As a sole business owner, you probably wear many hats, from managing your customers and finances to handling marketing and operations. But when it comes to managing your website, things can start to feel a bit intimidating, especially if you don’t have a developer on standby. You can learn how to manage your website yourself, save money, and gain full control over how your brand is presented to customers.
In today’s digital age, website management has never been more user-friendly. With intuitive tools, drag-and-drop builders, and step-by-step guides available online, even non-technical entrepreneurs can take charge of their online presence.
Think of your website as your 24/7 storefront; it tells your story, builds trust, and helps you connect with your audience. When you know how to update your content, monitor performance, and fix basic issues, you’re not just maintaining a site; you’re strengthening your business foundation.
In this guide, we’ll share essential tips for sole business owners to manage their website without a developer, starting from choosing the right platform to keeping your site secure and optimised for growth.
Whether you’re running an online store, a consultancy, or a local service, these practical, beginner-friendly tips will help you take control of your website confidently with no coding required.
Essential Tips For Sole Business Owners To Manage Their Websites Themselves
Table of Contents
Here are 7 tips sole business owners can use to start managing their websites themselves;
- Pick the Right Platform & Tools
- Basic Maintenance You Can Do Yourself
- Content & On-Page Optimisation
- Technical & Speed-Optimisation Basics
- Managing Updates, Plugins & Security
- Tracking Performance & Making Improvements
- Prioritising What You Can’t Do Alone
1. Pick the Right Platform & Tools
If you really want to manage your website yourself without needing a developer, choosing the right platform is the most important first step. Your website platform, often called a Content Management System (CMS), determines how easily you can make updates, publish content, and keep things running smoothly on your own.
However, in today’s digital world, you don’t need to be a web expert to build or maintain a professional-looking site. Platforms like WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, and Shopify are designed for non-developers. They use drag-and-drop editors, customisable templates, and built-in SEO tools that simplify even the most technical tasks.
When deciding which platform suits your business best, here are some factors you can consider:
- Ease of use: Choose a system with an intuitive interface that lets you add or edit content quickly, even from your phone or tablet.
- Flexibility: Look for a platform that grows with your business. For example, WordPress offers thousands of plugins and themes, while Shopify is great for selling products online.
- Support and resources: As a solo entrepreneur, having access to tutorials, help forums, or responsive customer support can be a lifesaver.
- Cost and maintenance: Opt for a platform that fits your budget and requires minimal technical intervention. Many CMS platforms handle hosting, backups, and updates for you automatically.
- Mobile responsiveness: Ensure your website builder offers mobile-friendly designs since most customers will visit your site from their phones.
By investing time to choose the right website management tools, you set yourself up for long-term success. The goal isn’t to become a web developer; it’s to feel confident making small changes, updating your content, and keeping your online presence fresh without needing outside help.
Remember, the best platform is one that feels natural to you. If it’s easy to navigate, you’re more likely to stay consistent, and consistency is what keeps your website alive, relevant, and engaging for your audience.
2. Basic Maintenance You Can Do Yourself
Once you have chosen the right platform and your website is up and running, keeping it in good shape is just as important as picking the right tools or platform. As a sole business owner managing your website yourself, staying on top of a few simple maintenance tasks will help your site stay fast, secure, and professional.
Here are the important areas you can handle confidently without needing a developer;
- Back Up Your Website Regularly; this keeps you safe in case of an attack on your site. You can restore your site quickly.
- Keep Your Website Updated; make it a habit to check for updates weekly or enable automatic updates if available. They help to fix bugs, improve performance, and strengthen security. Meanwhile, ensure you back up before major updates.
- Monitor Site Speed and Performance; A slow website can frustrate visitors and hurt your SEO ranking. However, you can manage this by compressing large images before uploading them and using caching tools to improve load times.
- Strengthen website security; you don’t need a cybersecurity expert to protect your website. However, you can install a security plugin, use SSL (https://) to encrypt data, and ensure you use strong, unique passwords and change them regularly.
