How to Choose a Good Company for Website Maintenance Services in Oregon

Your website needs to be well-made. Beyond the initial design and development, it needs to be updated and maintained on a regular basis. Website maintenance refers to the tasks required to keep your website functioning properly and up to date. It involves regularly checking your website for issues, correcting any issues, and making updates.

When you’re searching for a company to handle this for you, how can you choose a good one? Let’s face it, if you haven’t worked with a company like this before, the only thing you know so far is the website maintenance cost in Oregon after you’ve been given a proposal. How do you determine if this is a great company from price alone? Is this the agency who will treat your website as their own and work with you on a long-term basis?

Below are a few ways to know you’ve picked the right company for website maintenance services in Oregon:

#1 They take the time to meet you in person or via Zoom.

Why meet when you can send an email? This might be true after you’ve established an introduction to the company and have an ongoing relationship. At first, it’s crucial that you meet with them in person. This year is a little different, so at the very least, you should have an initial meeting over a Zoom call. If they don’t do this one small thing at the beginning of the process, how available will they be moving forward? After all, you are spending a lot of money and time and will be working with them long-term. An initial meeting should be mandatory when choosing a new company.

#2 They set realistic expectations.

If a company says yes to your deadlines and budgets without any questions or follow up, it may mean they didn’t understand the full scope of the project or they are just saying whatever you need to hear. Either one spells disaster in the long term for your website.

Don't let them tell you you'll be ranking #1 on Google next week or you'll never, ever have your website go down temporarily. A good agency will tell you what’s realistic, rather than just saying yes. It’s better to know up front that you can’t expect certain things, like a brand new website within the price or deadline you expect, than to have false promises, unplanned costs, unforeseen problems, and missed deadlines.

#3 They can provide past references.

Take some time to determine if the testimonial or reference they provide you with is from a reputable business, and if so, if that business is roughly the same size and calibre as yours. The reference doesn’t have to be in the same industry. An ecommerce website selling jewelry and selling shoes will be maintained in pretty much the same way.

If possible, actually contact their referenced. Ask them what it’s like to work with them. Are they easy to work with? Are they happy with their website? Have prices been roughly what they were quoted?

This list is just a simple place to begin. As you get started with the process, you'll probably discover a few other things that are really important to you.