Website maintenance cost: what a small business should really pay

A website is not a one-time purchase. Even after it is built, it costs something to keep it online, secure and up to date. The question is how much, and whether you are paying for something useful.

The costs you cannot avoid

• Domain: about $10 to $20 a year for a .com. See how to buy a domain name.
• Hosting: the server that keeps your site online. From a few dollars a month for simple sites to much more for busy or complex ones. Website builders include it in their monthly plan.
• SSL certificate: the padlock in the browser. Usually free today through your host.
• Email: if you use a mailbox on your domain, see professional email address.

What "maintenance" usually means

• Software updates. WordPress sites in particular need regular updates to the core, theme and plugins. Skipping them is how many small business sites get hacked.
• Security monitoring and fixing problems if something goes wrong.
• Backups, so the site can be restored.
• Uptime checks, so someone notices if the site goes down.
• Small content changes: new photos, prices, services, hours, seasonal offers.
• Speed and form checks, so the contact form still sends to your inbox.

Typical website maintenance costs

• Do it yourself: only hosting and domain, plus your time. Fine for builder sites if you actually log in and update them.
• Basic plans for small sites: roughly $25 to $75 a month. Hosting, updates, backups and a small amount of changes.
• Larger plans: $100 to $300 a month or more, often bundled with SEO, ads management or content.
• Pay as you go: an hourly rate when you need a change, often $50 to $150 an hour.

The type of site matters. A simple, static site has far less to update and break than a WordPress site with twenty plugins, so it should cost less to maintain.

Signs you are overpaying

• You pay every month but have no idea what was done.
• Simple changes still take a week or come with an extra bill.
• The plan bundles "SEO" with no reports, no new content and no changes to the site.
• You are locked into a long contract.
• You do not own your domain or cannot get a copy of your site.

Questions to ask before you sign

1. What exactly is included every month?
2. How many changes or minutes per month, and how fast?
3. Who owns the domain and the website?
4. Can I cancel at any time, and what happens to my site if I do?
5. Is hosting included, or is it a separate bill?

Is maintenance worth paying for?

For a contractor, the website's job is to make the phone ring. If your hours change, a service is added or a photo looks dated, the site should reflect that within days. If you will not do it yourself, a fair maintenance plan is usually worth it. If the site has not changed in a year and you are still paying, it probably is not.

How we price it

We keep it simple. Every site we build includes hosting, SSL and maintenance for the first 6 months (landing page) or 12 months (full website). After that, maintenance is optional at $40 a month or $400 a year, including small changes up to 30 minutes a month, and you can cancel anytime. The site stays yours either way. More detail on the pricing page and in how much a contractor website costs.

Frequently asked questions

How much does website maintenance cost per month?

For a small business site, plans commonly range from about $25 to $150 a month. Large or complex sites cost more. What matters is what is included.

Do I have to pay for website maintenance?

You always pay for a domain and hosting. Paid maintenance on top is optional, but a site nobody looks after gets out of date and can break or get hacked, especially on WordPress.

What is included in website maintenance?

Usually hosting, security and software updates, backups, uptime checks and a set amount of small changes such as new photos, text or prices.