Create an editing routine your team will use

FIELD GUIDE 04 · MAINTENANCE

A website becomes difficult to maintain when nobody has agreed on what counts as an update, who is allowed to make it, where source information lives, and when someone will look again.

Give the site an owner and a backup owner

Choose one person to coordinate routine content and one person who can cover the role. The owner does not need to write every page or solve every technical issue; they need to know where requests go, which changes need review, and how to make a small update without creating a bottleneck.

Use a short monthly review

Set aside 30 to 45 minutes each month. Confirm that contact information, service availability, prices, team details, forms, and primary calls to action are current. Follow the main customer paths from a phone as well as a desktop browser.

Treat accessibility as a publishing check

Give new images purposeful alternative text. Keep headings in a logical order. Make link text descriptive. Confirm that form fields have visible labels and that required fields and errors are clear.

Separate routine edits from technical work

Routine edits include a new resource, revised service description, staff change, photo, or call to action. Technical work includes plugin changes, theme files, security configuration, form delivery, domain changes, or billing integrations.

The monthly website check

• Review the home page, services, contact page, and current offers for accuracy.
• Test the main navigation, public forms, and the secure Client Billing path.
• Check headings, labels, and alternative text.
• Record what changed and schedule the next review.

Sources: W3C WAI: Easy Checks; Metro Graphics Client Billing.