THE REALITY
Your website's live. You're getting traffic. Everything's working. Then someone asks: "What about website maintenance?"
Here's the truth most web developers won't tell you upfront — it depends entirely on what kind of site you have and what you actually want to do with it.
Some sites genuinely need regular maintenance and ongoing support. Others can sit there for years without touching a thing. Let me break down what's what, because you deserve to know what you're actually paying for.
HOSTING EXPLAINED
First up, website hosting. This is non-negotiable — your site needs to live somewhere on the internet.
Think of it like renting a shopfront. Your website hosting is the physical space your site occupies online. No hosting, no website. Simple as that.
For a small business website — 5-10 pages, contact form, maybe a gallery — you're looking at $25-45/month for quality hosting. That's for proper Australian hosting with decent speed and reliability, not some $5/month offshore rubbish that loads like dial-up.
That hosting fee covers your domain name renewal, SSL certificate (the padlock in the browser), backups, and the actual server space. It's an ongoing cost that never goes away, just like your rent.
WHAT BREAKS
Here's where it gets interesting. If I build you a simple HTML/CSS website — the kind most local businesses actually need — nothing breaks. There's no plugins to update. No security vulnerabilities to patch. No compatibility issues.
It just sits there, working. Month after month. Year after year.
WordPress sites? Different story. You've got WordPress core updates, theme updates, plugin updates. Miss those security updates and you're asking to get hacked. That's real website maintenance, and it needs doing monthly at minimum.
This is why I build most of my client sites in plain HTML/CSS. No maintenance headaches. No ongoing technical support needed. You pay for hosting, and that's it.
CONTENT UPDATES
This is separate from technical maintenance. Changing your opening hours, updating your services, adding new photos — these are content changes, not maintenance.
Some businesses never need to update their site after launch. Plumber, electrician, hairdresser — your services don't change much. Your site just needs to exist and rank on Google.
Others need regular updates. Restaurants changing their menu. Accommodation places updating availability. Cafes posting specials. That's when ongoing website support actually makes sense.
I'm upfront about this with clients. If you're going to need weekly updates, I'll tell you that from the start. If your site can go six months without touching it, I'll tell you that too. No point inventing work that doesn't need doing.
SECURITY UPDATES
WordPress sites need security updates. It's not optional. Every month, vulnerabilities get discovered and patched. Skip those updates and you will eventually get hacked.
I've seen it happen. Business owner ignores the update notifications for six months. Site gets compromised. Google blacklists it. Now they're not just paying for website maintenance, they're paying for cleanup and recovery.
Plain HTML sites? No security updates needed. There's nothing to update. No WordPress core, no plugins, no attack surface. That's the whole point.
If you've got a WordPress site, budget for monthly technical support — either DIY it yourself (if you know what you're doing) or pay someone who does. Usually $100-200/month depending on complexity.
SET AND FORGET
The sites I build for most Gippsland businesses? They're set and forget.
You pay $495-795 once for the build. You pay $25-45/month for hosting. That's it. No ongoing maintenance bills. No surprise invoices for "urgent security patches."
When Studio at 65 wanted to update their opening hours over Christmas, they emailed me. Five minute job. No charge. Because that's not ongoing website maintenance, that's just being helpful.
When they want to add a whole new service page in six months? That's actual work, and I'll quote for it. But there's no expectation of a monthly retainer or ongoing support fee just to keep the lights on.
WHEN YOU NEED MORE
Some businesses genuinely need ongoing website support. Online stores updating products. Booking systems needing tweaks. Blogs publishing new content.
If that's you, we can talk about a proper ongoing support arrangement. Monthly retainer, defined scope, clear expectations. I'd rather have that conversation upfront than pretend every site needs it.
The cafe that wants to update their menu weekly? We'll set up a simple system where they can do it themselves, or we'll agree on a monthly fee for me to handle it. Either way, you know what you're paying for.
The tradie who just needs a website that exists and shows up on Google? They don't need a maintenance plan. They need hosting and the occasional content update. That's fine too.
HONEST CONVERSATION
Look, I could sell everyone a $200/month maintenance package. Most agencies do. It's recurring revenue and it's easy money.
But if your site doesn't need it, I'm not going to pretend it does. I'd rather have you as a happy client who refers their mates than clip you for ongoing fees you don't need.
If you're not sure what you need, let's just have a chat. Tell me about your business and how often you actually need to update your site. I'll tell you honestly whether ongoing website maintenance makes sense for you or if you're better off with a simple hosting package and ad-hoc updates as needed.