How much should I charge for website maintenance?

01What maintenance includes

What a site needs depends on its platform. A WordPress site needs regular core, theme and plugin updates; WordPress's own hardening guide stresses keeping everything updated and backed up. A site on a hosted builder or a static host needs far less technical upkeep, so care plans there focus on content changes and improvements.

• Backups, and testing that they restore.
• Core, theme and plugin updates (WordPress).
• Security monitoring and uptime checks.
• Domain, SSL and hosting renewals tracked.
• Small content changes: text, images, opening hours.
• Monthly report: uptime, traffic, changes made.
• Improvements: new sections, landing pages, speed fixes.

02Example care plan tiers

These are illustrative structures with prices calculated at $75 an hour; set your own from your rate and market.

03How to calculate your price

Estimate the realistic monthly time for each tier, including the time to check and report, multiply by your hourly rate and round up for the value of being on call. Look at the client's business too: an online store losing sales during downtime values fast response far more than a hobby site. Charge annual plans at a small discount to encourage commitment.

1. 1List tasks per tierBe specific: how many content changes, how often reports.
2. 2Estimate hoursInclude monitoring and communication time.
3. 3Multiply by your rateThen round up for responsiveness.
4. 4Set the extra-work rateWork beyond the plan billed hourly or quoted.
5. 5Review yearlyAdjust if a client consistently uses more time.

04Selling care plans

Offer the care plan in the original proposal, not after launch. Explain what happens without it: outdated plugins, broken forms nobody notices, expired domains. Many owners prefer one predictable monthly cost to worrying about their site. For sites on builders that handle hosting and security, emphasize content updates, improvements and having someone to call.

What happens when a domain expires? is a useful example of the risks you protect clients from, and is selling websites profitable? shows why recurring income matters.

05What to put in the agreement

• Exactly what each tier includes, and monthly hour limits.
• Response times for urgent issues.
• What counts as extra work and its rate.
• Who pays hosting, domain and plugin licenses.
• Notice period for cancellation.

06Related

How do web designers charge? covers pricing models and how much to charge for a website covers the build itself.

07Platform changes the plan

A WordPress site with many plugins needs frequent updates, testing after updates, and security monitoring, so care plans there can justify higher prices. A site on a hosted builder such as Squarespace or Webflow, or a static site on a modern host, needs little technical upkeep, so the plan should focus on content changes, reporting and improvements. Be honest about the difference: clients notice if they pay for updates on a platform that updates itself.

Either way, the most valuable thing you sell is attention. Someone checks the site regularly, notices broken forms or expiring renewals, and keeps improving it. That is worth paying for.