Outsourcing Website Maintenance: Why & How it's Done [2024]

Your company's website is the first impression a potential customer will have of your business. Yet many owners fail to dedicate adequate resources to keeping their site up-to-date, user-friendly, and visually appealing over time. 

Statistics show that 94% of people don't trust outdated websites, and this lack of trust has a major impact.

One is a poor user experience, often associated with outdated websites, which leads to lower conversion rates. In fact, a good user interface (UI) can raise your website's conversion rate by 200%.

However, achieving and maintaining such a high standard of website quality is not easy, especially if you don’t have a specialized in-house web maintenance team.

Outsourcing the website maintenance is the solution. Done right, it gives you access to specialized expertise and best practices that you lack.

We’ll cover everything you need to know about successfully outsourcing website maintenance.

The Overlooked Aspect of Running a Business

One aspect of business management that often gets overlooked is the consistent and expert maintenance of your website.

Most business owners realize they need a website, but few plan for the ongoing work needed to keep it updated, secure, and performing well.

Are you among them?

This neglect comes from a common misconception that once a website is up and running, it’s good to go indefinitely. 

However, websites require ongoing attention and adaptation to stay current, functional, and secure. 

Failing to update and maintain a website regularly will lead to issues such as:

• Broken links
• Outdated content
• Poor user experience
• Increased vulnerability to cyber threats

In addition, the rate of technological advancements is so rapid.  An example is the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into websites —  the artificial intelligence industry is growing by 16.4% year over year.

Regular maintenance ensures that your website evolves with these changes, maintaining its relevance and effectiveness. 

The #1 Problem With Outsourcing Website Maintenance

One of the primary challenges you’ll face when outsourcing website maintenance is finding the right balance between quality, reliability, and cost.

Without diligent management of your website partner, you may find that they are cutting corners.

They might miss key optimizations or do the bare minimum to "keep the lights on" after you sign an extended managed services contract with them.

Look out for these warning signs:

• Declining traffic and conversion rates over time
• An increase in website errors and downtime
• Little or no proactive recommendations for design, content, and technical improvements
• Constant excuses when metrics are down or problems arise

The solution is to partner with a highly reputable and technically proficient service provider like Growmodo.

Growmodo ensures transparent and regular communication. You get a dedicated project manager who gives you updates daily.

Unlike service providers who might leave you in the dark until a problem arises, Growmodo keeps you informed every step of the way.

Why Outsource Website Maintenance

Fully optimizing a website requires specialized skills in content creation and technical site updates.

If you attempt to handle these key responsibilities in-house, you’ll stretch your internal resources too thin.

By outsourcing, you lift the operational burden and tap into expert-level skills your team likely lacks. Here are more reasons why you should outsource website maintenance:

1. You Get Access to Specialized Skills and Latest Technologies

Website development and maintenance are specialized fields. You need deep knowledge in coding, design, and how to get your website noticed by search engines (SEO).

If you outsource, you’re getting help from people who are experts in these specific areas.

They give you creative ideas and solutions that have worked elsewhere. These teams work with different industries and bring all that experience to your website.

Also, outsourcing maintenance gives you on-demand access to specialized consultants for everything your website and online initiatives require.

A great example of this is what we do at Growmodo.

We regularly assess our developers through skills tests to validate expertise across leading CMS platforms and the latest web technologies our clients utilize. 

For instance, we conduct structured Webflow assessments every three months to guarantee our team is fully up-to-date on features and best practices.

This continuous training ensures you get support from experts who are up to date with the happenings in your website stack.

2. Enjoy Cost Savings

On average, it costs about $1,400 to onboard a new employee. This doesn't even include their salary, benefits, or the tools they need to do their job. 

This cost is even more significant for a small business like yours, particularly if you have fewer than 1,000 employees.

When you outsource your website maintenance, you skip these hefty onboarding costs. You're hiring a team that's already trained and ready to go.

You don't have to spend time and money training someone new. The outsourcing team brings expertise and tools, so you don't have to worry about those costs.

Specific cost advantages include:

• No recruiting fees or relocation costs
• No hardware, software, or workspace overhead
• No training/certification expenditures
• No medical/dental/vision benefits to fund
• Scalable support customized to your needs
• Built-in technical redundancies

Outsourcing also turns website ownership into an operating expense rather than a major capital drain in terms of staffing.

3. You Get to Focus on Core Business Functions

If you’re running a marketing agency, you need to develop creative strategies and campaigns constantly. Or, if you’re running a SaaS company, you also need to focus on developing and refining your software products.

