Drupal Website Maintenance Guide: Essential Tips

Think of your Drupal website as a beautiful garden. Ideally, it flourishes and successfully attracts captivated visitors. But just like any garden, it needs regular care to maintain its beauty and health. Without consistent maintenance, your website can have issues with performance, security, user experience, and search rankings.

From regular updates of Drupal core, themes, and modules to vigilant security monitoring and backups, there are several key services involved in Drupal website maintenance.

In this blog, I will give you an idea of the maintenance offered by our Drupal Development company. Let’s begin.

What are the Key Drupal Website Maintenance Services?

Maintaining a Drupal website goes beyond simply keeping it online. To ensure a secure, optimized, and user-friendly experience, regular maintenance tasks are crucial. Here are some key Drupal website maintenance services provided by our experts.

Regular Backups

Regular backups act as your safety precaution that safeguards your website against uncertain events. It involves creating a complete copy of your website, including the database, files, and configuration settings. This copy acts as a safety net in care of issues like:

• Server crashes: Hardware malfunctions or software glitches can sometimes cause your server to crash, making your website inaccessible. A backup allows you to restore your site to its previous state on a new server.
• Security breaches: Hackers may try to inject malicious code, steal data, or deface your website. A backup from before the breach lets you restore your clean site.
• Accidental data deletion: Human error can happen. A backup ensures you can restore accidentally deleted content, user accounts, or configurations.

Our web experts recommend the 3-2-1 rule. That means three copies, two different media types, and at least one offsite copy. Some secure options for storage include the remote server, cloud storage, and local storage.

Core and Module Updates

Regular updates for both modules and core software updates are essential to maintain a secure and optimized website. This service ensures your website benefits from the latest security patches, bug fixes, and performance improvement updates.

The update process involves upgrading the Drupal core and each module to their most recent compatible versions. Two of the frequently-used approaches to go about it.

• Using Composer: This is the recommended approach for Drupal 8 and later versions. Composer is a dependency management tool that streamlines the update process. You can run a simple command to update the core and all compatible modules with their latest versions.
• Using Drush: Drush is a command-line interface for Drupal that offers various functionalities, including updating core and modules. While still functional, Drush update commands are deprecated in Drupal 9 and above. Composer is the preferred method for these versions.

Alongside this, testing should go hand-in-hand to avoid conflicts between updated components and the Drupal website. And make sure the release notes are reviewed to make sure the update will be compatible with the website.

Monitoring Website Analytics

One of the most significant parts of the Drupal website audits is monitoring the analytics. It offers you tons of insights into how users navigate and interact with your website. It uses analytics tools to keep track of key metrics such as page views, visitors, and conversion rates. That provides insights that can help you optimize your site for success.

The key metrics monitored as a part of the Drupal website maintenance are:

• Traffic Sources: Where are your visitors coming from? This could be organic search, social media referrals, paid advertising, or direct traffic.
• User Demographics: Understanding the demographics of your audience, such as age, location, and gender, can help you tailor your content accordingly.
• Page Views and Unique Visitors: This tells you how many people are visiting your website and which pages they’re viewing.
• Bounce Rate: The percentage of visitors who leave your website after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate might indicate content relevance issues or navigation problems.
• Average Session Duration: How long are visitors staying on your website on average? This can indicate how engaging your content is.
• Conversion Rates: Does your website have specific goals, like form submissions or online purchases? Then, track the conversion rates to measure how effectively your website is achieving those goals.

These metrics help optimize your website for better user experience and content performance according to market trends.

Along with this, it also helps you optimize your website for a better user experience, resulting in higher engagements and ultimately achieving your website objectives.

Security Management

One of the most crucial parts of the Drupal website audit is the security. Drupal websites are constantly under scrutiny by hackers looking for vulnerabilities to exploit. These vulnerabilities can come forth due to outdated software, weak passwords, malicious code injection, etc.

