How much does website maintenance cost?

Most maintenance plans are built from the same parts. Cheaper plans include fewer of them. Use this list to see what a quote does and does not include.

• Hosting. Somewhere for the website to run. Sometimes included, sometimes a separate bill.
• DNS and domain support. Keeping the records that point your domain at the website and email correct, and changing them safely.
• HTTPS certificates. Usually automatic now, but someone should notice if a renewal fails.
• Software and dependency updates. On platforms such as WordPress, this means the core software, themes and plugins. It is a large share of the work on those platforms and a much smaller one on simple static sites.
• Monitoring. Being alerted when the site goes down, rather than hearing from a customer.
• Fixing problems. Restoring the site within an agreed time when it breaks. This is the part most often missing from cheap plans.
• Backups and restoring them. A backup only matters if someone can restore it.
• Content changes. Updating text, prices, hours, photos and links, usually a set number a month.
• Form testing. Checking that enquiries from the contact form still arrive.
• Security. Settings, access, protection against bots and abuse, and acting on new vulnerabilities.
• Reporting. A regular note of what was done and what needs attention.
• Support. Someone who answers, and a stated time for that answer.

Whether you maintain the site yourself or pay someone, these are the things that should happen every month:

1. 1. Check the website loads correctly on a phone and a computer.
2. 2. Send a test enquiry through the contact form and confirm it arrives.
3. 3. Check opening hours, phone number, address and prices are still correct.
4. 4. Apply any software updates the platform needs, and check the site afterwards.
5. 5. Confirm a recent backup exists, or that the site's files are held in version control.
6. 6. Check the domain and certificate renewal dates are not close.
7. 7. Review who has access to the website's accounts, and remove anyone who no longer needs it.
8. 8. Look at Google Search Console for new errors.

Our website access checklist covers the access review in more detail.

The platform. A website running WordPress with a dozen plugins needs regular updates, and updates sometimes break things. A simple static site has far less to update. The same level of care costs more on a platform that needs more work.

The response. A plan that promises to fix downtime the same working day costs more than one that promises a reply "when we can". Our guide to website support SLAs explains what those promises mean.

Who does the work. An automated hosting dashboard, a freelancer and a managed service all charge differently, and carry different risks if the person or company becomes unavailable.

How much changes. A website that changes weekly needs more included updates than one that changes twice a year.

The most common mistake is comparing a hosting fee with a maintenance fee as if they were the same product. Our guide to website hosting versus website management explains the difference.

Not always. A website that rarely changes, where a few days offline would be an inconvenience rather than a loss, can be looked after by the owner with the checklist above.

Paid maintenance makes sense when enquiries or bookings come through the website, when its content changes often, or when nobody in the business has the time or knowledge to notice and fix problems. The cost of not maintaining a site rarely shows up as a bill. It shows up as lost enquiries from a form that stopped working, or a security warning that sends customers elsewhere.

1. 1. What exactly happens every month, and will you tell me in writing?
2. 2. How many content changes are included, and what does an extra one cost?
3. 3. If the site goes down, who notices first, and how quickly is it fixed?
4. 4. Do you test the contact form?
5. 5. Where are the backups, and have you restored this site from one?
6. 6. Whose accounts do the domain, hosting and code sit in?
7. 7. If I leave, what do I receive, and how quickly?

Is website maintenance included in hosting?
Usually not. Hosting keeps the website available. Maintenance keeps it working and current. Some providers bundle both; check the list of what is included rather than the name of the plan.

Can I pay per change instead of monthly?
Yes, many providers offer this. It is cheaper if your site rarely changes, but per-change work usually comes with no monitoring and no response time, so nobody is watching the site between changes.

Does website maintenance improve SEO?
Maintenance keeps the technical basics in order, such as working pages, correct business details and no errors in Search Console. That keeps the site eligible to rank. It does not guarantee rankings.

• Website hosting vs website management: what is the difference?
• Website support SLAs: what should actually be guaranteed?
• How much does a small business website cost in the UK?

All resources