Website Maintenance Checklist

Remember, your website is like a home that needs regular maintenance. Skipping updates or “setting and forgetting it” can lead to bigger issues.

If you’ve recently launched a website or are planning a redesign, staying on top of these maintenance tasks is essential. Whether someone on your team manages them or you rely on a developer’s maintenance plan, your team still plays a critical role in reviewing the site and providing fresh content.

Here are the key maintenance tasks for your nonprofit’s website – and how often to do them:

Weekly

• Add new content: Share stories or updates on your blog to keep your site fresh and boost SEO.
• Check Google Analytics: Ensure tracking works and add key metrics.
• Fix broken links: Use Google Search Console to identify and repair broken links.
• Moderate: Remove spam and respond to inquiries.

Monthly

• Test website forms: Confirm forms are working and submissions are received.
• Test your donation process: Ensure donation buttons and forms work seamlessly.
• Update WordPress software/plugins: Backup your site first!
• Update key pages: Prioritize your Home, Services, and Donation pages, and ensure any outdated Events pages are hidden or have an updated call-to-action for your next campaign.
• Update Google My Business: Refresh photos and hours, and respond to reviews.

Quarterly

• Refresh photos and videos: Update photos and videos throughout your site, and remember to add alt text.
• Address FAQs: Review top questions and consider adding to a FAQ page.
• Request reviews: Ask constituents to share feedback on their experience with you and to share it publicly on Google My Business.
• Audit performance: Check your website loading speed and optimize as needed.
• Ensure mobile responsiveness: Test the site on mobile devices.
• Run a WCAG compliance check: Ensure your site meets accessibility standards. One of my favorite accessibility checkers is AccessScan.

Annually

• Renew hosting/domain: Confirm your renewal dates and payment method to avoid disruptions.
• Evaluate security: Conduct a security audit; update SSL and user access levels. Remove users who are no longer with your organization!

You can customize this schedule to fit your needs—or outsource most of these tasks to your web development team—but staying on top of these updates will keep your website in top shape. Scheduling regular time for maintenance is crucial; I like to tackle weekly updates for HeartSparkDesign.com on Friday mornings when things are quieter!

In case you missed yesterday’s LinkedIn Live with SEO advisor Adrienne Kmetz, here’s a link to catch the replay. If you have any questions or are looking for a more detailed strategy, she also wrote a handy checklist to get started with SEO.