Your educational institution has a new, state-of-the-art website that’s attracting a lot of positive buzz, and now you’re wondering whether you really need a professional maintenance service to keep it going.

The short answer is, Yes.

Your website is a complex, constantly evolving entity. Maintenance isn’t only about fixing technical and software issues: it also involves regular updates, site security, proofreading, access control, images and graphics, and near-continuous content changes.

Here’s why handing off website maintenance to the professionals is the right decision.

Do we have the right people?

The people with the right skills to maintain your website often aren’t the same as institution staff. Computer science instructors, some parents and students may be experts, but they may not have the time to take on the added responsibility. Staff turnover means you may be compelled to seek those skills more than once.

Training is the hidden cost of trying to maintain your website in-house. Best practices, design principles, language, tone and style, and technical know-how all need to be learnt or refreshed periodically.

Appointing a qualified and experienced partner means you can safely leave the upkeep of your website in good hands.

Do we have a budget?

Considering that payroll is one of the top items in any institution’s budget, outsourcing can save you money and make your costs predictable. Your website maintenance partner can exploit economies of scale unavailable to you to give you great prices, but depending on the scope it may take a while for these benefits to appear.

Regardless, a high-quality, consistent and reliable website puts you ahead in brand and reputation, and behind, where you want to be, on stress and worry.

Is our story being told digitally the way it should be told?

Every educational institution is unique and its website should reflect that. If not closely watched and professionally handled, website maintenance can become a nightmare: information placed or tagged incorrectly; drastic inconsistencies in tone and messaging; irregular styles and language; performance issues; website failures; navigational complexity; and security breaches may all occur.

Redundancy, software updates and backups are required to keep your website in good health, and this alone can be a full-time occupation. Website complexity and security have increased significantly in recent years – witness the number of eminent corporations and commercial entities that have been hacked.

All these can damage your brand and make your institution lose credibility for reasons unrelated to the quality of the educational services you provide.

Turn these tasks over to trained, experienced professionals with the confidence that your website always reflects your institution at its best.

Focus on the essentials

The staff of your institution are committed and passionate educators. The best use of their time and effort is in inspiring and nurturing young minds. This is a challenging task requiring all your energy; keeping your website updated and smooth-running is not – and should not be – your priority.

Focus on what you do best – educating your students – and leave website operations and maintenance to a trusted partner.

Quality and compliance

Your website is a critical tool in attracting new students, great educators and staff, and establishing strong relationships with parents, students, collaborators and experts. It often determines the first impression people have of your institution.

Website maintenance service providers are best placed to hold up the high standard of quality that sheds lustre on your institution while adhering to the rigorous standards established by education regulatory authorities. These service providers continually monitor both regulatory requirements and trends in digital technology in the education space and advise you on what’s needed to comply and keep your position ahead of the competition.

In summary

Re-evaluate whether performing website maintenance in-house is worth the risk and expense. Contact us to learn more about how we can keep your website up and running!