Maintenance, speed and technical SEO for an existing site
If the site exists but opens slowly, does not show up on Google, or nobody has touched it in two years, what it usually needs is a repair rather than a redesign.
Most sites do not fail because they were built badly. They fail because nobody maintains them. Images get uploaded at full size, plugins go un-updated, text goes stale, and speed degrades until visitors give up before the page opens.
This service starts from measurement rather than assumption. First we establish what is genuinely slowing the site down and what is stopping it from being found, then fix things in order of impact. A redesign only comes into it if the audit shows repair does not make sense.
The audit is worth having even if we then do nothing. You get a list of findings ordered by impact and you can work through it yourself or with somebody else. I would rather tell you the site does not need fixing than charge for work that changes nothing.
What you get
- A speed audit on real devices and networks, with a list of what slows the site most
- A technical SEO review: titles, meta data, indexing, sitemap and URL structure
- Image and loading optimisation, usually the single largest speed win available
- System and plugin updates, with a check that nothing broke afterwards
- Google Search Console and analytics set up, so you can see what is actually happening
How it runs
- 01Audit. I measure speed, check how the site looks to search engines, and produce a list of findings ordered by impact.
- 02Agreeing scope. Together we choose what gets done now and what can wait, because fixing everything at once rarely makes sense.
- 03Fixes. Carrying out the agreed changes, verifying that each one genuinely helps and that nothing else broke in the process.
- 04Measurement. After the changes we watch the numbers in Search Console and analytics, because the effect of technical SEO only becomes visible over several weeks.
Who it is for
- Sites that load slowly, particularly over mobile networks
- Sites that do not appear on Google even for their own name
- WordPress installations that have gone a long time without updates
- Owners who want to know what is actually happening before investing in a redesign
Where the biggest win usually comes from
- Images. In almost every audit I have run they were the single largest drag on speed.
- Unnecessary scripts. Plugins and tracking tools loaded on every page but used on one.
- Missing groundwork. Sites with no sitemap, no Search Console and empty meta descriptions cannot even be measured, let alone fixed.
Stack
Examples from real work
Common questions
How do I know whether I need a repair or a new site?
The audit answers that. If the structure is sound and the problem is speed, outdated plugins or missing SEO groundwork, a repair is cheaper and faster. If the site is not responsive, relies on technology that is no longer maintained, or the content is thoroughly out of date, a redesign is the more honest answer.
Can you guarantee first place on Google?
No, and nobody serious can. Nobody controls Google’s algorithm or how strong the competition is for a given term. What can be done is removing the technical obstacles that stop a site from being in the running at all, and then measuring the movement in Search Console.
Do you work on sites you did not build?
Yes, that is actually the most common case. I start by reviewing the state it is in and tell you if something is set up such that repair does not make sense. I will not take on work on a site without that review, because otherwise I would be guessing.
Is maintenance one-off or monthly?
It can be either. A one-off audit and repair makes sense if the site has been neglected. Ongoing maintenance makes sense if the content is alive and the system and plugins have to be kept current. Which one fits becomes clear after the first audit.
Will something break during updates?
That is why a backup is taken before updating and why the site itself is checked afterwards, not just the plugin version. If something breaks it goes back to the previous state and we find the cause. The risk of updating is real, but it is smaller than the risk of an un-updated installation.
How quickly do results show?
Speed shows immediately, the same day. Search visibility does not. Google has to re-crawl the pages and assess the changes, which in practice means several weeks before movement appears in Search Console. Anyone promising faster is promising something they do not control.
Have a project in mind?
Send a few lines about what you need and I will come back with questions and a proposed approach, with no obligation.