A WordPress website can be created once, but it needs to be maintained constantly. Making sure your website is using the most recent WordPress version is a crucial maintenance task.

In this article, let’s discuss updating the website.

Verify that everything is still functional and current.

Making sure everything on your site, big and small, is still functioning properly should be your first priority. This entails conducting a thorough audit of your website, preferably going through each page, and looking for problems like:

• Updated plugins or themes are required.

• Inadequate or missing images.

• Inaccurate or out-of-date user data.

• Link breakdowns (you can address this using a plugin).

• Plugins or features that are broken.

• Issues with format and/or style.

• Insufficient and/or outdated content.

Although this may seem like a lot, it’s crucial that each page leaves a lasting impression. It’s a good idea to check the organization of your content while you’re reviewing your website. Last but not least, make a backup before making any changes.

Perform A/B testing

You should evaluate your website’s effectiveness after making sure everything is up to date.. One of the best methods for doing this is A/B testing. In plain English, the technique entails producing two versions of something and comparing them.

Consider the scenario where you want website visitors to join your email list. You could design two different calls to action for that page, one for each version (such as a button or popup). Then you could send visitors at random to either page and observe which receives the most clicks.

There are numerous tools available for WordPress users to aid in this process. Nelio A/B Testing is a top-notch plugin that offers a full range of testing options, so we suggest starting there.

Solicit feedback from your target audience

You’ll want to learn what your current audience thinks of your site in addition to conducting your own testing. You might forget what it’s like on the other side if you spend a lot of time working behind the scenes. So, to assist you in updating your website, it is a good idea to directly request feedback from your regular visitors.

Find out what your audience values in terms of features or content, as well as what they like and dislike. You should also find out what issues they are trying to solve by visiting your website. It’s best to directly request this feedback in order to encourage it. This can be done through discussion boards or email campaigns, special surveys or polls, or even comment threads or forums.

Conduct research on your competition

It’s easy to spend so much time and energy on your own website that you stop monitoring what your competitors are doing. Make sure you’re still competitive in your industry or niche at the start of the new year and check out what other websites in your niche have been up to.

Fortunately, you can carry out this research with the aid of specialized tools. The majority of them focus on helping you compare your site to others’ sites using specific metrics.

For instance, SimilarWeb shows website traffic statistics, and BuzzSumo shows you which content from your rivals performed best. As an alternative, take a look at Ahrefs, which details exactly what you must do to rank higher than comparable businesses.

The information you learn from researching your competitors can then be applied to your own website.

Check your own analytics

Beyond keeping tabs on your rivals, it also pays to take local data into account.

Analyze your site’s analytics if you’re already doing so to learn things like:

• What are your website’s most popular pages?

• Any pages on your site that have unusually high bounce rates

• Which pages produce the most interaction

Additionally, if you haven’t already added Google Analytics to WordPress, think about doing so in the coming year.

Update your keywords

Any website’s strategy must include keywords. Your website will be more visible if you choose the proper ones, which help you rank higher in search engines.

Even if you did extensive keyword research before creating your website, search volume can always change. This indicates that it’s possible that the keywords you’re using are no longer successfully attracting your target audience.

You should spend time in the new year examining the primary keywords for your website in order to correct this. For this task, Google Keyword Planner is a helpful resource. Alternatively, you can use KWFinder, a third-party tool that offers a set number of daily free searches.

You can change the existing content to focus on more effective alternatives if you discover that any keywords have fallen out of favor or are underperforming.

Create new (or update existing) content

And finally, adding fresh content is a fantastic way to update your website. It’s a good idea to add interesting, high-quality content whenever you can, even if your website is largely static. This can improve your search engine rankings and keep readers returning.

Here are some tips on how to use content to its full potential:

• Create one if you don’t already.

• Make infographics or videos to replace text-based content.

• Rewrite important pages on your website, like the Contact and About pages.

A good time to commit to a schedule for frequently posting new content is at the beginning of the year. You’ll get praise from your audience for it.

Conclusion

So, that’s it. You have come to know the steps of updating the website. With our Optimized WordPress Hosting services, we are here to help you. As new details emerge, Hostnats will keep you informed.