A website is more like a vehicle than a brochure. It looks fine for a while, and then something small goes wrong because no one was keeping an eye on it. Software needs updates, certificates expire, forms stop sending, and information goes out of date. A maintenance plan is how a business makes sure someone is responsible for all of that.
Plans vary a lot, and the descriptions can be vague. Here is what I think a solid one should cover, and the questions I would ask before agreeing to any of it.
Hosting and uptime
Your site has to live somewhere, and that place needs to be fast and reliable. Ask who provides the hosting, what happens if the site goes down, and how you would find out. A good plan includes monitoring, so someone is alerted when the site stops loading, rather than a customer calling to tell you.
Security and updates
If your site runs on a platform with plugins or add-ons, those pieces need regular updates, because outdated software is a common way sites get compromised. Ask how often updates are applied, who tests them and what happens if one breaks something. Also ask about security protections such as a firewall and a secure connection (the padlock in the browser). Some platforms handle much of this automatically, and your plan should say which.
Backups you can actually restore
A backup is only useful if it can be restored. Ask how often backups run, where they are stored, how long they are kept and how quickly the site can be brought back. The answer should be specific. “We back up regularly” is not a plan. Better is something like a stated frequency and a stated restore process, and ideally a copy stored somewhere separate from the host.
Content changes
Your business will change, and your site needs to follow. Hours, prices, staff, services, photos and seasonal announcements all need updating. Find out how many changes are included each month, how to request them and how fast they get done. Extra work is normal to charge for, but you should know the rate before you need it. A clear request process, such as one email address or form, keeps changes from getting lost.
Forms, email and domain details
Contact forms fail quietly. A form that sends messages to a retired email address can cost you leads for months without anyone noticing. A good plan includes periodic testing of forms and call buttons. It should also track your domain name registration and renewal date, since a lapsed domain can take the site and email offline overnight. Make sure the domain is registered in your name or company name, with you listed as the owner.
Performance and basic reporting
Pages should load quickly on a phone, and images should be sized properly. Ask whether the plan includes occasional speed checks and a short report on traffic and contact activity. You do not need a forty-page report. A one-page summary of visits, calls and form submissions, with a note on what changed, is far more useful.
What to ask before you sign
I would ask these directly:
Who owns the site, the content and the domain if I leave? What do I get back, and in what form? Is there a long contract, and what does it cost to cancel? What is covered each month, in writing? Who do I contact, and how fast do you respond? What is not included, and what does it cost?
If an answer is evasive, that is information. A trustworthy provider is comfortable putting the scope in writing. My earlier piece on questions to ask before you hire a designer goes deeper on ownership and after-launch support.
Right-size the plan
A five-page site for a small shop does not need the same coverage as a site taking orders. Pay for what your site actually does. But do not skip maintenance entirely to save money. The cost of recovering from a hacked or broken site, plus the customers lost in the meantime, almost always exceeds a modest monthly fee.
If you want to see what a clear, written maintenance scope looks like, DirecTech Connect can walk you through its hosting and care options for business websites.
Danielle Lemons is Vice President of Operations at DirecTech Connect, a Nashville provider of business phone systems, managed IT services, websites and digital marketing. More about Danielle.
Read more of Danielle’s writing, or see her profile at DirecTech Connect.
