Backups
Website support teams perform regular backups to ensure that website data is protected in the event of a system failure or cyber-attack. As we discussed earlier, websites are vulnerable to a range of threats that can result in data loss. Without a backup, businesses may lose valuable website content, customer data, and other critical information, leading to significant financial and reputational damage.
Data backups allow businesses to quickly recover from disasters, such as hardware failures or natural disasters. So if an incident of this nature ever does occur, your business can quickly restore its website to its previous state, minimizing downtime and revenue loss.
Not only does this part of website support give you the peace of mind that your data is backed up properly, but it’s also the best practice for any website support service today. This is something you don’t want to skimp out on.
Interested in SWARM as a website support partner?
Our experienced support team has worked with numerous tech startups and understands the specialized needs and challenges of launching a successful business. Contact us today to learn how SWARM can help your tech startup take off.
