If you’ve just launched a website or you’re about to, the next question is what it costs to keep running. This page explains the ongoing costs of website maintenance and support for a small local service business, what each pound actually buys, and how we handle it at Landmark Web Design in Farnham. It’s written for owners across Surrey who want a straight answer before they commit to a monthly bill.
What does website maintenance actually cover?
Maintenance is the recurring work that keeps a live site secure, fast, and up to date after the build is finished. On a WordPress site, that means WordPress core, theme, and plugin updates applied and tested so nothing breaks; regular backups you can restore from; security monitoring and malware checks; SSL certificate and domain renewals; and uptime and performance checks so the site stays quick on mobile.
Beyond the essentials, most plans add a monthly allowance of hands-on time. That’s where small content changes live: swapping a phone number, adding a new service, updating prices, publishing a blog post, fixing a broken form. The gap between a cheap plan and a fuller one is usually how much developer time is included and how fast you get help when something goes wrong. You can see how we structure this on our website maintenance for small business page.
How much should I budget for maintenance after launch?
Most UK small businesses pay between £25 and £100 a month for website maintenance, with £50 to £80 the range most owners land in, according to EdTheDev’s 2026 UK maintenance cost breakdown. Annually, sources put basic upkeep at roughly £250 to £1,000 per year, and freelancers at £50 to £200 a month.
Here’s how those UK-typical bands map to what you get. These figures are industry background, not our own pricing:
| Monthly budget (UK typical) | What it usually covers |
|---|---|
| £40–£80 | Hosting, security updates, backups, SSL and domain renewals, minor content changes |
| £80–£150 | The above plus a monthly allowance of developer time, priority support, more frequent performance monitoring |
| £150+ / managed retainer | Hands-on developer time, bundled improvements, and in some plans ongoing SEO work |
What you actually need depends on the site. A five-page brochure site that rarely changes needs hosting and security more than active developer time. A WooCommerce shop or a site that’s your main source of enquiries needs closer attention: payment gateways, plugin conflicts, and checkout all have to keep working.
Our own maintenance plans are fixed monthly and priced by site type and how much hands-on time you want. We off a starter maintenance and support package for £39 a month. Our growth package is £89 per month and includes up to 2 hours site edits per month (no new content) and our Premium £189 unlimited site edits, submitted one at a time (fair use). Full details are on our website maintenance service page.
What happens if I skip maintenance?
Skipping maintenance moves the cost from a predictable monthly figure to an unpredictable emergency one. Out-of-date plugins and core software are the most common way a WordPress site gets hacked, and cleaning up after that costs far more than preventing it.
EdTheDev’s breakdown cites a 2025 UK government report finding that 68% of small businesses faced cyber-attacks, at an average cost of £5,300 per incident. The same guides note that doing the upkeep yourself takes two to five hours a month; at £50 an hour that’s £100 to £250 of your own time every month, before you’ve won a single new client. For most owners, a fixed maintenance plan is cheaper than either the risk or the hours.
Who does the maintenance and where do you serve?
Your site is maintained by the two people who build our sites, not an outsourced call queue. Edoardo Simeoni-McColl handles development, updates, and anything technical on the WordPress build; Alicia McColl, who is Semrush and SE Ranking certified, handles SEO health, structured data, and performance. Because we build the sites we maintain, we already know how yours is put together when something needs fixing.
We’re based at 69 Weybourne Road in Farnham, GU9 9EX, and we support businesses across Surrey, including Farnham, Guildford, and Godalming, and the surrounding towns. We’re reachable Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. If you’re outside those towns but still in Surrey or nearby, ask and we’ll tell you honestly whether we can help.
How do I book maintenance for my site?
Start with a free site audit. We check your current hosting, plugin versions, backup setup, security, and page speed, then tell you what your site actually needs each month rather than selling you the biggest plan. If we built your site, maintenance can be set up straight away; if another agency built it, the audit tells us what we’re taking on first.
Call us on +44 1483 323260 or request the free audit through the site, and we’ll come back with a plan and a fixed monthly price. On 20 August 2026, a WP Rocket update triggered a fatal error on websites running WordPress 7.1 across the world. Our monitoring tools spotted the crash immediately. We quickly accessed the system, restored the previous backup, disabled the plugin, and brought the site back online. Nick Brown Painters and Decorators rely on our monthly support, so our team resolved the issue swiftly without any hassle for them.
Frequently asked questions
How much does website maintenance cost per month in the UK?
UK small business maintenance typically runs £25 to £100 a month, with £50 to £80 being the common range, per EdTheDev’s 2026 breakdown. The right figure for you depends on your site type and how much developer time you want included. Our plans are fixed monthly and priced after a free audit, so you know the cost before you commit.
Do I have to pay for maintenance if you didn’t build my site?
No. We take on maintenance for sites built by other agencies, provided it’s a WordPress site we can safely support. The free audit comes first so we can check the current state of the build, hosting, and security before we quote a monthly price.
What’s the difference between hosting and maintenance?
Hosting is where your website files live and how the site is served to visitors. Maintenance is the ongoing work that keeps those files updated, backed up, secure, and working. Some plans bundle the two together, but they are separate jobs, and paying for hosting alone does not keep your site updated or secure.
What happens if my site goes down or gets hacked?
We restore from backup and get you back online, then fix the cause so it doesn’t recur. This is exactly why regular backups and security monitoring are core parts of a maintenance plan rather than optional extras. Priority response times depend on your plan, and we’ll confirm those when we set you up.
Which areas in Surrey do you cover?
We’re based in Farnham and work with businesses across Surrey, including Guildford and Godalming and the surrounding towns. If you’re nearby but not sure whether you’re in range, call us on +44 1483 323260 and we’ll tell you.
