Maintaining a website is just as important as building it in the first place! Unfortunately, most designers put much more effort into the initial design and launch of a website than they do in keeping the content fresh and keeping the site growing to best serve all visitors.

A website should not be a static thing. It should be always growing, changing and adapting to its visitors. It is imperative that you maintain a commitment to posting accurate, timely information online. If people who visit your site find that the information never changes, they will stop accessing it. You've seen sites like this on the web. They resemble movie posters or ad bills that never change. Fewer and fewer visitors will return to them as time goes by.

Maintaining a website is never done: new information will always be waiting to be uploaded, old information will need to be updated, users will provide suggestions that need to be incorporated, etc. Refine your website and its contents daily if possible. Also, keep in mind that search engines look for an active site when they determine search and page rankings.

Never take your website down when launching a site redesign. There are even for-profit organizations that will do this. They take their website down and put a "hold" page that says something ridiculous like, "Pardon our dust! Our new site will go up in a few days, so be sure to check back!" NEVER do this.

Just as newspapers are committed to making sure they publish on time no matter what, just as theater companies are committed to the philosophy of the "show must go on" no matter what, you should be committed to always keeping your website operational.

Taking your website down for several days during a transition, or ceasing to keep a website updated while you wait for a new site to be redesigned or launched, is unprofessional and will make you look very bad to many visitors and potential supporters.

Visitor feedback

Keep in mind what your audiences want out of the site. Give all web users ongoing opportunities to provide feedback and suggestions for the site. This can range from putting a feedback form on your site, or asking your friends, "What do you think of my website?"

Content and design ideas

By way of search engines and referrals, check out sites for organizations similar to your own for content and design ideas. The proper use of the ideas of others is what the web is all about. This is how we all grow, by learning from each other.

Stories and newsletters

Add stories from newsletters that have been published since your site was launched, or information from publications that have come out since the website launch. Articles such as this one are also a keyword rich source of content for your website. Look for online articles that are relative to the content of your site and provide an archive of them for your visitors to peruse.

Track results

Track the responses that result from your website. It will help you plan more strategically for future posts and online activities. Your visitors are your best source of ideas, after all, they are your stock in trade. Treat them as such and remember that responding to e-mail from your visitors is a vital part of the art of maintaining a website.