So, during the maintenance, our Drupal experts perform the following:

• Regular Security Audits: Your website will be scanned regularly for vulnerabilities using specialized security scanners. These scans identify outdated software, weak passwords, suspicious code, and other potential security risks.
• Security Patch Installation: Once vulnerabilities are identified, the maintenance team will promptly install the necessary security patches for Drupal core and contributed modules.
• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Enabling 2FA adds an extra layer of security to the login process. Users will be required to enter a unique code generated by an app on their smartphone in addition to their password, making it significantly harder for attackers to gain access.
• Regular Malware Scans: The maintenance team will use specialized tools to scan your website for malware infections that might have been injected through vulnerabilities.
• Web Application Firewall (WAF): Consider implementing a WAF as an additional layer of defense. A WAF acts as a filter, blocking suspicious traffic and preventing common attacks like SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS).

And the maintenance team makes sure your website adheres to security best practices. So it’s safe and secure for everyone on the platform.

Third-party Integration

Websites often benefit from integrating with external services that provide a more convenient user experience. This service is focused on connecting Drupal with various external tools and platforms to streamline the website process.

While third-party integrations offer numerous benefits, they also require careful management within your Drupal maintenance services:

• Compatibility Updates: Third-party integrations often rely on APIs or plugins. Regular maintenance ensures these integrations remain compatible with your Drupal version and any updates to the external service.
• Security Risks: Any integration introduces a potential security risk. Maintenance tasks include monitoring the security of the third-party service and ensuring proper authentication protocols are followed when connecting them to your Drupal website.
• Performance Optimization: Third-party integrations can sometimes slow down your website. Maintenance involves monitoring performance and optimizing integrations to ensure they don’t negatively impact website speed.
• Updates and Maintenance: Third-party services frequently release updates. The maintenance team will keep track of updates for integrated services and apply them when necessary to ensure compatibility and functionality.

These services make sure the valuable integrations remain secure, perform well, and contribute to your website’s overall success.

Broken Links and Error Fix

You click on a link, but instead of landing on the expected content, you end up with a confusing error message. Frustrating, right?

Broken links and errors not only create a negative user experience but can also harm your search engine ranking. That’s why this service is critical in Drupal website maintenance. Here are the key undertakings in this part of the maintenance:

• Link Checker Tools: The maintenance team will utilize specialized link checker tools that scan your entire website for broken links, both internal and external. These tools can also identify missing images and other broken resources.
• Error Reporting and Monitoring: Drupal core logs errors that occur on your website. The maintenance team will regularly review these logs to identify any potential issues and address them promptly.
• Manual Review: In addition to automated tools, the maintenance team will also perform manual reviews of your website. It helps identify broken links or errors that might be missed by automated scans. This might involve checking navigation menus, internal content links, and embedded media.
• Redirects: Some broken internal links point to pages that have been permanently removed. Then, the team can implement redirects to send visitors to the most relevant existing page on your website. This ensures a smoother user experience even if the original page is no longer available.

By fixing these glitches, you’re also making things easier for search engines to understand your website. That indirectly helps your website rank higher, resulting in more people navigating your website.

Images and Content Optimization

Visually appealing, optimized images and engaging, well-maintained content are crucial for capturing visitor attention and keeping them coming back for more. That’s where image and content optimization comes in. Let’s take a look at the services involved in this implementation.

Image Optimization includes:

• Image Resizing: Images uploaded to your website might be larger than necessary for display. The maintenance team can use tools to resize images to the appropriate dimensions for your website layout.
• Image Compression: There are various image compression techniques that can significantly reduce file size without sacrificing visual quality. The maintenance team will utilize these techniques to optimize image files.
• Image Format Selection: Choosing the right image format (like JPEG for photographs or PNG for graphics) can impact file size. The maintenance team will ensure images are saved in the most appropriate format for their content.
• Lazy Loading: Lazy loading delays the loading of images until they are about to become visible on the screen. This can further improve website performance, especially on slower internet connections.

Content optimization includes:

• Content Review and Editing: The maintenance team will regularly review your website content for accuracy, relevance, and currency. This might involve correcting typos and grammatical errors and refreshing content to keep it engaging for returning visitors.
• Keyword Optimization: Content optimized with relevant keywords can improve your website’s search engine ranking. The maintenance team can help identify relevant keywords and optimize your content for those keywords.
• Content Formatting: Proper formatting with headings, subheadings, bullet points, and images improves readability and user experience. The maintenance team can ensure your content is well-formatted and visually appealing.
• Content Pruning: Over time, your website might accumulate content that is no longer relevant or valuable. The maintenance team can help identify outdated content that can be archived, removed, or redirected to more relevant pages.

