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Eric Karkovack: Hi everyone.

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And welcome to the WP Minute podcast.

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I'm your host, Eric Karkovac.

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On today's episode, we'll examine
the role website maintenance plays

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in your freelance business or agency.

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I think a maintenance contract is
something you can count on, even when

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you're having trouble finding new
sites to build, they're increasingly

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vital to our long term success.

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So with that in mind, let's get started.

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Why

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WordPress maintenance could be
key for your freelance business.

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The web design industry is maturing.

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New projects used to be the lifeblood
of freelancing and companies spent

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money on feature packed websites
to establish themselves online.

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But those opportunities seem fewer
and farther between these days.

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Now don't get me wrong, new projects
continue to be a moneymaker,

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but there are fewer gigs to go
around and competition is fierce.

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Relying solely on this strategy
is more challenging than ever.

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I'm seeing evidence of
this in my business.

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Prospective clients are more
likely to ask me about maintaining

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their existing WordPress site.

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rather than building a new one.

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It's a disappointing
development on one hand.

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Building a new site is the fun part of
this business as opposed to the messiness

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of working with one built by someone else.

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And even dealing with a site you
built years ago is no picnic.

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This shift could have some
long term benefits though.

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It may be key to a freelance business
that thrives into the future.

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Let's talk about why maintenance matters.

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There are a lot of poorly
maintained WordPress websites.

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WordPress is still the most
widely used content management

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system, but that doesn't mean
every site is well maintained.

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Quite the contrary.

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According to W3Techs, over 10 percent
of all WordPress sites are behind at

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least a full version number, and only 71%
Running version 6 are fully up to date.

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So yeah, there are a lot of
outdated websites floating around.

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Granted, not every outdated
website is still needed.

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Some were left to rot in cyberspace.

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However, there are plenty of reasons
organizations fall behind on maintenance.

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Perhaps their in house developer
is no longer in the picture,

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or an agency dumped a site into
their lap without instructions.

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These things happen.

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Even with features like automatic
updates, outdated WordPress

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sites are still out there.

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That's not likely to change anytime soon.

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That's an opportunity for
freelancers to come to the rescue.

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It's akin to someone who hasn't
seen a doctor in a few years.

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A full evaluation is needed
to find what needs fixing.

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Our job is to diagnose any
issues and propose a cure.

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Finding even a few of these
clients every year is beneficial.

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You're adding cash flow and
connections to your coffers.

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Building relationships
through website maintenance.

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WordPress maintenance
isn't a one time thing.

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It's weekly, monthly, and yearly.

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There are no breaks in the action.

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Site owners need a professional on
hand to look after their website.

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A site that runs smoothly allows sales
and leads to continue flowing in.

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That's too important to
ignore or leave to chance.

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It's a good reason for freelancers
to offer maintenance contracts.

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Not only does this give peace
of mind to clients, it also

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provides recurring revenue and
builds long term relationships.

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Both are essential pieces
to a healthy business.

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The value of a good client relationship
can pay dividends for years.

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It may start with a modest maintenance
gig, but it could lead to a lot more.

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For example, you're the one
they'll call when it's time for

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a redesign or a new feature.

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A successful partnership
may also lead to referrals.

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It reduces the effort required to find
new clients and helps your business grow.

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You'll have more time to focus on your
to do list and less worry about where

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your next project will come from.

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A slower, steadier approach to revenue.

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A constant stream of new site builds
makes your bank account happy.

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Everyone loves getting
a big deposit check.

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And the final payment after
launch feels even better.

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It's a freelancer's dream.

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It certainly was for me.

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For the most part, shifting your focus
towards maintenance isn't as exciting.

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Playing in the enterprise
sector may be the exception.

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Those clients tend to pay well for keeping
their mission critical sites going.

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There probably aren't enough of
those contracts for everyone though.

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Otherwise, the payouts tend to be
lower and the work more mundane.

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However, it's still a worthwhile trade.

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You lose a few thrills while
gaining a lot of stability.

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Economic uncertainty
can hit us at any time.

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Maintenance work is
something we can count on.

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The very nature of the
WordPress ecosystem ensures it.

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New features are added to WordPress
Core, while plugins and themes evolve.

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Server technology and
APIs don't stand still.

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And yes, sometimes things break.

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Who's going to fix them?

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It also helps us know where we stand.

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We know when this revenue is
coming, and we can plan accordingly.

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And we can raise rates as needed.

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A focus on maintenance
puts us in more control.

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We can't predict every up and down
of our workload, but we can give our

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business a solid pillar to stand on.

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That has value.

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Maintenance makes sense for freelancers.

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Change is always difficult.

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I've spent most of my career
looking for new projects and relying

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on their near instant income.

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I also scoffed at taking
on new maintenance clients

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as it wasn't interesting.

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That has changed in recent years.

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There aren't as many startups
looking for new websites these days.

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The small and medium sized
businesses I often work with

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aren't spending like they used to.

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Maintenance offers a way to
keep working with clients.

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There are a lot of benefits.

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There's satisfaction in helping a
client get their site in tip top shape.

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I know what to expect
regarding client needs.

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I'm also still in the loop.

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when they want something bigger.

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And oh yeah, there's
always something to do.

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I don't worry as much about
booking new gigs, and it hasn't

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stopped me from building new
sites when the opportunity arises.

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Maybe focusing on maintenance is the
next logical step for freelancers.

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After all, the web is already
a bustling metropolis.

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Someone needs to look
after its many citizens.

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Okay, that's a wrap on this
episode of the WP Minute.

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So, how do you feel about
WordPress maintenance?

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Is it becoming the bulk of what
freelancers and agencies do?

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I've definitely seen a shift in my
business within the past few years.

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Seems like the number of new
sites I build has gone down, while

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maintenance is still an everyday event.

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The balance has definitely been tilted.

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Let me know what you think.

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Find me on BlueSky at karks.

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com, that's K A R K S dot com.

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And be sure to visit us at thewpminute.

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com slash subscribe to receive
our newsletter, subscribe to our

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podcast, and become a member.

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See you next time!