A website isn't like a printed brochure that stays the same until you reprint it. It runs on software that needs updating, sits on a server that needs looking after, and represents a business that keeps changing. Website maintenance is the work that keeps all of that in order.
What good maintenance includes
Software and security updates
Most websites rely on software (a content management system, plugins, themes, libraries) that gets regular updates, many of them security fixes. Skipping them is the most common way small business sites get hacked.
Backups
If something goes wrong, from a bad update to a hacked site to an accidental deletion, a recent backup turns a disaster into a five-minute fix. Backups should be taken automatically and before every change, and kept somewhere other than the website itself.
Uptime monitoring
If your site goes down, you want to know before your customers do. Monitoring checks your site around the clock and raises the alarm the moment it stops responding.
Hosting and SSL
Your hosting should be fast, reliable and secure, and your SSL certificate (the padlock) should renew automatically. An expired certificate makes browsers show visitors a scary warning page.
Content changes
New prices, services, staff, opening hours, photos, holiday notices. Small changes keep your site accurate, and accuracy builds trust. A good maintenance plan includes a set amount of time for these each month.
Reporting
A short monthly summary of what was updated, whether the site stayed online, and what changed. You shouldn't have to wonder whether anyone is looking after it.
What happens without it?
- Security problems: outdated software is an open door. Cleaning up a hacked site costs far more than keeping it secure.
- Broken features: contact forms quietly stop sending, so enquiries vanish without anyone noticing.
- Out-of-date information: old prices and discontinued services lose trust and waste everyone's time.
- Slower pages: sites tend to get heavier over time, which frustrates visitors and doesn't help your search rankings.
How I handle it
Maintenance is built into my Basic (R499/month) and Professional (R999/month) website plans, so you don't pay for it separately.
For Corporate builds, and for businesses with an existing website they'd like looked after, Website Maintenance is R499/month. It covers hosting and SSL, security monitoring and updates, a backup before every change with 30 days kept, uptime monitoring, an hour of changes every month and a monthly health report.
Got a website nobody's looking after? Send me the link and I'll check it over and tell you honestly what it needs.