Our company has the best SEO experts who make sure these implementations are taken care of effectively. That helps deliver a superior user experience, improves search engine ranking, and ultimately helps you achieve your website’s goals.

Get in touch with our Drupal development agency for these and more maintenance services for your website. We audit the website and perform the suitable services for the best results.

What is the Purpose of Drupal Website Maintenance?

Drupal is powerful and one of the best website builders. But a site built on it, like any other valuable asset, needs regular maintenance and improvements. Otherwise, it won’t function at its best. That’s where the Drupal site maintenance comes in.

Ensures Website Security

One of the key purposes is to secure your Drupal website. The data on the website is of great value and needs software security that gets updated regularly. Drupal core software and module updates protect websites from hackers that may exploit your data.

Security services also include monitoring suspicious activity and ensuring recent backups. These act as a shield, reducing the risk of security breaches and protecting your website’s integrity up to a significant extent.

Improves Website Performance

Website maintenance focuses on keeping your Drupal website running smoothly and efficiently. Maintenance lets the website overcome slow loading, making it quick with the implementation of various image, database, and content optimization. It also helps you monitor performance, allowing you to maintain a fast and responsive user experience.

Improving website performance not only optimizes website performance but also helps your website to rank higher resulting in organic traffic and more revenue.

Keeps Website Up-to-date

Keeping your website up-to-date ensures that your website stays compatible with the latest advancements. With the fast-paced evolution of the tech industry new features, bug fixes, and security updates are updated regularly for maintenance purposes.

Drupal core and modules are updated to ensure that your website remains competitive and delivers the best possible experience for your users.

Reduced Costs

Taking a broad view, maintenance saves money as regular updates prevent crashes and downtime, keeping your site running smoothly. Plus, it encourages addressing minor issues before they turn out large and more expensive to solve.

Prioritizing these services can eliminate the risk of costly security breaches, which can create financial failure.

That’s why Drupal development experts recommend using these services for the best results. But it doesn’t just depend on the service, but also on how often you perform it.

How Often Should You Maintain a Drupal Website?

Maintain your website on a regular basis for each kind of core and module update, along with the security, performance, integrations, and more. Here is how you can divide the maintenance into three different categories to keep up with.

Daily Maintenance

Daily maintenance tasks for Drupal websites involve daily checks for security , performance, content, and user management. That ensures the site’s daily functionality and security.

• Regular security checks should include verifying the Drupal core, modules, and themes are up-to-date, along with monitoring for any vulnerabilities.
• Content updates play a crucial role in keeping the website relevant and engaging for users.
• User management tasks, such as checking up permissions and roles, help maintain a secure environment.
• Error monitoring tools can be used to identify and address any issues promptly, ensuring a smooth experience for visitors.

For daily maintenance, you would have two options. You can either hire an in-house team that maintains the site on a daily basis. Or you can partner up with a dedicated Drupal development agency for the same. Their experts will take care of the same.

Weekly Maintenance

Weekly maintenance tasks for Drupal websites focus on more in-depth checks, such as database maintenance, performance optimization, and SEO audits. It ensures sustained website health and performance.

• Database maintenance involves regularly cleaning up and optimizing the database tables to improve site speed and efficiency.
• Updating themes ensures that your website stays visually appealing and secure.

Monitoring website analytics helps you identify areas for improvement in the website. And the performance reviews analyze website speed, responsiveness, and overall user experience.

Monthly Maintenance

Monthly maintenance tasks for Drupal websites include comprehensive reviews, security patches, plugin management, and server configurations. It helps maintain long-term website stability, security, and performance.

• Regular security updates are crucial for identifying patch vulnerabilities and ensuring that the website remains protected from cyber attacks.
• Optimizing server settings can enhance site speed and responsiveness, providing visitors with a seamless user experience.
• Keeping plugins updated is essential not only for security reasons but also to leverage new features and improvements.
• Performance improvements, like database optimizations, play a significant role in boosting the overall website performance and efficiency.

The above mentioned maintenance division will let you keep up with updates for better scheduling, resulting in best practices applied to your website.

How to hire a Drupal Maintenance Services?

A well-maintained Drupal website is a powerful tool, but keeping it running smoothly and securely requires ongoing attention. Here’s a guide to help you in the process of hiring a maintenance service that aligns perfectly with your needs.

