Why a website needs maintenance
A website isn't a printed leaflet that gets finished once and then sits in a drawer. It runs on a server that gets updated, uses a security certificate that expires, and sends emails that need to reach the inbox. If nobody keeps an eye on it, usually nothing happens straight away. The trouble starts when the certificate has expired, the form no longer sends messages or the site is down and nobody notices.
The other side is content. Prices change, opening hours change, there's a new team member or a new photo. If every change needs its own quote, the site falls out of date. An outdated site isn't just unattractive, it gives your customers the wrong information.
What maintenance includes
- Updates and backups. Software and certificates are kept up to date, with a backup every week and before every change.
- Security checks. Security headers, an encrypted connection, form protection and log reviews. If something is wrong, we fix it before it becomes a problem.
- Content changes. A new price, a new photo, a new team member or new opening hours. Send us an email and the change is live within one working day.
- Email and domain. SPF, DKIM and DMARC, so your emails don't end up in spam. We remind you when domain and hosting renewals are due.
- Google and search. Search Console monitoring, the sitemap and Google Business Profile updates. Once a month you can see whether people are finding your site.
- One contact. One person who knows your site and replies within one working day.
Basic maintenance at €39 a month covers technical upkeep and up to one hour of content changes a month. Larger changes and new pages are charged separately at an hourly rate agreed in advance.
Security updates and the security certificate
Every website runs on software, and bugs are found in it over time. Updates fix those bugs. The more a site relies on plugins and add-on modules, the more often it needs updating. That's why we build websites as static HTML by default: less to update and less to attack.
The security certificate, or SSL, is what puts the padlock in the browser's address bar. When it expires, the browser shows visitors a warning and most people leave immediately. As part of maintenance, we make sure the certificate renews on time.
Backups
A backup is what saves the day when something goes wrong: the server crashes, a change breaks the site or someone accidentally deletes an important file. Restoring from a backup is included in the maintenance fee. If your site goes down, we respond within one working day, usually the same day.
GDPR and email
If your site has a contact form, a newsletter or cookies, it collects personal data. That means you need a privacy policy, cookie consent and a clear rule on how long data is kept. These aren't one-off tasks, because laws and site content change. As part of maintenance, we check that what your site actually does matches your privacy policy.
Email setup is often the part that gets overlooked. If SPF, DKIM and DMARC aren't set up properly, your emails and contact form notifications go to spam. Customers think you're not replying, when the message simply never arrived.
Do you always need maintenance?
Not necessarily. If someone on your team can update the site, make backups and check the email setup, you can manage on your own. Maintenance makes sense when you'd rather not deal with these things yourself and want one person to write to.
We also maintain sites we didn't build, if they run on WordPress, static HTML or PHP. Before we start, we review the site and tell you whether it's worth maintaining or whether a new one makes more sense. There's no fixed term: you can end maintenance at the end of any month, and the files and access always remain yours.
