Your website is built and live. Then someone tells you it needs "monthly maintenance" — for a monthly fee, of course. Is that real, or just a way to keep charging you after the job's done? Honest answer: it's real, but what's included and what it should cost varies wildly. Here's what maintenance actually covers, what the market typically charges, and how to tell whether a plan is worth it.
What website maintenance actually covers
A website isn't a printed flyer — it runs on software that changes. Here's what someone has to do, month after month, to keep it healthy:
- Software updates. The platform, themes, and plugins your site is built on release security patches regularly. Skip them and the site becomes an easy target.
- Backups. A current copy of your site stored somewhere safe, so a hack, a bad update, or a mistake can be undone in minutes instead of rebuilt from scratch.
- Security monitoring. Watching for malware, spam injections, and suspicious logins — the stuff you never see until your site is redirecting visitors somewhere ugly.
- SSL certificate. The thing that puts the padlock in the browser bar. It expires if nobody renews it, and browsers start warning visitors your site isn't safe.
- Small content changes. New hours for the holidays, a price update, swapping a photo, adding a service. The little edits every real business needs a few times a year.
- Fixes when things break. A form stops sending, a page loads blank, a button breaks on phones. Somebody has to notice and fix it fast.
What happens if you skip it
Nothing — for a while. Then one day the SSL expires and every visitor sees a "not secure" warning. Or a plugin update conflicts and your booking page goes white. Or the site gets quietly hacked and starts sending spam, and Google flags it. These aren't hypotheticals; they're the most common calls web people get, and emergency fixes cost far more than maintenance would have. A neglected site doesn't usually die loudly. It just slowly stops working and starts costing you customers you never hear from.
What maintenance typically costs
For a small business website, care plans generally fall somewhere in the $50 to $300 a month range, depending on what's included. At the low end you're mostly getting hosting and updates. At the high end you're getting priority support, regular content changes, and performance work. Some freelancers charge by the hour instead — often $75 to $150 an hour — which sounds cheaper until a single emergency fix eats three hours. When you're comparing plans, don't compare the price; compare the list. A $50 plan that doesn't include content changes or fixes isn't cheaper than a $99 plan that does — it's just less.
Is hosting included? Who renews the SSL? Are backups automatic, and how often? Are small content changes included or billed extra? If the site breaks on a Saturday, who fixes it and how fast? Get the answers in writing before you pay.
How our $99/month care plan compares
Our care plan is $99 a month, or $990 a year if you'd rather pay once (that's two months free). Here's exactly what it covers: hosting, SSL certificate, software updates, automatic backups, security monitoring, small content changes like hours and price updates, fixes when something breaks, and direct support when you need it — call or text (509) 802-3087 and you talk to the person who built your site. No hourly billing, no surprise invoices, no "that's not included."
Compared to the market, it sits in the lower-middle of the typical range while including the things that usually cost extra elsewhere: the content changes and the fixes. And if you ever cancel, the site stays yours and stays live — you just lose the updates and support. We'd rather keep you with good work than lock you in with fine print.
If one emergency fix at hourly rates runs $150–$300, a single bad year without maintenance can cost more than twelve months of a care plan. Maintenance isn't an upsell — it's the cheapest way to own a website.
Could you do it yourself?
Sure — if you have the time and don't mind the learning curve. Plenty of owners handle their own updates and backups. The honest tradeoff is time and risk: updates need to be tested so they don't break the site, backups need to actually exist before you need them, and when something breaks at the worst moment, it's your Saturday. For most salon and restaurant owners, an hour with a client pays more than an hour fighting a plugin. That's the real calculation — not whether you can, but whether you should.
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Common questions
What happens if I just skip website maintenance?
Nothing at first. Then an SSL expires, a form breaks, or the site gets hacked — and emergency fixes cost far more than maintenance would have. Neglect is expensive, just delayed.
Can't I handle updates and backups myself?
You can, if you have the time and don't mind the learning curve. The tradeoff is time and risk: for most owners, an hour with a customer pays more than an hour fighting a plugin.
What's included in the $99/month care plan?
Hosting, SSL, software updates, automatic backups, security monitoring, small content changes, fixes when things break, and direct support from the person who built your site.
Is there a yearly option?
Yes — $990 a year, which works out to two months free compared to paying monthly.
Do I own my website if I cancel the care plan?
Yes. The site stays yours and stays live — you just lose the updates, backups, monitoring, and support. No lock-in, no fine print.
Get a price tied to your actual business.
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