Website Updates
Send the change in a sentence or two, and it gets done.
When something on your website needs to change, send me a request in plain words. I make the change, check it on a phone and a desktop, and let you know when it’s live. My website update services cover new text and photos, new pages, software updates, and design touch-ups, on sites I built and on sites someone else built.
The kinds of updates I handle
Most updates fall into five groups.
A business changes faster than its website. Services get added, hours shift, people join the team, and the photos on the homepage stop matching what customers see when they walk in. Most of the updates a small business needs fall into five groups.
Text and business details
New hours, a new phone number, an added service, a new team member's bio, a correction a customer pointed out. These edits are small, and they matter. An old phone number on your website is a missed call. When a detail also appears on your Google Business Profile, your listing on Google Maps, I tell you if the profile needs the same change.
Photos
New project photos, a new storefront, a product you just added, an updated team photo. Before a photo goes up, I resize and compress it for its place on the page, so the page stays quick on a phone. I also rename the file for what's in it and add alt text, a one-line description of the image for people using screen readers and for Google.
New pages
A new service, a new location, a new product line, an upcoming event. Each new page gets its own title and summary for Google, a spot in the menu, links from the pages related to it, and a clear next step at the bottom, like a call or a form. If the page needs words, I draft them from what you tell me, and you edit the draft until it sounds like your business.
Software updates
Your site runs on software, and so do its plugins, the add-ons that give it features like forms, galleries, and booking calendars. Their makers release updates to fix problems and close security holes, and old software is what automated attacks look for. I back up the site first, then run the updates.
Design touch-ups
Sometimes a site works well and looks a few years older than the business. A design refresh updates the look within the pages you already have, with new colors and type to match a new logo, a stronger photo at the top of the homepage, clearer buttons, more room around the text. The pages and the words stay in place. When the pages themselves need rethinking, a redesign is the better fit.
Have a change waiting?
Send it overOne request, one person
Write it the way you'd say it, and the change gets made.
Add the new patio photos to the outdoor living page.
Done. The photos are up, sized for phones. It's live here:
yourbusiness.com/outdoor-livingUpdates go smoothly when the request is simple and the person making the change knows the site. You write what you need the way you’d say it out loud, like “Add the new patio photos to the outdoor living page,” or “Post a holiday closure for the week of July 4.” Attach any photos or files, and send it.
I make the change, check the page on a phone and a desktop, and write back to say it’s live, with a link so you can see it. If a request is unclear, I ask before I change anything.
There’s no ticket number to track and no account manager passing notes to a developer. The change gets made by the same person who read your request. Over time, that person learns how your site is built, which pages bring in customers, and how your business sounds.
What goes into every update
Every change is made by the person who built the site.
A quick change can quietly break something else. A renamed page leaves old links pointing nowhere. A large new photo slows the page down. A software update stops a form from sending. So each update gets the same checks before I call it done.
A backup first
Before a software update or a larger change, I save a full copy of the site and its files, so it can go back to exactly how it was if anything goes wrong along the way.
Search details in place
New pages get a title and summary for Google. If a page's address changes, the old address forwards to the new one, so nobody who follows an old link hits a dead end.
Phone and desktop
Every page I change gets checked on both, at the sizes your customers use, so a new photo or a long heading never pushes the layout out of shape on a phone.
Details that match
Your hours, phone number, and service area read the same on every page of the site and on your Google Business Profile, so customers never get two answers.
Done this way, each update leaves the site in better shape than it found it.
Need a change made?
Send a requestUpdates as part of a care plan
The changes you ask for, and the ones you never see.
Your phone and your laptop get updates all the time. Your website needs them too, even when nothing looks wrong.
For most businesses, updates work best inside a website care plan. On a care plan, I host and look after your site, including software updates, backups, and security.
The software updates and the daily backups happen in the background, whether or not you send a request. When you want text, photos, or pages changed, send it as an update request.
One-off updates
No plan needed for a single change or a list that's been waiting.
Not on my hosting? I still do one-off updates, including on sites someone else built. If the updates keep coming, moving your site to my hosting is usually the simpler way to go. If you have a single change, or a list that’s been waiting, send it through the form. I look at the site and the list, then we have a short call, where I tell you what I’ll take on first.
- 1new phone number
- 3spring hours
- add Jen to the team page
- photos from the Elm St. job
- 2gallery broken on phones
- new price sheet
One-off updates fit a few situations well:
Small changes, now and then. Your site runs well, and you'd rather send the occasional change than learn the editor.
