What Does Website Maintenance Include, and What Should It Cost?

A website is not a one-off purchase. Like a van or a shop front, it needs looking after. Maintenance is the work that keeps it secure, fast and working while you get on with your business.

What good maintenance includes

• Software updates. WordPress core, themes and plugins are updated regularly. Out-of-date software is a common way sites get hacked.
• Backups. Automatic, off-site backups that are tested, so you can restore if something goes wrong.
• Security monitoring. Malware scanning and protection against common attacks.
• Uptime monitoring. Alerts if the site goes down, so someone acts quickly.
• Performance checks. Keeping the site fast as content grows.
• Small content changes. Edits to text, images and opening hours.
• Support. A real person you can email.

What it should cost

Prices vary, but for a small business site a managed hosting plan commonly starts around €10 to €20 a month, and a fuller care plan including updates, backups, monitoring and a small amount of change time is often €25 to €60 a month. Bespoke or high-traffic sites cost more.

Do you really need it?

If you are comfortable managing updates and backups yourself, you can do the minimum yourself. But most owners would rather not, and a single hacked site costs far more than years of maintenance.

Questions to ask a provider

• Where are backups stored and how often?
• How quickly do you respond if the site goes down?
• Are updates tested before they go live?
• What counts as a small change, and how many are included?
• Can I leave and take everything with me?

Hosting versus maintenance

Hosting is where your site lives. Maintenance is the care it receives. Some plans bundle both, which keeps things simple.

Our approach

We offer managed hosting and an optional care plan on every site we build, with a clear list of what is included. You own the site and can leave whenever you like. See support and managed hosting for details.