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What does website maintenance include, and do I need it?
Maintenance is the updates, backups, security and small changes a website needs to keep working. If your site is WordPress with plugins, you need it. If it is a site with no CMS and no plugins, it needs much less, and what you pay for is having someone to make changes.
What it should include
- Updates to the CMS and plugins, checked before they are applied.
- Automatic, tested backups: a backup that cannot be restored is worth nothing.
- Alerts if the site goes down or something breaks, before a customer calls you.
- A few hours of changes a month: text, photos, prices.
- A short report of what was done.
When you really need it
- If the site is WordPress, Joomla or PrestaShop with plugins: updates come out every month, and an outdated plugin is the most common way in for attacks.
- If there is an online shop, bookings or payments.
- If you have neither the time nor the wish to touch it yourself.
When you can skip it
- If the site is on Wix or Squarespace: the platform already takes care of the technical side, and charges for it in the fee.
- If it is a site of your own with no CMS and no plugins, like the ones I build: there is nothing to update every month, and someone to make changes when you need them is enough.
What to ask before signing up
- Is there a minimum term?
- How many hours of changes are included, and what does an extra hour cost?
- Are the backups tested to make sure they restore?
- Will I get a report of what was done?
What it costs with me
From €40 a month + VAT, with no lock-in: checked updates, tested backups, alerts if something breaks, one hour of changes a month and a short report. Changes beyond that hour are €35 an hour + VAT, always quoted first.
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