- Always check for broken links and errors and fix them. You can use the free tools in Google Search Console to find and fix them.
Create a Simple Maintenance Checklist
Most importantly, having a checklist keeps you consistent. Here’s a quick example:
- Weekly: Check for updates, test forms, and review backups.
- Monthly: Review analytics, delete spam comments, and check for broken links.
- Quarterly: Refresh old content, test site speed, and review SEO settings.
This checklist makes it easy to track your maintenance and keep your website functional.
3. Content & On-Page Optimisation
Your website content is more than just words on a page; it’s how your business communicates with potential customers. For a sole business owner, well-written, optimised content can keep attracting visitors, keeping them engaged, and convincing them to take action, all without needing a developer or marketing agency.
If you want to manage your website yourself as a sole business owner, you need to learn the basics of content optimisation.
- Write for people first, search engines second. This way, you focus on actual human queries.
- Each of your pages should have a clear purpose(Home page, About Us, and Services Page).
- Maintain fresh and up-to-date content.
- Strengthening your internal and external links as you update content on your website makes it easy for your visitors to fully explore your site’s value.
4. Technical & Speed-Optimisation Basics
You don’t need to be a tech expert to keep your website fast and user-friendly. A well-performing website not only improves SEO but also gives visitors a better experience.
Here’s what you can do yourself:
- Optimise images: Compress them using free tools like TinyPNG before uploading.
- Enable caching: Most platforms offer caching to speed page load times.
- Use a reliable host: Choose a hosting provider known for good uptime and fast performance.
- Test regularly: Use Google PageSpeed Insights to identify what’s slowing your site and apply quick fixes.
Even small improvements, like reducing large images or simplifying design, can dramatically speed up your site. Fast sites rank higher, retain visitors longer, and give your business a more professional edge.
5. Managing Updates, Plugins & Security
Security and stability are essential when you’re managing your website yourself. Regular updates keep your site safe from hackers and prevent errors that can break your layout.
Here are some steps you can follow;
- Update often: Outdated plugins are one of the biggest security risks.
- Keep plugins minimal: Only install what’s necessary — too many can slow your site.
- Use strong passwords: Avoid common words; use combinations of letters, numbers, and symbols.
- Install a security plugin: Tools like Wordfence (WordPress) automatically block threats.
- Back up before updates: Just in case an update causes conflicts.
These simple habits protect your site from downtime and data loss, ensuring your business stays visible and secure.
6. Tracking Performance & Making Improvements
Knowing how your website is performing helps you make smarter decisions. Thankfully, you don’t need a developer to do this; free tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console give you all the insights you need.
You need to pay attention to:
- Traffic: that is how many visitors you’re getting.
- Bounce rate: How quickly people leave your site. If it’s high, then you need to review your content or page load speed.
- Top pages: See what’s performing best and create more of that content.
- Keywords: Identify which keywords drive traffic and optimize around them.
Reviewing your analytics monthly helps you understand what’s working and where to improve. That’s how you keep growing while managing your website yourself.
7. Prioritising What You Can’t Do Alone
As empowering as managing your website yourself sounds, there are times when hiring a professional makes sense. Maybe you want a complete redesign, advanced SEO, or e-commerce integrations, things that go beyond day-to-day management.
Here’s a simple rule you can bear in mind while managing your website yourself:
- If it’s time-consuming but learnable, do it yourself.
- If it’s complex and business-critical, then consider outsourcing.
This way, you stay focused on your strengths while still keeping control over your site’s direction.
Conclusion
Managing your website yourself as a sole business owner may sound challenging at first, but once you learn the basics, it becomes one of the most rewarding parts of running your business. You’ll gain confidence, independence, and a deeper understanding of how your online presence supports your goals.
By choosing the right platform, staying consistent with maintenance, optimising your content, and learning a few simple SEO tricks, you’ll have everything you need to keep your website performing beautifully without relying on a developer.
Remember: it’s your business, your brand, and your voice, and with the right approach, you’re fully capable of managing your website yourself.
