We are witnessing an era where having an online presence can either make or break a brand. So, what is the cost of maintaining a website? How much should small businesses actually budget to keep their website secure, fast, and working?
What Is Website Maintenance?
In many cases, your website is the first interaction people have with your brand. Your website also needs ongoing care to “stay healthy“. Website maintenance is the regular process of checking for issues, updating software, and making sure everything runs smoothly, securely, and efficiently.
Security is a major part of website maintenance; protecting against malware and validating user forms all help keep your site safe. Beyond the technical side, good maintenance improves your content and SEO to enhance user experience.
Does Your Small Business Need Website Maintenance?
Breaks and outdates for links, plugins, and contents gather faster than you’d realize; hence, if possible, update your website at least once a month.
How to Identify if Your Website Needs Maintenance:
Not sure if your website needs maintenance? Here are the most common red flags to watch for:
Outdated content: It is one of the clearest, whether it’s an expired promotion, old staff bios, or product pages with discontinued items. When visitors see inaccurate or outdated information, they may assume your entire site is unreliable or neglected. If your website looks frozen in time, it suggests your business isn’t evolving or engaged with its audience.
Slow loading speed: Site speed, or website performance, refers to how quickly a browser loads all the elements of a webpage. Slow loading speed can harm your website in several ways: conversion rates may drop, bounce rates tend to increase, and SEO rankings can take a hit. Regular speed audits and performance tuning are essential parts of ongoing website maintenance.
Broken links: Importantly, when a user clicks a button or a link that leads to an error page, anyone may get frustrated and see your site as unprofessional. On-page broken links also hurt your SEO performance.
Security vulnerabilities: If software, themes, or plugins are not updated, the vandalism of sites, introduction of malware, and consequent data leakage become a likely possibility.
Mobile experience issues: Roughly half of all web traffic today comes from mobile devices. If a website isn’t optimized for mobile, it can leave users struggling to navigate the site, and they may even abandon it after the first screen.
Difficult navigation: Confusing menus, cluttered layouts, or too many clicks to reach key pages – all frustrating to your visitors.
Low conversion rates: If you’re racking up high traffic numbers but few leads or sales, consider the possibility that outdated designs or broken CTAs might be the problem. Maintenance will help in fixing these issues for better overall performance.
Inconsistent branding: What inconsistency in branding do you have? A mismatched look often signals neglect and weakens your brand identity. Fonts, colors, logos, and messaging should be uniform throughout your site.
Lack of relevant metadata: Missing or outdated meta tags, titles, and image alt text.
Difficult to manage: If adding a blog post or modifying a page takes too long or breaks something else, your site might be due for a tech tune-up or a content management system update.
Now that you know what to look for, you should be performing regular check-ins to assess the health of your website. Skipping maintenance can be costly, and your site becomes vulnerable to a range of issues that can harm performance and trust: security breaches, broken pages, or SEO penalties.
How Often Is Website Maintenance Needed?
How much thought do you give to the upkeep of your website? Just like any tool or system, your website needs regular attention to stay healthy and effective. It could be weekly, monthly, or quarterly. If your site is highly active, like an online store or blog, you’ll want to check in more frequently.
Who Should Handle Website Maintenance?
Also, consider who’s actually looking after your website. If you or someone on your team has the time and technical skills, managing it in-house can work well. On the other hand, using a managed service frees up your time and gives you peace of mind. You’ll get expert-level updates, ongoing support, and proactive maintenance.
Average Website Maintenance Cost for Small Businesses
On average, you can expect to spend $50 to $300 per month on website maintenance for a small business. The maintenance cost of a website varies due to several key factors. Among the many factors influencing how much you’ll pay are:
Size and complexity of the website: Apparently, a simple 4-page brochure site costs less than maintaining a large ecommerce store. More complex sites have to be updated and troubleshooted more often.
Frequency of updates: If your site changes often, you may need a premium plan that includes dedicated support hours.
Security: The sites that store sensitive data (for instance, customers’ details or payment information) must include strong security, which raises costs.
Performance needs: These would include speed optimization, image compression, and setting up a CDN, which would affect the total price, especially if you are aiming for higher Core Web Vitals scores.
Custom features or functionality: Custom plugins or themes usually require developer oversight. Maintenance plans for these sites often include dedicated dev hours or staging environments.
Hosting environment: Quite possibly the best part of using a managed WordPress hosting service is that some maintenance essentials, such as backups and security, are already built in, reducing the need for third-party tools. At a glance, most providers offer the same perks, but unlike WPX, some hosts leave out key features or charge extra for something like malware removal. So the value you get mainly depends on who you go with.
Support level: 24/7 emergency support or direct Slack access is more expensive but offers the comfort of knowing that your support is at your fingertips.
Type of service: If you or your team can handle basic updates in-house, you might only need occasional support. But if you prefer a hands-off approach, managed services will come at a premium.
Website Maintenance Cost for Small Businesses (by Service Type)
When it comes to website maintenance, you often have two main options: self-managed or service-based. Both have their place, depending on your needs and resources. If you run a small business, explore how much you’ll pay for your site maintenance.
DIY Website Maintenance Cost
If you’re tech-savvy or on a tight budget, you can handle website maintenance tasks yourself with the support of free or low-cost tools. Try maintaining your website yourself if you can.
