A website is not finished the day it launches. Software needs updates, security holes get found, content goes out of date and things occasionally break. Website maintenance is the ongoing work that keeps all of that under control. This guide explains what it covers, what changes the price, and what to ask before you agree to a plan.
What website maintenance usually includes
Plans differ, but most cover the same core jobs:
- Backups and security updates, so a problem can be undone and known weaknesses are patched.
- Uptime monitoring, so someone notices if your site goes down before your customers do.
- Small content changes, such as updating a phone number, swapping a photo or editing a paragraph.
- Bug fixes, when something on the site stops working as it should.
What maintenance usually does not include is new features, new pages or a redesign. Those are separate projects with their own quotes.
What affects the price
- The size and type of site. A five-page brochure site needs less attention than an online store with payments and stock.
- How much content you change. If you update prices or posts every week, you need more hands-on time than a site that rarely changes.
- Response expectations. Faster, guaranteed response times cost more. Be wary of any plan that promises specific hours without saying how.
- Third-party costs. Premium plugins, paid themes and licences are billed by their providers and are rarely part of the maintenance fee.
What our plan costs
Our website maintenance plan starts from $20 a month (about £16, or ₦30,000). It covers regular backups and security updates, uptime monitoring, small content and copy edits, and priority bug fixes. Retainer issues are worked before ad-hoc requests. It does not cover new features, page builds or full redesigns, and it does not cover third-party licence costs. You can see the details on the retainers page.
Every new website we build also includes one month of free post-launch support, so you are not paying for maintenance while the site settles in.
Questions to ask any provider
- What exactly is included each month, and what is billed separately?
- How quickly will you respond when something breaks?
- Who owns the site, the hosting account and the logins?
- Can I cancel, and how much notice do you need?
- Do you take backups, and where are they kept?
Is maintenance worth it?
If your website brings in enquiries or sales, an outage or a hacked page costs far more than a monthly plan. If you only have a small, rarely changed site you can look after yourself, you might skip it. If you are not sure how healthy your site is, run our free website audit first. It checks speed, security headers, mobile readiness and more, and tells you what needs attention.
To see what a new site or a redesign costs, read our website cost guide, or contact us for a fixed quote.
Have a project in mind?
Get a free quote or book a discovery call and tell us what you're trying to build.