Website maintenance costs: what should be included?

A maintenance price only makes sense when you know what it includes. Hosting, updates, recovery and content changes are different services. A monthly plan may combine some of them; a one-off intervention may address a single defined problem.

Separate the costs before comparing

Component	What should be agreed in writing
Hosting and domain	Provider, renewals and ownership of accounts
Updates	Components monitored, frequency and checks
Backups	Coverage, retention, location and restoration testing
Support	Contact channel, availability and agreed response time
Changes	Included tasks or hours, exclusions and approval for extra work
Licences	Paid plugins, themes or services and their renewals

There is no universal monthly price that makes proposals comparable without this detail. One service may cover hosting alone; another may include development time. Ask for a concrete list rather than comparing totals alone.

How Feitura’s estimate works

For one-off maintenance and support, our starting rate is €10 per hour of work. You can suggest the hours in the form. We review the problem and agree scope, timing and price before starting.

Illustrative example: you suggest 3 hours. The initial estimate is 3 × €10 = €30. If your budget is €20, that amount can be recorded separately. It does not automatically turn three hours into two or oblige us to accept the task. We may suggest a smaller priority, request clarification or explain that the budget is not feasible.

If you cannot estimate, choose that option. The request remains “to be assessed”, without an artificial zero price. Hosting, licences and third-party services are separate. The form displays the applicable VAT note and does not request payment.

When one-off work fits

A content change, missing image or clearly bounded form issue may suit a one-off intervention. Define the expected result and how it will be checked. “The form submits and the recipient receives the email” is clearer than “look at the form”.

A site handling orders or bookings may require recurring attention. Agree monitoring, updates, backups, checks and availability. Paying monthly does not automatically provide round-the-clock support or immediate recovery.

Five questions before starting

1. Who controls the domain, hosting and access?
2. Is there a backup that can actually be restored?
3. What is included and excluded?
4. Is there an hours limit, and how is an overrun approved?
5. What checks and intervention record will I receive?

The WordPress backup documentation distinguishes files from database. For a concrete task, see safe updates and forms that do not deliver email.

Request an assessment of your case

Our support starts from €10 per hour of work. Suggest your hours, choose “I cannot estimate” or propose what you can spend. The request does not commission work or confirm a quote: we agree scope and price first. Request support or explore website maintenance.