A Website Is Like A House

While most people are familiar with websites, few are as comfortable owning or running one! A website is like a house. If you don’t have experience owning one, you might feel it’s not worth starting the process.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

At Albion Digital Web Studio, we believe if you view your website the same way you do your home, you will find it easier to get the best results.

Hosting is the land your house is built on

Your home is the center of your life, but so is the land your house is on. If you don’t own the land your home is on, or at least have significant control of it, there are limits to what you can and can’t do. You will also find when you don’t own the land your house sits on, the value of your home is lower than it should be.

It’s pretty similar for your website and web hosting.

What is web hosting?

Web hosting is the service that houses and maintains your website files. Every website requires hosting, and there is a wide range of web hosting services.

Don’t worry about that; just focus on web hosting being an essential part of having a website.

Your domain is the address where people can find you

Owning land is one thing, but if you want people to visit your house, they need to have your address. This is also the case with a website.

Hosting your website on a server is essential, but they need to have your web address for people to visit your site.

Our company is Albion Digital Web Services, and our domain name is albion.digital.

Our URL is https://albion.digital/

As you see, the URL contains the domain name, the protocol (which is the https section), and anything which comes after “.digital” refers to a specific page or post.

As an example, the URL of our Services page is https://albion.digital/services/, and this contains our:

• Domain name – albion.digital
• Protocol – https
• Specific page – /Services

Updates keep your website, like your house, clean and ensure everything works the way it’s supposed to

Buying your home is a big task, and you’ll likely take some time to enjoy your home when you move in.

Yet, if you don’t take steps to improve or update the home before too long, problems start to occur. At the very least, you need to clean your house to ensure it remains in excellent condition.

The same is true for your website.

Regular “cleaning” tasks you should carry out on your website include:

• Checking links, both internal and external, making sure they still work
• Check facts to ensure they are up to date and provide value to your audience
• Updating images, graphics, and video content to ensure the page looks great
• Use analytical tools to review which pages are popular with your audience, and which aren’t
• Update Call-To-Actions (CTAs) to ensure they are fit for purpose and provide benefit to users

These tasks matter as much as washing windows, removing garbage and vacuuming carpets. When you develop a habit of doing these tasks, caring for your home is effortless, and the same goes for your site. It is far more appealing when your website is fresh and looks great. You will take more pride in it, and people will want to spend more time here!

Good security keeps your website, like your house, safe with more than locks, but cameras, alarms, and fences too

You know the importance of keeping your home secure, and the same is true for your website.

An insecure website carries a lot of risks, both to the business owner, and guests. Cyberthreats represent a serious risk to websites, including cyberattacks and malware.

When your site suffers a cyberattack, it can:

• Impact how your site functions
• Prevent people from visiting your website
• Compromise user details and personal information
• Cause people to think badly of your website and business

An insecure home is more vulnerable to break-ins and theft, and an insecure website is liable to lose out on customers.

What steps can you take to secure your website, like your house?

Much like there are steps you can take to secure a home, you can make your website more secure. With a home, you can install dependable locks and security alarms, incorporate CCTV around your property or build more robust fences.

Here are some of the best ways to keep your website secure:

• Add a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate to your site
• Install anti-malware software
• Ensure you have strong passwords
• Make sure your website software is up to date
• Be wary of common hacker tactics, such as phishing emails
• If you have a blog section on-site, set comments to manual approval
• Undertake regular backups of your site

Being proactive is the most effective way to minimize risk of attacks.

Support is the guy you call when you have a problem, and they come out to fix it

We’ve already discussed the importance of maintaining a clean and orderly home. However, no matter how much you enjoy DIY, there are jobs you should leave to the experts.

If your boiler isn’t working, it is best to hire a professional plumber to examine it, and make changes. If your stairs are broken, you call on a joiner or carpenter to carry out repairs, and make improvements.

The same goes for your website. When significant problems compromise your website, and users, you need expert help. IT support services are essential in running your website, both in the short and long term.

When a problem arises, it is best to get help from people who know what they are doing.

Is caring for a website like looking after your home, but easier?

It is easier to care for a website than a home, but only if you know what you are doing. When you complete these checks each month, maintaining your website is simple.

You don’t need to carry out a lot of work or spend a huge sum of money to keep your site healthy and effective. You do need to take action though, and showing up is the secret to having a website you love, and which appeals to others.

Contact ADWS for expert support in building and maintaining websites.