Usually, you are responsible for these tasks:
- Core, plugin, and theme updates
- Backups
- Security monitoring
- SSL certificate setup/renewal
- Site speed optimization
- Uptime monitoring
- Fixing bugs or issues
Estimated DIY website maintenance costs:
| Item | Cost Range | WPX Resources |
| Hosting | $3–$40/month | What is managed WordPress hosting? |
| SSL certificate | $0–$60/year | How to install a free SSL certificate |
| Backup plugin (premium) | $39–$99/year | WordPress backup plugins |
| Security plugin (premium) | $60–180/year | WordPress security tips |
| Speed optimization plugin (optional) | $0–$85/year | Best WordPress speed optimization plugins |
Freelancer-Based Website Maintenance Cost
When you don’t have time or expertise to maintain your website, consider hiring a freelancer.
You’ll find plenty of options on platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, or through referrals from web communities and agencies. It’s a flexible solution. The expense depends mainly on the freelancer’s location, experience level, and scope of work. A web developer on Upwork often charges between $15 and $50 per hour, whereas a WordPress developer charges between $15 and $28 per hour.
Estimated freelancer website maintenance costs:
| Service type | Cost Range |
| Hourly support | $15–$100/hour |
| Ongoing monthly maintenance | $50–$200/month |
Managed Website Maintenance Service Cost
Website maintenance services commonly cost per website, per month, with costs depending on how much support, protection, and performance tuning your site needs.
Estimated managed website maintenance service costs:
| Plan Type | Monthly Price (Per Site) | Includes |
| Basic Maintenance | $39–$79 | Core WordPress, plugin, and theme updateRoutine cloud backupsUptime and security monitoringMaintenance reports |
| Standard or Mid-Tier | $99–$220 | Everything in the basic plan24/7 emergency supportOn-demand development hoursMalware scanning or basic cleanupSpeed and mobile optimizationUnlimited minor content edits |
| Premium or VIP | $350–$999+ | Advanced security (DDoS, CDN, SSL, WAF)Proactive hacked site repairFull performance optimization (site speed, database, image compression)Custom hosting setupPriority supportOn-demand dev hours included |
If you run a small blog or your website doesn’t require frequent updates, the basic plan is often all you need ($39–$79/month). In case you own an ecommerce store, the mid-tier one is built for you.
In addition, some companies offer one-time fixes for around $99–$150 per task. Others charge hourly rates between $50 and $150/hour for on-demand development, content edits, or tech troubleshooting if you’re not on a plan.
Cost of Website Maintenance from Hosting Provider
If possible, choose a hosting provider that offers built-in or add-on maintenance services. You’d be surprised how much easier it is when your host handles updates, security, and backups. While you’re at it, look for plans built for small businesses; they’re built for reliable performance without the hassle of hiring a separate developer.
Please note that not all hosting providers include full maintenance. These services are often bundled with managed WordPress hosting plans.
Estimated website maintenance costs from hosting providers (for small businesses):
| Provider | Plan Type | Monthly Cost | Maintenance Features |
| WPX | Business | $24.99 | Daily malware scansDaily & on-demand backupsHigh-speed custom CDNFree SSL |
| WP Engine | Startup | $25 | Daily & on-demand backupsFree SSLMalware blockingCDN |
| Kinsta | Single-site | $35 | Free malware removalCDNFree SSL |
| Rocket.net | Starter | $30 | Built-in CDN + WAFMalware scanningFree SSLAutomated daily backups |
Most managed WordPress hosting companies often offer the same core appeal, automated backups, and basic security, and in fairness, that’s often enough for many users.
WPX offers a managed WordPress hosting experience comparable to much more expensive providers. Most of the core specifications, such as storage and performance, are similar across these platforms, but WPX offers more generous limits. The cheapest plan includes up to 5 websites, 15GB of disk space, 200GB of bandwidth, and premium support, all at a more competitive monthly rate.
After all, the whole point of a hosting plan is to save you money, so it makes sense to go with a provider that includes hosting and maintenance in one package. To get this kind of value, you’d normally need to juggle multiple subscriptions and plugins. The built-in features alone can cover the full cost of what you’d usually spend on backups, security, and performance tools. And to top it off, you get expert maintenance included, so you’re saving hundreds yearly.
Conclusion
It’s easy to put off updates or assume nothing will go wrong, but ignoring your website’s upkeep can cost you more in the long run. Here’s the bottom line: your website is your digital storefront, and it needs regular care to stay open and secure. If every small business owner made maintenance a priority, we’d see fewer site crashes and a more reliable online landscape for everyone.
Note that WPX’s all-in-one hosting and maintenance plan is available now with 2 months FREE, no hidden fees, and no extra costs down the line. If you’re curious about what’s included, you can explore our features or read our guide comparing it to other top managed WordPress hosts.
Frequently Asked Questions
If possible, update your website at least once a month. You wouldn’t believe how quickly broken links, outdated plugins, and old content can pile up. Regular maintenance protects not just your site, but your brand reputation and customer trust too.
On average, you can expect to spend $50 to $300 per month on website maintenance for a small business. The maintenance cost of a website varies due to several key factors, including the size and complexity of the website, the frequency of updates, service types, and others.
Just like any tool or system, your website needs regular attention to stay healthy and effective. It could be weekly, monthly, or quarterly. If your site is highly active, like an online store or blog, you’ll want to check in more frequently.
Yes. It builds credibility, helps showcase your brand, and gives customers a reliable way to find and contact you. A well-designed website can generate leads, support SEO visibility, and improve customer service. It also allows you to share updates, run digital marketing campaigns, and reach a wider audience 24/7. The sooner you start a website, the better your long-term results.
Maintaining a website isn’t overly difficult, but it does require consistency. Tasks like updates, backups, and security checks are straightforward with the right tools or plugins. Basic tech skills and regular attention go a long way.