Step-1: Define Your Requirements

The first thing you need to do is clearly define your website’s maintenance needs. You can consider asking the following questions to define your requirements.

• Frequency of updates: How regularly do you require core, module, and security updates?
• Performance optimization needs: Do you require speed optimization or content delivery network (CDN) management for your website?
• Security monitoring: Do you need advanced security monitoring for any highly sensitive data?
• Content management support: Do you need help with content creation, editing, or scheduling?
• Budget: Determine your budget for Drupal maintenance services.

Step 2: Explore Your Options

There are multiple ways to find Drupal maintenance service providers including as mentioned below.

• Freelance platforms: Explore freelancing platforms as that could be a great place of resource to find the right service provider.
• Word-of-mouth recommendations: Reach out to your network for recommendations from colleagues and other businesses using social media.
• Drupal community forums: Participate in Drupal community forums and discussions to connect with experienced Drupal developers who might offer maintenance services.

Step 3: Evaluate Potential Providers

Once you have a shortlist of potential providers, delve deeper into their areas of expertise to choose the best.

• Experience: Investigate their experience level with Drupal and their specific maintenance service offerings.
• Portfolio: Review their portfolio to get a sense of the type of Drupal websites they’ve worked with.
• Communication style: Schedule meetings to assess their communication style and ensure smooth team working.
• References: Request references from past clients to get better insights into their experience with the provider.
• Pricing and contracts: Clearly understand their pricing structure and the scope of services covered in their maintenance contracts.

Choosing the right Drupal website maintenance service provider is crucial. Don’t just take your decision based on cost, instead consider the above factors as mentioned to select the right service provider.

How to Automate the Drupal Website Maintenance?

Instead of doing it all manually, what if there are some ways to automate the boring, repetitive jobs instead? Here are three techniques for keeping up with maintenance services.

Using Drupal Maintenance Modules

Understanding Drupal maintenance modules can simplify and automate maintenance tasks, such as security scans, performance optimizations, and update management. That results in enhanced efficiency and effective Drupal Website Maintenance.

These modules offer a range of key features that ensure the process is more streamlined for automated updates, backups, and monitoring, reducing manual interface. The automation capabilities allow live monitoring and alerting, ensuring that any issues are addressed at the moment.

Through these tools, website administrators can ensure that their Drupal sites run smoothly and securely. That too without having to dedicate excessive time and resources to maintain regular tasks.

Scheduling Tasks with Cron Jobs

Scheduling tasks with cron jobs in Drupal enables the automated execution of recurring processes. That includes backups, updates, and monitoring for specified intervals to ensure timely and efficient maintenance.

You can configure cron jobs to run on a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule based on the maintenance requirements of the website. Site administrators can automate tasks to ensure maintenance activities are performed regularly without manual intervention.

Creating separate tasks for different maintenance activities, such as database backups, to streamline the process and avoid conflicts between tasks. Cron jobs allow for precise control over when and how specific maintenance routines are executed. That enhances the overall stability and performance of the Drupal website.

Outsourcing Maintenance Services

Outsourcing Drupal Website Maintenance services to expert providers can offer automated maintenance solutions, and monitoring websites. That ensures the continuous updates and security of Drupal websites.

Once the maintenance tasks are allocated to Drupal website maintenance services, you can focus on other mainstream tasks increasing the efficiency of business. Automation provided by outsourcing partners ensures that updates, backups, and security patches are implemented regularly. It reduces the risk of cyber attacks.

The continuous monitoring services offered by these providers let you resolve any potential issues before they grow on a larger scale. That minimizes downtime and ensures optimized performance.

FAQs About Drupal Website Maintenance

Conclusion

Emphasizing long-term benefits, Drupal website maintenance is crucial to keep running your site securely and smoothly. By investing in regular maintenance, you can protect your data, enhance user experience, and ultimately grow your online presence.

The essential purpose of maintenance includes security, performance optimization, and keeping your website up-to-date.

Here are some key services involved in Drupal maintenance services:

• Regular Backups
• Modules and Core Updates
• Monitoring Website Analytics
• Security Management
• Third-party Integration
• Broken Links and Error Fix
• Images and Content Optimization

So, if you need personalized guidance for your website, our Drupal consulting services can help you.