Core, plugin and library updates
We apply updates to a staging copy first, check the pages that matter, then publish. Nothing reaches the live site untested.
Website maintenance
Website maintenance for a site your business runs on
Updates, security, backups and speed, handled on a fixed monthly cycle.
Website maintenance is the ongoing work of keeping a live site secure, current and fast. It covers software updates, backups, monitoring and the small fixes that pile up.
Most sites are built once and then left alone. The agency that built it moves on, the updates stop, and the first sign of trouble is a page that will not load.
Who this is for
Good fit, and honest limits
This suits a site that is already live and already doing commercial work. It is not a rescue service for a site that needs rebuilding.
We take on sites we did not build. That is the normal case, and the first month goes on learning how yours was put together.
If the honest answer is that your site needs replacing rather than maintaining, we will say so. Paying a retainer on a site that is past saving wastes your money and our time.
Your site runs on WordPress, Webflow, Shopify or a custom stack
It brings in leads, bookings or revenue, so downtime costs you money
Nobody inside the company owns updates, backups or the hosting account
You want one contact for small fixes instead of a support queue
Not a fit if the site is still in build, or needs a full rebuild
The situation
How you know maintenance has stopped
Neglect on a website is quiet. Nothing announces itself until something breaks in front of a customer.
Nobody has the logins
The developer who built the site has moved on. Hosting, domain and admin access sit in an old inbox that nobody checks.
Updates are years behind
Plugins, themes and libraries are running old versions. Every one of them is a published route into your site.
The backup is untested
There may well be a backup running. Nobody has ever restored from it, so nobody knows whether it works.
The form stopped sending
A contact form fails silently after an update. You find out weeks later, when someone asks why nobody replied.
Scope of work
What website maintenance covers
This is the standing scope of a monthly retainer. It stays the same every month, because a site only stays healthy when the same checks happen on schedule.
Security monitoring and hardening
Malware scanning, file integrity checks, login protection and firewall rules. We also strip out the plugins nobody uses, which is where most breaches start.
Backups and restore testing
Scheduled off-site backups, plus a restore we actually run and verify. A backup nobody has tested is only a guess.
Speed and Core Web Vitals
Image compression, caching, database cleanup and script auditing. We watch the three Core Web Vitals that Google reports on and act when they slip.
Uptime and incident response
Monitoring runs around the clock and alerts us before you notice. When the site goes down we start work without waiting for you to report it.
Content edits and small fixes
A monthly allowance for text changes, new pages, image swaps and broken links. Anything larger is quoted before it starts.
Send us the URL and we will tell you what is out of date on it.
Book a Strategy Call →The process
How the work runs
The first month is different from the ones that follow. We start by finding out exactly what we have inherited.
Week 1
Access and audit
We collect hosting, domain, CMS and registrar access into one record. Then we audit versions, backups, security and load times, and send you what we found.
Weeks 2 to 3
Stabilize
We clear the backlog that has built up. Updates applied on staging, backups fixed and tested, and the obvious security gaps closed.
Monthly
The maintenance cycle
Updates, scans, backup checks, a speed review and your content edits. Everything is logged and the report reaches you at the end of the cycle.
Quarterly
Review
We look at the last three months together. What broke, what slowed down, and what is worth fixing properly rather than patching again.
Updates never go straight to the live site. They are applied to a copy, checked against the pages that earn you money, and published only once they pass. A failed update costs an afternoon on staging instead of a day of downtime.
Deliverables
What you receive
Maintenance is easy to pay for and hard to see. These are the parts of it you can hold.
- An access register listing every login, host and registrar, kept where you can reach it
- A monthly maintenance report covering updates applied, threats blocked and load times
- A staging copy of your site, kept in sync, so changes can be tested before they go live
- Off-site backups with a restore we have run and documented for you
- An update log showing what changed, when it changed, and who approved it
- An incident record for any downtime, with the cause and the fix in plain language
- A written handover pack, ready in case you ever move the work elsewhere
Everything on that list stays yours. If you leave, you leave with the credentials, the backups and the documentation.
Examples of past work are available on request, so get in touch and we will send work relevant to your market.
Service assurance
What we commit to in writing
The Assured Outreach Model covers our outreach work, where results can be counted in meetings booked. Maintenance is a different kind of promise, so it gets its own terms.
Response windows, backup frequency and the monthly edit allowance are agreed before the first invoice. They belong in the service agreement, not in a sales conversation.
You own the code, the hosting account, the domain and every credential
Response windows are set in writing before the first month begins
Every change is logged, so you can check what we did without asking
No lock-in. The term and the notice period are stated before you sign
If something breaks because of a change we made, fixing it sits on our side of the invoice. That is the clause worth asking any maintenance provider about before you sign with them.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Will you work on a site you did not build?
Yes. Most of the sites we maintain were built by someone else, often years ago. The first month goes on documenting what is there before we change anything.
What happens if an update breaks the site?
It should not reach the live site. Updates are applied to a staging copy and checked before anything is published. If something does break, we restore from the last verified backup and fix the cause.
How is this different from what my host already does?
Hosting keeps the server running. Maintenance keeps the software on that server current. It also confirms that backups restore, fixes what breaks, and makes the small changes you need.
What is not included?
Rebuilds, new features and design work beyond the monthly edit allowance sit outside the retainer. We quote those separately before starting, so the monthly figure stays predictable.
What does website maintenance cost, and how long am I tied in?
It depends on the platform, the size of the site and how much editing you need. We price it after the audit, so the figure reflects your site rather than a guess. The term and notice period are written into the agreement before you sign.
The next step
Find out what is out of date on your site
Send us the URL. We will check the versions, the security headers and the load times, then tell you what needs attention before you commit to anything.