The short answer
Website maintenance services are a monthly plan that keeps a business website updated, secure, backed up and fast, with a named person who answers when something breaks. Ours covers updates and security patches, backups with restore tests, uptime checks, small content changes, and speed and search health checks. The fee is a month, and the exact scope is written into a fixed quote before any work starts.
It is built for owners in the US, UK and Europe whose freelancer stopped replying, or whose site has not been touched since launch. We are a US-based company with remote teams, including a team in Kampala, Uganda, and a US team member joins your video calls. You keep ownership of the code and data. If you are unsure whether to patch or rebuild, read website redesign cost first.
What a monthly website care plan covers
A care plan is a list of recurring jobs, each with someone responsible for it. Here is what ours includes and why each item matters.
- Updates and security patches. Your platform, plugins, themes and libraries are updated on a schedule, tested on a copy first where the setup allows it, then released. Software with known, published flaws is the easiest thing for an attacker to exploit, so the gap between a fix being released and being installed is the risk we shorten.
- Backups and restore tests. A backup you have never restored is a hope, not a backup. We keep backups and restore one to a scratch copy, then click through the home page, a contact form and, for shops, a test checkout, so we know the copy actually works.
- Uptime checks. Automated checks watch the site and its forms, so a dead page or a broken contact form is caught by us, not by a customer who gave up.
- Small content changes. New opening hours, a changed price, a swapped photo, a new team member. Send a message and it gets done. How many small changes fit each month is stated in your quote.
- Speed and search health checks. Each month we look at page speed, broken links, indexing problems and basic search settings, and tell you in plain English what needs attention. For ranking work beyond health checks, see SEO services for small business.
What is not included
New pages, redesigns, new features and ongoing marketing are separate jobs with their own fixed quote. Small changes sit inside the plan and big ones are quoted, so neither side is surprised by an invoice.
Website management for WordPress sites: what we handle each month
Many small business sites run on WordPress. Each month we update the core, the themes and the plugins, on a copy first where the setup allows it, and check the site still works. We take a tested backup and watch uptime and security alerts.
If a plugin breaks the site, we fix it and tell you what happened in plain words. Sites on other platforms get the same care.
If your freelancer disappeared
This is the situation the plan is designed for. Before you call anyone, find out where your domain is registered, where the site is hosted, and who holds the logins. Also ask who controls your DNS and business email, because those often sit in the same account. Check that all of these are in your name. If the freelancer registered the domain or hosting under their own account, ask them to transfer it. A site can be rebuilt, but a lost domain is the hard thing to recover.
What we do first
- Get access and take a full backup before touching anything.
- Review the site: what it runs on, what is out of date, what is broken and what is risky.
- Send you a written findings list and a fixed quote for the monthly plan, plus any one-off repairs.
- Tell you honestly if the site is better replaced than patched.
Sometimes the honest answer is a rebuild: the code is abandoned, the design cannot be edited, or the repairs would cost more than starting fresh. If that is your case we will say so, and you can compare options on our website design for US businesses page. If you do stay with what you have, the plan keeps it from being abandoned a second time.
What it costs and what moves the price
Care is a flat monthly fee, not an hourly meter. The figure moves with the platform your site runs on, its size, whether it takes orders or bookings, how many outside services it connects to, and how many small changes you expect each month. You see the fixed quote before work starts. One-off project work, such as a repair sprint or a rebuild, follows our 50/25/25 payment plan.
| What you want | Growth Informer care plan | Ad hoc help from whoever is free |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | a month, scope fixed in the quote | Billed per rescue or per hour, no set budget |
| Updates and patches | Scheduled and tested | When someone notices a problem |
| Backups | Taken and restore-tested | Left to hosting defaults |
| Small content changes | Inside the plan, limit stated in the quote | Billed each time |
| Who replies | A named person | Whoever is available |
| Ownership | You own the code and data | Depends on the arrangement |
When not to hire us
A care plan is not right for everyone, and we would rather say so now.
- Your site is a simple page on a hosted builder. If the platform handles updates and security and you edit the content yourself, you may not need a plan.
- You already have a developer or agency with a real maintenance contract. Keep them, as long as they reply.
- You need round-the-clock emergency cover. Our Kampala team works East Africa Time, and we do not promise a response at any hour unless it is written into your quote. If you need that, choose a provider built for it.
- You run an agency and need a team behind your own clients. That is a different arrangement, covered on our white-label web development page.
Unsure whether a solo freelancer or a team is the safer long-term choice? Our guide on freelancer vs agency sets out the trade-offs.
Who replies, and when
Every plan has a named person on our side. Our team in Kampala works East Africa Time (UTC+3), which overlaps the UK and European working day and the start of the US East Coast day. A message sent late in your evening is waiting for us at the start of our day. For the US West Coast, book calls early in your day. A US team member joins your video calls.
Each month you get a short plain-English note: what was updated, what the backup test showed, any downtime we saw, and what we recommend next. We have 37 live website and app builds on our portfolio page, from safari sites such as Entice Africa Safaris to our own products Growth Informer Business and Karibu. Fixed quote first, a team that stays.
To start, send your site address and a line on what happened with your last developer to WhatsApp +256 702 946 946, or use the quote form on this page.
Frequently asked questions
How much does website maintenance cost?
Our monthly care plan is priced a month. The exact figure depends on the platform, the size of the site, whether it takes orders or bookings, and how many small changes you expect. You get a fixed quote before work starts.
What does a website care plan include?
Ours includes updates and security patches, backups with restore tests, uptime checks, small content changes, and monthly speed and search health checks, with a named person who replies. New pages, redesigns and new features are quoted separately.
My developer disappeared and I do not have the logins. Can you still help?
Usually yes. The first step is to find out who owns the domain and the hosting. If they are in the freelancer's name, they need to be transferred to you, and we can guide you through it. We take a full backup before changing anything and then send a written findings list.
Will your team be available during my business hours?
Our Kampala team works East Africa Time (UTC+3), which overlaps the UK and European working day and the start of the US East Coast day. A US team member joins client video calls. Messages sent outside the overlap are waiting for us at the start of our day.
Do I still own my website if I stop the plan?
Yes. You own the code and the data, and we ask that your domain and hosting accounts are in your name, so you can leave at any time.
Can I leave my agency and keep my website?
You can, if the domain, hosting and logins are in your name and you have a copy of the files. If they are not, we help you recover or move them. When you work with us you keep ownership, and a care plan can be stopped without losing your site.
How do I know if I am being overcharged for hosting and care plans?
Ask for a written list of what each charge covers: hosting, domain, updates, backups and support hours. Then compare it with what your site actually needs. We list each item plainly so you can see what you pay for.