What Website Updates are Must-Have in 2025

Some people feel that once their website is built, the work is done.

This is not true. Your website is a “living document,” and because it’s a living document, your site will always need to be updated.  Provide a poor experience to a consumer, and they are less likely to return.

There are many simple updates that can be made to your site that are relatively easy and should be part of a website maintenance plan.  Adding content to your website at least every 30 days by way of a blog, for example, is a must.

Back up:  what’s a website maintenance plan?  Most sites today are WordPress websites, and if you have one, you’re a step ahead in having your site seen by the search engines.  WordPress websites do need maintenance, however.  Their plugins need updating, site backups made regularly, theme updates when necessary … and as part of that maintenance, your website provider should be including monthly updates for you such as adding content, changing out images, etc.  Prices range exponentially with website maintenance packages.  Find out exactly what is included and make sure you’re not paying too much for too little.

Here are the top things you must do for your site to give your customers the best and safest viewing experience:

Update your Website

Consider the age of your site, if it is older than 3 years old, it’s time for an update!  That doesn’t necessarily mean you need a whole new site, but perhaps a new theme, different layout of pages, a review of your keywords to ensure your content is right where it needs to be would be a great start.

Website Speed and Performance Optimization

Users expect sites today to load at lightning-fast speeds, operate flawlessly and give them a user experience that will leave them wanting more.

Let’s face it, you most likely did a lot of leg work to get the new user to your website by investing in your social media platforms, extra SEO and perhaps some ads.

Users find your business either through a Google search or on their favorite social media platforms.  Through social media, they read and learn about you from your pictures and posts in your feed, and THEN make the decision to visit your website.

Reports also show that most users don’t stay on a home page for longer than 3 seconds, why?

For various reasons, some of which you can control such as aesthetics, fast load times due to optimized images, ease of use, and color combinations can be items you can control, so it would make sense to have a great timeless site that attracts and KEEPS a person wanting to learn even more by making sure these factors are implemented and working properly.

Getting someone to your site is not always easy, so make sure you take the steps to keep them there as long as you can.

AI-Driven Personalization

If you sell products on your site, an AI chatbot can customize recommendations for a user. Finding the right chatbot and how it interacts can be tricky, as 53% of consumers surveyed said that they disliked or hated chatbots as they often are not able to understand context which can lead to generic or incorrect messages.

Here are a few other critical steps you need to take to ensure your customers feel safe and secure while viewing your site:

HTTPS – Having an SSL Certificate and HTTPS-secured site is not optional, but we still run into sites that are not secure. Having an HTTPS-protected site encrypts and decrypts user pages coming into and out of your website. This keeps your users safe while they are viewing your site.

WAF – Website security is a must-have as cybersecurity threats are becoming more sophisticated every year. A Web Application Firewall can help keep your users safe from hackers and other attacks while visiting your website. It allows you to restrict who can access your site and keeps your client’s data safe from harm.  Google penalizes sites flagged for phishing threats or malware!

Mobile Responsive – Although this is not new, make sure that your site is mobile-responsive across all mobile platforms.  Don’t frustrate people trying to view your website – and at the same time letting them know your site is not up-to-date.

Once your site is visually pleasing and safe for users to access, you need to make sure your site is being optimized in every way possible from load time to SEO.

Content is king, and poor content can diminish your rankings quickly.   Writing keyword-rich content, along with key search phrases will help you in your rankings. Also, reviews and testimonials directly influence buying decisions, so if you get a poor review, don’t ignore it! Respond to it in an appropriate manner which can sometimes be better than getting that 5-star review!

User Experience

Once your site is visually appealing, secured, and content and images are optimized, it’s time to take a look at the User Experience.  How does it navigate?  Is it easy to find the pages your users are looking for and get there fast?  The last thing you want is for a user not to have an amazing experience viewing your site.

Now that they’re on your website, what do you want them to do?  What ACTION do you want them to take?  You need to tell them with a strong CTA (Call to Action).  A strong Call to Action “tells” the user to sign up for a newsletter, purchase a product, contact you, like your social media platforms or share your site with their acquaintances.

These are all things to make sure you include in your website, but the best way to make sure your website is representing what you want to tell people is to work with a web designer who is also an expert in SEO.  Reach out to us and we’ll be happy to discuss how we can help.  BS not included.