A list that piled up. Your last web person moved on, and a list of changes has piled up.
Something coming up. You're getting ready for a busy season, a new service, or a move.
If I find something bigger while I'm in the site, like software years out of date or a form that has stopped sending, I tell you what I found and what I'd recommend. You decide what happens next. For a site with a real problem, website repair is the place to start.
Has a list piled up?
Send the list"Another thing I absolutely appreciate about Josh is how responsive he is. With my previous website designer, I'd sometimes wait weeks just to get a response or have changes made. Josh has literally completed updates for me the same day I've requested them! As a business owner, that kind of service is invaluable."
Questions about website updates
Still have a question?
Ask me directlyWhat are website update services?
Website update services keep a live site current with new text and photos, new pages, software and plugin updates, and design touch-ups, made by someone who checks each change before it goes live. Fixing something that's broken is a repair. Rebuilding the site around a new plan is a redesign. Updates cover everything in between.
How often should you update your website?
You should update your website whenever a business detail changes, keep its software updated as new versions come out, and add or refresh content every few months, so the site stays current. Hours, prices, services, and staff matter most, because an old detail sends a customer the wrong way. For search, keeping your main service pages accurate and complete counts for more than how often you post.
How do I update my website?
To update your website, log in to the platform it's built on, open the page in its editor, make the change, preview it on a phone and a desktop, then publish it. Before a software update, take a full backup. If you don't know which platform runs your site, or you don't have the login, start there. Or send me the change, and I'll make it.
Who can update my website?
Anyone with a login to your website can update it. That could be you, someone on your team, the person who built it, or a web designer you hire for updates. That person needs a login to the site, and sometimes one to the hosting account. If the logins left with your last web person, getting them back comes first.
Can AI update my website?
AI can draft new text for your website, but a person still has to log in, place the change, check it on a phone and a desktop, and make sure nothing else broke. Some website builders now have AI tools inside the editor, and they help with wording. They don't know your business, so check every fact before it goes live.
Can I edit my website myself after it's published?
Yes, you can edit your website after it's published, as long as you have a login and the site runs on a platform with a visual editor. Every site I build has one. You click on a heading or a photo and change it. Many owners handle quick edits that way and send me the rest, like new pages, layout changes, and anything that touches forms or software. If you start a change and get stuck, send a request, and I'll finish it.
Why is it important to update your website?
Updating your website is important because current details keep customers from calling an old number or driving to an old address, and software updates close the security holes that automated attacks look for. Updates also keep plugins working with each other and with the server. A site that goes a year or two without them can break during the next update, or get broken into before then. Applied regularly and checked each time, updates stay small and routine.
How much do website update services cost?
The cost of website update services depends on how many changes you need and how often. A new phone number is a smaller job than a run of new pages. Tell me in the Start a project form what you need, and I'll suggest the right setup, whether that's a care plan, a one-off list, or a mix of the two.
How do I send an update request?
You send your first update request through the Start a project form. Describe the change in plain words, name the page it belongs on, and attach any photos or files. If the update is tied to a date, like a sale or a closure, put the date in your request.
Can you update a website someone else built?
Yes, I can update a website someone else built. My first step is learning what the site runs on, which plugins it depends on, and how its pages are laid out. Each change then follows the site's own patterns, so a new page looks like it belongs. I'll need a login to the site, and one to the hosting account if the update reaches that far.
Do I need a care plan to get updates?
No, you don't need a care plan to get updates. I do one-off updates at any time, including on sites someone else built. If the updates keep coming, moving your site to my hosting is usually the simpler way to go. A care plan suits a business that wants the software updates, backups, and security handled without having to think about them.
Will updates affect my Google rankings?
Updates affect your Google rankings for the better when they're done carefully. Each new service page is one more page that can show up when your customers search, and current details keep your site and your Google Business Profile in agreement. Rankings slip when updates are careless, such as a page renamed with no redirect, a page title deleted, or a page slowed down by oversized photos. Every update I make keeps those details in place.
Can you write the words for a new page?
Yes, I can write the words for a new page. Tell me what the new service or page is about, who it's for, and the facts only you know. I draft the page with its search details in place, and you edit the draft until it sounds like your business.
Send your first update.
Tell me your web address and what needs to change. One line is enough, and so is a long list. I’ll read it and write back with what happens next. The form is the place to send it.