Every minute you spend on updating content, troubleshooting performance issues, or attempting new redesign iterations plans is time taken away from primary revenue drivers like:

• Pitching new accounts
• Onboarding current clients
• Providing strategic counsel

Outsourcing website maintenance lifts this burden. Your best people can fully invest energy in retaining accounts and delivering incredible work.

You also become more responsive to changes in your industry. You can quickly implement new content or features on your website without being bogged down by the technicalities of doing so.

4. Enhanced Security and Compliance

A security breach to your website can be quite costly. Sixty percent of small businesses that experience a data breach go out of business within six months.

Yet, for most business owners, compliance and security upkeep likely fall low on their daily list of urgent priorities.

Though these areas may not seem critical, falling behind leaves you at major risk of:

• Losing organic traffic and customers through hacks/outages
• Receiving demands, fines, and lawsuits over privacy violations
• Alienating visitors with intrusive/outdated cookie consents
• Struggling with ADA accessibility complaints

By outsourcing website maintenance, you can rest knowing someone is constantly monitoring for the latest threats.

5. Improved Website Performance and SEO

Without technical expertise, it’s exceptionally difficult to keep up with web vitals like page load times and key SEO fundamentals.

When you partner with a website maintenance agency, they will give you regular audits using the latest diagnostic tools, recommendations based on proven best practices, and execution by specialists.

On the technical performance side, they will fine-tune things like:

• Code optimization: They will clean up bloated code, leverage efficient frameworks like React or Vue over classic WordPress, and implement image compression.
• Caching: Enable CDN caching through services like Cloudflare and Redis for faster loading.
• Hosting infrastructure: Evaluate usage peaks to right-size server resources and confirm adequate CPU and RAM allocation to prevent bottlenecking.
• DNS management: Monitor latency metrics and prevent downtime through failover redundancy.
• JavaScript analysis: Reduce blocking requests so page interaction isn't delayed.
• Core Web Vitals tracking: They will fix site speed, responsiveness, and visual stability issues that negatively impact user experience.

Beyond performance, SEO involves various technical aspects, such as structured data markup, mobile responsiveness, and secure connections (HTTPS). 

Outsourced teams ensure that your website adheres to these technical SEO best practices.

6. Stay Compliant with Changing Regulations

Laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and others dictate how businesses should handle user data. 

These regulations are regularly updated, and non-compliance can result in fines and legal issues. 

A professional maintenance team is always updated on these changes. It implements necessary updates to your website, ensuring that your data collection and processing methods remain lawful.

If you’re running an e-commerce, compliance extends to online transaction laws. 

This includes secure payment processing, clear return and refund policies, and accurate product descriptions.

7. Scalability and Flexibility

Businesses need to evolve constantly. What worked last year for your website likely requires expansion or adjustment this year.

As your business grows, your website will likely experience increased traffic, require more content, and need additional features. 

An in-house team might find this growth challenging to keep up with, especially if they are already stretched thin with their existing duties. 

On the other hand, outsourced maintenance teams are equipped to handle this scaling effortlessly. 

They have the resources and expertise to manage increased workloads. They give you experts on a demand basis. 

This means your website can grow together with your business without any hitches.

How To Outsource Website Maintenance

We've covered the many reasons why outsourcing website maintenance makes strategic sense. 

Now, you're likely wondering, "How do I actually start? What key steps should I take to ensure success?"

Approach outsourcing website maintenance as you would when adding a technical expert to your leadership team.

• Take the necessary time to align goals for your website
• Vet capabilities
• Prove competencies
• Clarify how to measure collective success

Let's jump into key steps for making it work.

Step 1: Determine Your Goals, Budget & Needs 

Before reaching out to potential partners, be very clear on what success looks like for a maintained website presence. 

Ask yourself these questions:

• What key targets do you want to hit or exceed?
• What amount can be allocated monthly/annually to support your website management needs?
• Are you looking to increase traffic, improve user experience, enhance security, or all of the above?
• Where do you most need help?
• Do you need regular technical upgrades and security monitoring?

Understanding your needs will help you find a service provider offering the right mix of services.

Step 2: Research Potential Partners

With goals, priorities, and budgets defined, start compiling a list of potential partners to evaluate.

Begin by casting a wide net. Look for agencies or freelancers who specialize in website maintenance. 

Start with online searches, seek recommendations from business peers, or explore professional networks like LinkedIn.

Pay attention to reviews or testimonials, as they often provide insights into the provider’s reliability and quality of work.

Spend time filtering prospects that align with your core platform (WordPress, Webflow, etc.). Bookmark 5-7 providers that meet initial qualifications. 

Look for case studies or examples of previous maintenance projects. These give you a clearer picture of how they’ve tackled various challenges and the outcomes they’ve achieved.

