Post-Launch

Post‑Launch Support, Maintenance & Optimization: How to Keep Your Digital Platform Efficient

Q: What is a sensible scope for post-launch support?

It depends less on the size of the site and more on the criticality of your platform. If inquiries, donations, or sales run through it, you need at least a reliable channel for bug fixes and a fixed maintenance window. Also useful is a small monitoring base protection, so you don’t only notice problems through complaints. We often start with a lean setup and expand it based on real usage after the first 30–90 days.

Q: How do maintenance and evolution differ in practice?

Maintenance keeps the existing stable: updates, security patches, backup checks, minor technical adjustments. Evolution changes something in the product: new functions, new page logic, new integrations, or conversion optimizations. Both need different prioritization and often different quality assurance. Separating them makes planning easier and discussions less emotional.

Q: Do I need an SLA and if so, how strict should it be?

An SLA (Service Level Agreement) is primarily helpful when multiple stakeholders are involved or when outages directly cost money or trust. It doesn’t have to be complicated: What matters are clear response times for critical issues and a defined channel for tickets. It becomes too strict if it costs you more organizationally than it provides security. We recommend keeping SLAs pragmatic and sharpening them after the first few months.

Q: Which cost models work well for support and maintenance?

In practice, retainers (monthly allowance) or clearly defined packages usually work better than pure “pay per incident.” A retainer ensures that maintenance actually happens and isn’t continuously postponed. For evolution, a separate budget per quarter can be useful, so optimization doesn’t constantly lose to emergencies. What matters is that you get transparency: what was done, what is open, what is the recommendation for the next cycle.

Q: How do I ensure updates don’t break my platform?

You minimize risk with three things: a staging environment, automated checks, and clear releases. Updates shouldn’t be tried directly in production but tested first in staging, ideally with a short smoke test of the critical paths (form, login, checkout). Additionally, a clean rollback plan helps: If something goes wrong, it must be clear how to get back quickly. And yes: That’s exactly why restore tests are so important.

Q: How often should I check and optimize performance?

We recommend a regular rhythm instead of sporadic major actions. A short monthly look at Core Web Vitals, error logs, and the most important landing pages is often enough to detect drift early. Larger performance tasks fit well in a quarterly improvement cycle, especially when campaigns or new features have been added. If you frequently publish content, clear image and component standards are the biggest lever - because they prevent problems from arising in the first place.

Q: How does accessibility remain after the relaunch?

By treating it as part of the editorial and release process. New content and new components are the most common reasons for regressions, not the initial relaunch. Small routines help: keyboard test, focus check, contrast check on UI changes and clear content standards (alt texts, heading structure, meaningful links). If your CMS has good defaults and your design system supports these rules, accessibility doesn’t become an extra task, but a norm.