Web Design
Website Maintenance Services
Website maintenance services for business owners who don't have a developer on call. Software updates, backups, uptime and security checks, fixes when something breaks, and the small edits a working site always needs.
What to send for a quote
- Your website address
- What it runs on, if you know
- Whether you have hosting and admin logins
What it is
Someone responsible for keeping your site working
Website maintenance services keep a working website working: software updated, backups taken, downtime and security problems caught, broken things fixed, and small changes made, such as a new price, a new team member or a holiday banner.
Most problems start small. A plugin falls a few versions behind, a hosting renewal email goes to someone who left, a form's mail settings change after a server move. Months later the site breaks or gets flagged. Maintenance means someone checks on a schedule and writes down every change, so a fix starts from a known state. It matters most on WordPress sites, one of the build types under our web design services.
- Updates
- Backups
- Uptime and security
- Fixes and small edits
Why it matters
What goes wrong on an unmaintained website
Forms stop sending, quietly
A contact form that fails after a server or plugin change costs inquiries for weeks before anyone notices. Regular test submissions catch it.
Hacks and warnings
Outdated plugins are a common way in. A browser or Google warning next to your name turns customers away on sight.
No backup, no login
An update breaks the home page and there is no copy to roll back to, or the developer left with the hosting login. Both are avoidable.
What a plan covers
What website maintenance services should include
A useful plan covers these six areas. Scopes are compared on our website design packages page. We agree the tasks in your plan before work starts, and send a short written update each month.
Software updates
Platform core, theme and plugins, applied after a backup and checked on the live site.
Backups
A full copy of files and database, stored away from your hosting, so one failure cannot take both.
Uptime and security checks
An alert when the site goes down, malware scans, login protection and a review of user accounts.
Form and checkout tests
Test submissions and, for stores, test orders, so inquiries and sales still arrive.
Speed checks
Page load on mobile, image sizes and plugin bloat, before slow pages cost you visitors.
Small edits
Text, image, price and page changes. New pages and features are a project, not maintenance; when a site costs more to patch than replace, a website redesign is usually the better spend.
Example log
What a monthly maintenance log should show
You should be able to see what you pay for. Whoever maintains your site should be able to hand you a log like this one, month after month, in the same format.
- Updates
- What was updated, from which version to which, and anything held back.
- Requests
- Each edit you asked for, and when it was done.
- Decisions for you
- Renewals due and risky updates waiting for your approval.
| Task | What it protects | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Software updates | Security holes in old plugins and themes; broken pages after untested updates | How often: On a set schedule; security fixes sooner |
| Backups | Your content, orders and settings if the site or host fails | How often: Before every update, and on schedule |
| Uptime monitoring | Hours of downtime nobody notices | How often: Continuous |
| Security scan | Malware, spam pages and blacklist warnings | How often: Set per plan |
| Form and checkout test | Inquiries and orders that fail without an error | How often: After each round of updates |
| Speed check | Mobile visitors who leave before the page loads | How often: Set per plan |
| Renewals check | Domain, hosting and plugin licenses expiring unnoticed | How often: Ahead of each renewal date |
We agree how often each task runs when we set up your plan, and you get a short written update each month. If a month has nothing to report in a section, a good log says so. An empty section is still information.
Our work
Websites we have built
Recent sites we designed and built. Each one links to its case study.
Want someone looking after your website?
Send us your website address and what it runs on. We reply with where we would start and a quote for that scope.
Get a quote
Ask about a maintenance plan
Send your website address and what it runs on. Tell us who built it and whether you have the logins.
- Your website address
- What it runs on, if you know
- Whether you have hosting and admin logins
Website Maintenance: common questions
What does website maintenance include?
Usually updates to the platform, theme and plugins, regular backups, uptime and security monitoring, fixes when something breaks, and small content edits. A plan should say which tasks run, how often, and how many edit requests are included. Ours lists all three before work starts.
Can a site built by someone else be maintained?
Yes, after a takeover. The safe order is: collect every login in the owner's name, take a full backup, run a health check, then fix anything urgent before routine work starts. A site in poor shape may need repair first. We take over sites we did not build, and any repair needed first is listed in your quote.
How often should WordPress plugins be updated?
Security updates should be applied soon after release. Other updates can be grouped and applied on a regular schedule after a backup, then checked on the live site. Plugins left outdated for months are a common way into a WordPress site.
What happens if my site gets hacked?
A cleanup usually means taking the site offline or into maintenance mode, cleaning it or restoring a clean backup, closing the hole the attacker used, and changing every password. A recent backup is what makes this hours of work instead of days. If your site is hacked, tell us by email or WhatsApp and we will scope the cleanup with you.
Does a Shopify store need maintenance?
Less than WordPress, but some. Shopify handles hosting and platform updates itself. Store upkeep covers app reviews, theme updates, product and page edits, and checking that checkout and order emails still work. We maintain Shopify stores as well as WordPress sites.
What should happen when a maintenance plan ends?
You should keep every login and receive the latest backup, so another developer can carry on. Check the notice period and minimum term before you sign. With us, accounts and logins are set up in your name, and your plan sets out the notice period and any minimum term.