How much does website maintenance cost?

The key points

• Size, technology and integrations set the baseline workload.
• Monthly content changes and response speed move the price.
• An audit first avoids paying for work the site does not need.
• Compare what is included, not just the monthly figure.

What affects the cost of maintaining a site?

A small brochure site with few integrations needs little attention; a larger site with bookings, payments and several third-party connections needs more patching, monitoring and testing. The age and condition of the code matter too, since neglected sites cost more to bring up to date before they can be maintained routinely, especially when you take over a site someone else built.

• Size and complexity of the site
• Technology and how current it is
• Number of third-party integrations
• Volume of monthly content changes

Why do we audit before quoting?

An audit shows whether the site is sound enough to maintain or cheaper to rebuild, and what needs fixing first. It stops you paying a retainer to watch a site that needs structural work, and stops a rebuild being sold when attention would do.

How should you compare maintenance quotes?

Look at what the monthly fee includes, using what website maintenance should include as the checklist: backups and whether restores are tested, monitoring and response times, number of content changes, reporting and security updates. Check what is billed separately, and whether you hold your own hosting, domain and repository, because a retainer should never stop you leaving.

Also ask who carries the risk when an update breaks something. A maintenance provider that tests changes before applying them, keeps rollback copies and tells you what was changed protects you better than one that simply applies updates and hopes. Those habits cost a little more attention each month and save a great deal when something unexpected happens.