What Should Website Maintenance Include? (And What It Costs in Perth)
Website maintenance should cover five things: keeping your platform and plugins updated, running backups you have actually tested, watching for security problems, checking that the site stays fast and online, and making small content changes when your business changes. The cost depends on the platform, the size of the site and how much support you want, and it is normally a fixed monthly fee rather than an hourly surprise.
A website is not a poster you print once. It is software that sits on the internet, and software needs looking after. Below is what a proper maintenance plan includes, how the cost is usually set, and the questions worth asking before you sign up to one.
What website maintenance should include
Different providers package maintenance differently, but a plan worth paying for covers the same core jobs.
Updates to your platform, plugins and themes
Whether your site runs on WordPress, Shopify or something custom, the platform and its add-ons release updates regularly. Many of those updates close security gaps. Skipping them for months is one of the most common ways a business site ends up broken or compromised. Maintenance means updates are applied on a schedule, tested, and rolled back if something stops working.
Backups you can restore
A backup that has never been restored is a hope, not a plan. Your plan should say how often the site is backed up, where copies are stored, and how quickly a working version can be put back if something goes wrong.
Security monitoring
This covers malware scanning, firewall rules, login protection and a watch on user accounts. It also covers the quiet housekeeping, like making sure your SSL certificate and domain renew on time so visitors never see a warning page.
Uptime, speed and form checks
Someone should know if your site goes down before a customer tells you. Maintenance includes uptime monitoring, regular speed checks, and testing that your enquiry forms and checkout still deliver messages and orders. A contact form that silently stops working can cost more than a year of maintenance.
Small content and design changes
New staff member, new service, updated opening hours, a fresh banner. A good plan includes a set amount of time for these edits so you are not raising a quote for every small change.
Reporting and a person to call
You should be able to see what was done each month, and you should have a specialist to contact when something looks wrong. If a plan cannot tell you who answers when your site is down, keep looking.
How much does website maintenance cost in Perth?
There is no single price, because the work behind it varies. Four things move the number most:
- The platform. A brochure site on a well-maintained platform needs less attention than a store with payments, stock and shipping rules.
- The size and complexity. More pages, plugins and integrations mean more to update, test and monitor.
- The level of support. Monitoring and updates alone cost less than a plan that also includes content edits, reporting and priority response times.
- Whether the site has been built well in the first place. A clean build is cheaper to maintain than one patched together over years.
Ask any provider for the monthly fee in writing, what hours or edits it includes, and what happens when you go over. At CLIK there is no lock in, so you are never tied to a contract you have outgrown. If you want a number for your own site, get in touch and a specialist will scope it with you.
For context on the build itself, our guide to how much a website costs in Perth sets out typical price bands.
Do you need website maintenance if the site is new?
Yes, though the first year looks different. Every CLIK build includes 12 months of free hosting and domain, so the basics are covered while the site settles in. Updates, backups and security checks still need to happen from the first month, because new sites are scanned and tested by automated bots from the day they go live.
What to look for in a website maintenance plan
Before you commit, check that the plan answers these questions plainly:
- What is updated, and how often?
- Where are backups kept, and how long does a restore take?
- Who is monitoring uptime and security, and how will you be told about a problem?
- How many content edits are included each month?
- Who does the work, and is it done by the same team that built the site?
That last point matters. When maintenance and build sit under one roof, the person fixing a problem already understands how the site was made. CLIK is 100 percent in-house, so there are no handovers between a developer, a host and a support desk.
Maintenance, or doing it yourself?
Some owners prefer to manage routine updates and content themselves, and that is a reasonable choice for a simple site. If your team wants the skills to do it confidently, our digital marketing training in Perth can cover how to keep a site current and working. If you would rather hand it over, our website maintenance and support service in Perth takes care of it for you.
Frequently asked questions
What does website maintenance include?
At minimum: platform and plugin updates, tested backups, security monitoring, uptime and speed checks, working forms, and a set amount of time for small content changes.
How much does website maintenance cost in Perth?
It is usually a monthly fee that depends on the platform, the size of the site and the level of support. Ask for the fee, the inclusions and the limits in writing before you agree.
Do I need website maintenance if my site is new?
Yes. The first year of hosting and domain may be covered on a new build, but updates, backups and security monitoring still need to happen from launch.
How often should a website be updated?
Platform and plugin updates should be checked at least monthly, with security fixes applied as soon as they are tested. Content should be reviewed whenever your services, staff or contact details change.
Want your site looked after properly?
Not sure whether your site is being maintained, or what it is costing you? Talk to CLIK. A specialist will review where it stands and tell you plainly what it needs. You can also see how we approach web design in Perth.
