Your website depends on a few behind-the-scenes pieces that most owners never think about until something stops working. You don't need to become technical, but knowing what each piece does makes it much easier to ask the right questions and avoid the common, costly problems.
The domain name
Your domain (yourbusiness.com) is your address on the web. You don't buy it outright; you register it with a registrar and renew it, usually every year. If it lapses, your website and any email on that domain can stop working, and in the worst case someone else can register it.
- Make sure the domain is registered to your business and that you have the login
- Turn on auto-renew and keep the payment card up to date
- Keep the contact email on the registration current, so renewal notices reach you
A domain registered in a former designer's or employee's personal account is one of the most common headaches we see. It's fixable, but much easier to sort out before you need it.
DNS: the directory
DNS (domain name system) settings tell the internet where to send visitors to your website and where to deliver your email. They live at your registrar or a DNS provider. When you change web hosts or email providers, these settings are what get updated. A wrong change here can take your website or email offline, so it's worth having someone careful handle it.
Hosting: where the site lives
Hosting is the server that stores your website's files and sends them to each visitor. Good hosting is fast, reliable and secure. Hosting may be a separate bill, part of a website builder subscription or included in a managed plan. Whichever it is, it's an ongoing cost for as long as the site is online.
HTTPS and security certificates
The padlock in the address bar means the connection between the visitor and your site is encrypted. Browsers warn visitors about sites without it, which scares people away, and forms on unencrypted pages aren't safe to use. Certificates expire and must be renewed. Many hosts renew them automatically, but it's worth confirming that yours does.
Backups
A backup is a copy of your site that can be restored if something goes wrong: a bad update, an accidental deletion or a security problem. Good backups happen automatically, are stored separately from the live site and have actually been tested. Ask whoever hosts your site how often backups are made and how quickly a site can be restored.
Software updates
Many websites run on software such as content management systems, themes and plugins that need regular updates. Updates fix security holes and keep things compatible. Skipping them is one of the most common ways small business sites get hacked. Updating without testing can break things too, which is why someone should check the site afterwards. Simpler sites with fewer moving parts need less of this.
Content updates
This is the maintenance customers notice: hours, prices, staff, services, photos and announcements. It's also the part that most often slips. Outdated information doesn't trigger an error message. Customers just quietly choose someone else.
Monitoring and checks
Someone should notice if the site goes down, if a form stops sending messages, if links break or if a page stops working on phones. A contact form that silently fails can cost you leads for weeks before anyone realizes. Test your own form from time to time, and confirm the message arrives.
A simple maintenance checklist
- Every month: send a test message through your contact form, check your hours and prices, and look at the site on your phone
- Every few months: refresh photos, review your service descriptions and check that your Google Business Profile details match your website
- Every year: confirm domain renewal, check who has access to your domain, hosting and Google accounts, and remove anyone who shouldn't
- Always: know who to contact if the site goes down
Do it yourself or hand it off?
Plenty of owners manage all of this themselves. If you'd rather not, website management means someone else is responsible for hosting, HTTPS, backups, updates and your content edits. With NuWeb it's all included in one plan along with your website and Google Business Profile: you send a quick message with what you want changed and it's usually live within a day. Everything can be handled remotely. See our pricing for details.
General information for small businesses, not a quote. Every business is different; ask us about yours.