Short answer: website maintenance is the routine work that keeps a site secure, fast and working after launch: software updates, tested backups, security monitoring, performance and link checks, and small fixes. Monthly plans vary widely in price because they vary widely in what’s included: a simple brochure site needs far less attention than a site that takes bookings, payments or depends on search. Our own CHRISPS Care plans start at $99/month.
The useful question isn’t really “what does it cost?” but “what’s included, and what happens if nobody does it?” This guide answers both.
What website maintenance actually includes
A good maintenance plan covers four kinds of work.
1. Keeping software current
A WordPress site is WordPress itself, a theme and a set of plugins, each updated on its own schedule. Updates fix security holes and bugs, but they can also conflict with each other. Proper maintenance means updating in a sensible order, checking the site afterwards and rolling back if something breaks, rather than clicking “update all” and hoping.
2. Backups you can actually restore
Most hosts take some kind of backup. The questions are how often, where they’re stored, how long they’re kept and whether anyone has ever tested restoring one. A backup that has never been restored is a hope, not a plan. Off-site copies matter: if the backup lives on the same server as the site, a server problem takes both.
3. Security and uptime
- Monitoring for malware and suspicious changes
- Strong logins, sensible user roles and removing old accounts
- Knowing quickly when the site goes down
- Keeping the SSL certificate valid so browsers don’t show warnings
4. Health and performance checks
- Broken links and missing pages
- Contact forms tested end to end, because forms that silently stop sending are one of the most expensive failures a small business site can have
- Speed and Core Web Vitals, which drift as content and plugins are added
- Search basics: indexing, sitemap and obvious errors in Google Search Console
What happens when maintenance is skipped
Nothing, for a while. That’s the problem. Unmaintained sites rarely fail on day one. Updates get skipped because one broke something last year. Then a plugin is abandoned by its developer. Then a security hole in old software is used to inject spam pages. Then the form breaks after a host upgrade and nobody notices for two months.
Most of the sites that come to us for a website rescue reached that point gradually. Our guide on whether to rescue or redesign covers what to do if you’re already there.
What maintenance costs: plans compared
Prices vary with what’s included, how big the site is and how quickly someone responds when things go wrong. As a transparent reference, here’s what our CHRISPS Care plans include, in CAD:
Care: $99/month
For brochure sites that change rarely. A monthly website health check reviewed by a person, a broken-link check, a monthly report with recommendations and email support.
Care Growth: $249/month
For sites that bring in enquiries or sales. Everything in Care, plus an SEO health review, a performance review against Core Web Vitals and small website changes each month.
Care Pro: $499/month
For sites the business depends on. Everything in Care Growth, plus an AI-search visibility review, a prioritised recommendations roadmap and priority support.
Care Custom: from $1,000/month
For several sites or complex platforms, with scope and reporting built around them.
We also offer separate Maintenance plans from $149/month; they’re listed on our pricing page. Automated uptime and technical monitoring are being built into the CHRISPS platform and added to each Care tier as they launch. We say that plainly because it’s worth asking any provider what’s done by a person, what’s automated and what’s only planned.
Doing it yourself versus a plan
DIY works if your site is simple, you’re comfortable in the admin, you have time each month and you know how to restore a backup. Put a recurring reminder in your calendar and keep a short log of what you updated.
A plan makes sense if the site brings in enquiries or sales, nobody on your team owns it, or you’ve been burned by a broken update before. The cost of a plan is usually small next to the cost of a week without enquiries or an emergency fix.
Questions to ask before you sign up for any plan
- How are updates done, tested and rolled back?
- How often are backups taken, where are they kept, and when was a restore last tested?
- What’s checked by a person, and what’s automated?
- How quickly do you respond if the site goes down or is hacked?
- Are content changes included? How much each month?
- What does the monthly report show?
- Is there a minimum contract?
- Who owns the site and the accounts? (It should be you.)
Maintenance on Shopify is different
On Shopify, the platform handles hosting, security patches and core updates. Maintenance there is more about the theme, apps, catalogue and speed: removing apps that slow the store down, keeping the theme current and checking that products, collections and checkout behave. Our free Shopify check is a quick way to spot obvious issues.
How to tell if your site needs attention now
- When was the last update? If you don’t know, that’s an answer.
- Send yourself a test enquiry through every form.
- Run the free speed check on your home page.
- Run the free website audit for a broader view.
Frequently asked questions
Isn’t maintenance included with hosting?
Usually only partly. Hosts look after the server; most don’t update your themes and plugins, test your forms or check your site after an update.
How often should a small business website be updated?
Security updates should go on promptly. Routine updates are commonly done on a regular schedule, such as monthly, with checks afterwards.
Can I cancel a care plan?
Ask before you sign. With any provider, look for monthly terms rather than long lock-ins, and make sure you keep full ownership and access if you leave.
A simple monthly routine if you do it yourself
- Take a fresh backup and confirm it finished. Keep a copy off the server.
- Update in order: plugins first (one at a time if any are critical, such as forms or booking), then the theme, then WordPress core when a new version is available.
- Check the site after updates: home page, a service page, the contact form, any booking or checkout journey.
- Remove what you don’t use: deactivated plugins, old themes and accounts for people who’ve left.
- Look at Search Console for new errors and at your forms’ submissions for anything unusual.
- Write down what changed and the date. If something breaks next week, you’ll know where to look.
Set aside an hour a month. If you find yourself skipping it, that’s the clearest sign a plan would be worth paying for.
Signs your current maintenance isn’t working
- You’re paying for “maintenance” but receive no report of what was done.
- Plugins show updates waiting for weeks.
- Nobody can tell you when a backup was last restored successfully.
- Problems are discovered by customers before your provider notices.
- Small content changes take weeks.
Keep your site healthy
If your website matters to your business, it deserves someone watching it. See the CHRISPS Care plans, or run a free website audit to see where your site stands today.
Written by the CHRISPS studio in Cambridge, Ontario. Plan contents and prices are CHRISPS’s published details in CAD at the time of writing.