The problem: A website nobody keeps up does not fall over all at once. It gets slow, runs an update behind, and one day there is an error message your customers are looking at.
Most sites do not break in one big disaster. They wear out: a plug-in nobody maintains any more, a certificate that expires, a form that has not forwarded anything for three weeks. You find out when a customer calls, and by then you have lost days of enquiries.
Maintenance is the boring answer to that. Someone who looks every month, does the updates at a moment when it does not matter, and calls you before you see it yourself. No new project, no rebuild, just keeping what you have running, within what your budget allows.
What is website maintenance?
Website maintenance is the work that keeps coming back after launch: updates of the software your site runs on, backups you can actually restore, keeping an eye on whether everything is still up and fast, and the small changes that turn up every month. A new phone number, a price that changes, a photo that has to go.
The difference with optimisation is the intent. Optimisation makes a site better: more visitors, more enquiries. Maintenance keeps it in one piece. You need both, but not at the same time and not in the same month.
Do it yourself or outsource it
| Do it yourself | Outsource it | |
|---|---|---|
| Updates | If you remember | Monthly, outside your busiest hours |
| An update breaks something | You notice days later | I restore the backup and fix it |
| Backups | Somewhere at your host, never tested | Kept separately and actually restored once a year |
| The site is down | A customer calls you | I get an alert and call you |
| A small change | On your list, three weeks old | Say the word and it is there |
| Security | Hoping it is fine | Permissions and vulnerabilities checked |
What you get
- Updates of the system, the plug-ins and the security
- A backup kept separately, and actually restored once a year to see that it works
- Checking that the site is still up, and how fast it opens
- Keeping an eye on the SSL certificate and the domain name, so nothing quietly expires
- Small changes: text, prices, photos, a new team member
- Testing the forms, because a form that forwards nothing is invisible
- A short note every month: what was done, and what I noticed
How it runs
Also if I did not build your site. The first month is the most work, after that it is a rhythm.
-
1
Taking it over one-off
I check what your site runs on, what is behind and what is broken right now. You get a list of that, with what is urgent and what can wait. -
2
Clearing the backlog if needed
Catching up the updates that were left, setting up backups, getting the security in order. This falls outside the monthly fee and I say so up front. -
3
Monthly every month
Updates, backups, checks and your small changes. With a note afterwards. -
4
When something goes wrong within the day
I put back what needs putting back and fix what is broken. You are not calling a helpdesk for that.
When not to do this
Sometimes maintenance is money down the drain.
- Your site is genuinely worn out. Then you pay every month to prop up something that is better replaced.
- You already have someone doing this and it is going well. Two people on the same updates is asking for trouble.
- Your site is a simple page with no system underneath. There is little to maintain there.
- What you really want is more visitors. That is optimisation, not maintenance.
Frequently asked questions
What does website maintenance cost?
From € 50 a month for updates, backups, monitoring and small changes. What your site needs depends on what it runs on and how much changes; I look first at what fits your budget and what really has to happen now. One-off work, such as clearing a backlog, I quote up front.
Can I outsource my website maintenance if you did not build the site?
Yes, and that is most of this work. WordPress, WooCommerce and hand-built sites are no problem. I first look at what it runs on and what is behind, and tell you honestly whether it is worth it or whether you are better off starting again.
What if my website is broken or offline?
Then I restore the backup and work out what happened. If you are on maintenance, that is part of it. If you are down without a contract, I can also repair your site as a one-off; you hear roughly what it will cost first.
Will I hear about it when something goes wrong?
Yes, and that is the point. The site is monitored, so when something fails I get an alert and you hear it from me instead of from a customer.
What is the difference with optimisation?
Maintenance keeps your site in one piece: updates, backups, small changes. Optimisation makes it better: faster, clearer, easier to find. That last one is one-off work with a goal, and it lives on the optimisation page.
Am I tied to anything?
You cancel per year, and your domain, your hosting and your code are in your name. If you stop, you get everything without a discussion.