What does website maintenance include?
Website maintenance includes updating the CMS, themes and plugins, taking and testing backups, monitoring uptime and security, renewing SSL certificates, checking forms and speed, and reviewing search console errors. The aim is to stop small problems, such as an outdated plugin or failing form, from becoming outages or security breaches.
Our guide to website security best practices explains why these routine tasks matter.
- Software updates: core, theme and plugin updates applied and checked, ideally on a staging copy first.
- Backups: regular automated backups stored off the server, with periodic test restores.
- Security: malware scanning, login protection, two-factor authentication and user access reviews.
- Monitoring: uptime alerts, SSL expiry, domain renewal and broken form checks.
- Performance and SEO health: speed checks and Google Search Console errors reviewed.
What does website support cover?
Website support covers the help you need between scheduled maintenance: content and page changes, fixing bugs, answering questions, investigating problems and emergency repairs when the site is down or hacked. Plans usually include a set number of support hours each month and agreed response times by priority.
- Content changes: new pages, text and image updates, team or price changes.
- Troubleshooting: forms not sending, layout problems, integrations failing.
- Small improvements: new sections, tracking changes or minor features.
- Emergency fixes: site outages, hacks or broken checkouts handled as top priority.
What should a website support SLA include?
A website support service level agreement (SLA) should define support hours, how to report issues, response and fix targets by priority, what counts as an emergency, how many hours are included, and how extra work is charged. Clear definitions avoid disputes when something goes wrong at an inconvenient time.
| Priority | Example issue | What to agree |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | Site down, hacked or checkout broken | Response target, including outside office hours if needed |
| High | Contact form failing, key page broken | Response within the working day |
| Normal | Content change or minor bug | Scheduled within an agreed number of working days |
| Low | Improvement idea or question | Planned into the next available slot |
This table shows the kind of terms to agree, not Freehand HQ's service levels. We confirm support hours and response times in writing for each plan.
How much does website maintenance cost in the UK?
As a typical UK market guide, basic website maintenance costs around £30 to £100 per month excluding VAT. Business plans with content changes and support hours cost around £100 to £300 per month. Ecommerce or business-critical sites usually need £300 to £1,000 or more per month. Hosting is often separate.
| Plan type | Typical range | Usually includes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | £30–£100 per month | Updates, backups, monitoring |
| Business | £100–£300 per month | Basic plus content changes and support hours |
| Ecommerce or business-critical | £300–£1,000+ per month | Faster response, more hours, deeper testing |
| Hosting: shared / managed | £5–£30 / £30–£150 per month | Server, often with caching and backups |
These are indicative ranges from the wider UK market, not a Freehand HQ quote. Our guide to website maintenance costs in the UK explains what affects the price.
What happens if a website is not maintained?
An unmaintained website gradually becomes slower, less secure and less reliable. Outdated plugins are a common route for hacks, expired SSL certificates trigger browser warnings, broken forms lose enquiries silently, and missing backups can turn a small incident into a full rebuild. The cost of recovery usually exceeds the cost of maintenance.
A personal data breach can also bring UK GDPR obligations: notifiable breaches must be reported to the ICO within 72 hours of becoming aware of them. Keeping software updated and access controlled is part of the "appropriate security" UK GDPR requires.
Can you maintain a website you did not build?
Yes. We start with an onboarding audit of your hosting, software versions, plugins, backups, security and access, then fix urgent problems before ongoing maintenance begins. We need administrator access and, ideally, access to your hosting and domain accounts, which should always be in your business's name.
- WordPress and other common CMS sites; see WordPress website design and CMS website development.
- Online shops on Shopify or WooCommerce; see ecommerce website design.
- Speed problems found during onboarding can be fixed through website speed optimisation.