What website maintenance includes
| Task | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Software updates | WordPress core, themes and plugins, tested so nothing breaks |
| Backups | Daily, stored away from your hosting, with tested restores |
| Security | Firewall, malware scanning and login protection |
| Uptime monitoring | Alerts if the site goes down |
| Speed | Caching, image optimisation and database clean-up |
| Content changes | A set amount of small edits each month |
| Renewals | Domain and SSL certificate checks |
Typical costs
These are typical monthly ranges for a small business website. They depend on the size of the site, whether it is WordPress or a shop, and how quickly you need help.
| Plan level | India | UK | Australia | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | ₹1,500 to ₹5,000 | £30 to £80 | A$50 to A$150 | Updates, backups, uptime and security monitoring |
| Standard | ₹5,000 to ₹15,000 | £80 to £250 | A$150 to A$400 | Basic plus content edits, speed work and monthly report |
| Advanced | ₹15,000+ | £250+ | A$400+ | Ecommerce or larger sites, priority support, development hours |
Hosting is often separate. Cheap shared hosting is one of the most common reasons small business sites get slow or hacked.
What happens without maintenance
Outdated plugins are the most common way small sites are hacked. The result can be spam pages in Google, redirects to scam sites, or a "This site may be hacked" warning. Google Ads will disapprove ads pointing to a compromised site, so leads stop overnight. Cleaning up usually costs more than a year of maintenance. See our guide to fixing a compromised site.
Website maintenance checklist
| How often | Task |
|---|---|
| Weekly | Check the site loads and forms send correctly |
| Weekly | Update plugins and themes after taking a backup |
| Weekly | Check backups completed and review security alerts |
| Monthly | Test every form, phone link and WhatsApp button |
| Monthly | Check Google Search Console for errors and security issues |
| Monthly | Run Google PageSpeed Insights on the main pages |
| Monthly | Remove unused plugins and user accounts |
| Monthly | Test restoring a backup to a staging copy |
| Quarterly | Change admin passwords and review who has access |
| Quarterly | Check domain and SSL renewal dates |
| Quarterly | Review hosting performance and PHP version |
| Quarterly | Update content: prices, team, offers, dates |
| Quarterly | Check conversion tracking still fires for every lead type |