Across most business sectors, staying ahead of evolving client demands and maintaining agility is crucial. And, for digital agencies offering services in WordPress, efficiency, accuracy, and reliability have never been more critical.
From initial development to long-term site maintenance, digital agencies need to showcase their commitment to not only advanced technological features, but also client-centricity, awareness of audience trends, and the ability to remain current and agile.
An increasing number of digital agencies are turning to outsourcing solutions to accomplish this.
Particularly when it comes to WordPress updates for custom themes and plugins, the benefits of having dedicated WordPress experts at the helm can be significant.
But does your digital agency really need to outsource theme and plugin updates? Let’s discuss 4 signs that it might be the right move for you and your team!
1. You’re Juggling Multiple WordPress Sites at Once
Keeping one WordPress website functioning at its best can be tricky, let alone juggling several. Especially with custom themes and plugins, keeping multiple WordPress websites free from errors, conflicts, and performance issues can overwhelm your in-house team.
To avoid getting bogged down by unnecessary complications, it’s vital to:
- Implement a centralized dashboard: Utilize tools that enable you to manage multiple sites in one place for streamlined updates and monitoring. You can also centralize communication channels for smoother collaboration between your team and third-party contractors.
- Prioritize updates based on impact: Identify critical sites and prioritize updates depending on their impact on your agency’s overall performance. For example, content-heavy sites like eCommerce or educational websites might require more frequent updates, and it’s up to your agency to find an update routine that works for everyone.
- Carry out regular performance audits: Conduct regular performance audits to identify risks before they impact the user experience. If your team can anticipate plugin and theme issues, it’ll be easier to resolve them without unnecessary stress.
- Consider a WordPress management service: Consider outsourcing your WordPress management and maintenance tasks to keep your WordPress projects more efficient. With a dedicated team of professionals, WordPress plugin and theme updates won’t just be managed; they’ll be optimized.
Tip: When carrying out extensive updates, select a time when website traffic is lowest, minimizing disruptions to the user experience.
2. Your Clients are Demanding More Innovation
As WordPress advances, developers are adopting more innovative approaches to custom themes and plugins. With services going way beyond WordPress core files, advanced plugins and custom theme development are now vital for maintaining a competitive edge.
However, with more innovation comes more risk.
That’s why more digital agencies are turning to WordPress website maintenance specialists to ensure smooth operations and swift issue resolution without impacting clients.
While outsourcing WordPress maintenance to a dedicated team is the best way to increase innovation and maintain client satisfaction, it’s also essential to consider the following:
- Continuous updates and integration: Implement a strategy where plugin and theme advancements are consistently integrated into your projects, rather than reacting only when performance issues arise. Proactive integration ensures your agency can stay ahead of valuable innovations.
- Strategic adoption: Not all advanced WordPress plugins and themes are necessary for high-performing sites, but it’s crucial to identify which ones are. Your outsourced or in-house team should have the strategic insight to choose which elements will enhance your projects and add real value to your clients.
- Customization for client needs: Innovation should align with your client’s unique requirements. Ensure your maintenance team can customize and tailor advanced features to suit individual client needs, providing a personalized and effective solution for each project.
Tip: Continuous innovation is one of the six pillars of a successful digital marketing agency. Be sure to promote a culture of experimentation and adaptability across all WordPress projects — regardless of the tasks or teams involved.
3. WordPress Site Maintenance is Draining Valuable Resources
While initial site development is often viewed as the biggest hurdle of any WordPress project, site maintenance can be an even bigger drain on resources if not managed correctly.
From underestimating how long updates will take to overlooking essential tasks like security audits and regular backups, agencies can devote substantial time and effort to ongoing maintenance.
To address this challenge and streamline your agency’s resources effectively, consider the following:
- Realistic time estimates: Be honest about the time investment required for site maintenance tasks to be carried out effectively and accurately. Realistic timelines ensure your team can plan effectively, guarantee quality service, and avoid stretching yourself too thinly.
- Proactive maintenance planning: Develop a proactive maintenance plan that includes regular tasks like security audits, plugin updates, and backups. Being proactive minimizes the chances of major issues, saving your agency from reactive and time-consuming troubleshooting.
- Automation tools: Explore automation tools that can handle routine maintenance tasks. Automation not only saves time but also reduces the risk of human error and ensures a smoother, more efficient maintenance process for your WordPress sites.
4. You Want to Stabilize Your Digital Agency with Recurring Revenue
Securing website development projects is an excellent achievement for your agency, but stabilizing your agency with recurring revenue from site maintenance is equally crucial.
For digital agencies that are lacking the resources for extensive maintenance services, third-party providers offer a practical solution. Outsourcing updates and management tasks to reliable professionals allows you to promote these services just as you would WordPress development — all without disrupting your current operations.
But how else can you stabilize your digital agency’s income and growth?
We recommend placing a focus on the following:
- Transparent service agreements: Clearly outline services in your agreements, ensuring clients understand the value of ongoing maintenance and the specific tasks covered by your contract.
- Quality assurance protocols: Implement strong quality assurance measures to deliver consistent and reliable maintenance services.
- Client communication strategies: Develop effective communication strategies to keep clients informed about the importance of ongoing maintenance and your proactive approach to potential problems.
- Client retention initiatives: Establish initiatives to enhance client retention, ensuring long-term relationships and a stable revenue stream, such as customer loyalty programs and client-centric packages.
Tip: If you’re promising clients comprehensive site maintenance services, these should include effective performance in search engines. Search engine rankings are vital for visibility, so craft an SEO strategy that keeps your maintenance service aligned with current best practices and algorithms.
Master Your Digital Agency’s Potential with Outsourcing
As your digital agency navigates the rising demands of WordPress projects, knowing when you might need additional support is crucial.
By outsourcing to a WordPress partner like UnlimitedWP, you gain immediate access to dedicated WordPress experts who can handle everything from theme and plugin updates to more comprehensive project management.
Ready to streamline your WordPress workflow and unlock new possibilities? Book a demo call with our team today.
