Small businesses are the people who most need website care and are least likely to have time for it. You are running the business, and the website is one of forty things on your list. Here is a short, practical guide to what you need, what you can skip and what a fair price includes.
The basics that every small site needs
- Updates. Your platform, theme and plugins kept current.
- Security. A firewall and regular malware scans.
- Backups. Copies stored away from your hosting server, ideally with a test restore.
- Monitoring. An alert if the site goes down or a form stops working.
- Small changes. A person who can update a price, an hour or a photo without a quote.
What you can usually skip
Many small businesses do not need a dedicated account manager, quarterly strategy reviews or a large retainer. Pay for the basics first and add more only if the site becomes central to your revenue.
What a fair price looks like
Prices vary widely, and the cheapest is rarely the one with hours for your changes. Look at what is included and how requests are handled. Our Essential plan is $99 a month and includes two hands-on hours, security, backups and monitoring. Sites that take orders usually start on Business, where checkout testing and staging come in.
Which plan, for which small business
| Your site | What matters most | Usually fits |
|---|---|---|
| A brochure site for a trade or local service | Staying online, a working contact form, accurate details | Essential |
| A clinic, studio or restaurant with bookings | Booking forms that always work, quick edits to hours and menus | Essential or Business |
| A small online shop | A checkout that never breaks, backups, safe updates | Business |
| A business whose website is most of its income | Fast turnaround, an engineer check on every update | Priority |
A first-month routine you can follow
- Week one: make a list of every login you hold, and find out who hosts the site and who owns the domain.
- Week two: check that a backup exists and where it is stored. Ask for a restore test.
- Week three: send your first batch of changes: prices, hours, a photo.
- Week four: read the first report, and decide whether the plan size is right.
Common mistakes
- Paying for a long contract before you know the provider.
- Letting the developer hold the only copy of the logins.
- Assuming the host's backup is enough.
- Waiting for something to break before choosing cover.
How to think about the budget
Treat maintenance as insurance that also does useful work. It is a small, steady cost that avoids a large, sudden one. A simple way to set a budget is to ask what a bad week would cost you: a few days of lost orders or enquiries, plus clean-up and the time you would spend. If that figure is far larger than a year of care, the choice is easy. Our downtime cost calculator can help you put a number on it.
A realistic year
| When | What a small business site usually needs |
|---|---|
| Start of the year | Check renewals for the domain, hosting and certificate, and review your prices and opening hours |
| Spring | A look at speed and a check that forms work |
| Before your busy season | A fresh backup, tested checkout or booking, and updated offers |
| End of the year | Review the plan size, and review who holds the logins |
What to keep for yourself
Even when someone else looks after the site, a few things should stay with you: the ownership of the domain and hosting accounts, a list of who has access, and a copy of the latest backup in an account you control. These cost almost nothing and protect you whoever you work with.
When to move up from the basics
- The site starts taking orders or bookings.
- You change it more than a few times a month.
- An hour of downtime would now cost you real money.
- You run campaigns or sales that bring a lot of visitors at once.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Do I get real hands-on hours, or only monitoring?
- Where are the backups stored, and has a restore ever been tested?
- Is there a contract, and what happens to my logins if I leave?
- Who do I contact, and how quickly do they reply?
Not sure where you stand?
The free coverage check takes two minutes and shows which of the basics you already have. If you run WordPress, read about WordPress maintenance, or ask us how we would set your site up.