Step 3: Create an RFP (Request for Proposal)

An RFP is a formal document that outlines your project requirements, expectations, and criteria for selection.

Begin your RFP by clearly outlining what you need in terms of website maintenance. This should include specifics such as:

• The scope of work (e.g., regular updates, security monitoring, technical support)
• Desired outcomes
• Challenges your website faces

Provide an overview of your website's purpose, traffic, capabilities, and key platforms. 

Share links to give helpful context. Explain you are exploring outsourcing maintenance and support.

Be transparent about your budget constraints and expected timeline. This helps service providers understand the feasibility of your project from their end and propose solutions that align with your financial and scheduling expectations.

Step 4: Evaluate Prospects & Select a Partner

Begin by reviewing each proposal against the criteria you outlined in your RFP. 

This includes evaluating their approach to website maintenance, the range of services offered, their understanding of your goals, and their proposed solution. 

Make sure their response aligns with your specific needs and objectives.

Don’t hesitate to ask for and check references.

If possible, arrange interviews or meetings with the shortlisted vendors. This allows you to ask detailed questions, clarify concerns, and understand their team and working style.

Step 5: Onboard Your Partner

It's time to onboard them formally.

Agree to the formal services agreement detailing exact deliverables, costs, timelines, and terms that will govern engagement.

Supply the necessary credentials so your provider can administer key platforms such as web hosting, analytics, backups, domain admin, etc.

• Keep a close look at the initial work
• Provide approving signoffs before site changes are deployed
• Continually align on the next priorities

Expert Tip: Start engagement closely, then loosen trust and processes once consistency is proven. This ensures you remain completely comfortable handing off ownership tasks.

Step 6: Monitor Progress

Initially, schedule recurring check-ins at least monthly, if not weekly. Daily or weekly meet-ups may occur during the initial stage.

Platforms like Growmodo offer an advantage in this area. 

They provide daily updates, which are extremely helpful in keeping you informed about the progress of your website maintenance.

During these check-ins, review the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set at the beginning of the partnership.

Approach these check-ins with an open mind. Be prepared to provide and receive feedback.

What To Consider In A Website Maintenance Provider

When evaluating prospects, you should look beyond surface qualifications around relevant skills and experience.

Asses these key areas to qualify potential website maintenance providers:

Responsive Communication

Check how quickly they respond to inquiries, emails, or calls. Prompt responses indicate their commitment to timely communication.

Ensure they have a system for regular updates on your website’s status, including any issues, improvements, and general maintenance activities.

Relevant Technical Experience

If your website is built on a specific platform, such as WordPress, Webflow, or Shopify, the provider should have proven experience with these platforms.

For websites with custom-built features, does the provider have experience with the languages and frameworks used in your website?

Competitive Yet Flexible Pricing

The goal is to balance cost with quality.

The pricing should give you value for your money while also having the flexibility to scale services according to your business needs.

Look for providers who offer scalable pricing plans. You can start with a basic plan and scale up as your business grows and your website’s needs become more complex.

For example, Growmodo offers flexible pricing according to the number of people working on your project. The initial cost is $1795/month, which is competitive and flexible. You can upgrade or downgrade anytime.

Why Using Growmodo Makes Web Maintenance Easier

We know it can be a bit worrying to trust an agency to handle your website.

That's why we focus on building special, one-on-one relationships with each of our clients to ensure you feel comfortable and cared for.

Here's how we can make web maintenance more efficient and effective for you:

Dedicated Team

We give you on-demand access to a team of highly vetted designers and developers. 

This arrangement is often more cost-effective and less time-consuming than hiring and managing a full-time in-house team. 

You can tap into this talent pool without the overheads associated with permanent employees.

Project Management

We assign a dedicated project manager to each project. This simplifies the maintenance process, as you’ll have a single point of contact who oversees all aspects of your project. 

It leads to more efficient project completion and better adherence to your timelines.

Maintenance and Audit Services

We provide premier web maintenance and audit services. Regular maintenance ensures that your website remains up-to-date, secure, and functional.

Audits help identify areas for improvement. 

Parting Advice For Outsourcing Website Maintenance

The numbers don't lie. We have seen how important regular and professional website maintenance is.  Yet, too many business owners risk falling into avoidable traps by not prioritizing maintenance.

Get the right partner in place. You’ll get insights, recommendations, and reliable execution around the areas that matter most, practically on autopilot.

Outsource Your Website Maintenance With Growmodo Today

If achieving effortless site ownership excellence sounds appealing, we invite you to explore working together by scheduling a free consultation today.

We offer predictable pricing and no surprise overages. Our packages scale flexibly across design and technical needs.

Get started with Growmodo today.