Best Website Maintenance Costs UK | What To Consider
The monthly cost of website maintenance is a crucial aspect of any business, yet it is frequently disregarded. Maintaining a site involves a significant amount of work, not to mention the associated website maintenance costs and services.
It also requires regular updates with fresh content to ensure smooth operation and prevent any downtime. In this guide, we will discuss some of the best ways to maintain your website either by yourself or by professionals like Fit Design - web design agency in London - that will keep it running smoothly.
We'll also talk about the average costs involved and what kind of services you should expect from a freelance website designer or website design agency.
Table of contents:
What is a Website?
A website is a collection of web pages that are accessible on the internet. A web page is a document that is formatted in HTML and can be viewed in a web browser. A website can be static or dynamic.
=> A static website is a collection of web pages that are stored on a web server. The web pages do not change unless they are updated by the webmaster.
=> A dynamic website is generated by a web application. The web application retrieves the website's data from a database and generates the web pages on-the-fly.
Website Load Time
It's important to know that a good website should load within 1-3s and has only 0.05s [50 milliseconds] to make a notable first impression or your site visitors might end up moving on to the competition.
Web design and SEO are not about just having a pretty website, it's more about building trust, confidence, and credibility with your audience. Achieving all the above and keep the website and business running smoothly, web maintenance is an essential part of any website.
What Does Website Maintenance Include?
It's the process of keeping your website up-to-date, error-free and optimized for search engine and users. This includes website maintenance tasks like:
- Regular website builder, software updates
- Security patches
- Website back-up & restore processes
- Performance optimization & monitoring
- Content updates and management
- Database optimization & cleanup
- SEO optimization
- Domain name registration renewal
- Link/URL monitoring for broken links
- Plugin update
- and more
Also, as your business grows, you might need to add new features to your website or make changes to the existing ones. All these changes require web maintenance that can be time-consuming and costly if you don't have the right tools, web designer by hand or the right knowledge.
Always assess the scope of work required before you make any changes and reach out to a freelance website designer or a web design agency in London for a quick quote or solution.
How Much is Monthly Maintenance for a Website?
The website maintenance cost depends on the type of site and factors like the size of your website - the number of pages - the intent, the complexity of the design, and whether you need to make any changes to the existing website or add new features.
You may select from monthly maintenance packages or opt for one-off services depending on the website platform you use and your needs. Every agency and designer has different rates and services, but at Fit Design - web design agency - website maintenance fees are as follows:
1. One-off/ad-hoc costs: £50/h [speed, performance, SEO and site analysis 1-2h]
2. Monthly retainer costs: [tailored to your needs and website]
=> SMALL WEBSITE: up to 10 pages, web maintenance costs £75/month
- Monthly report
- Analysis
- Backup
- Update of plugins and web builders
- Security scan
- Basic SEO audit
- 1h Designer work [content upload, troubleshooting of errors, small design changes]
=> MEDIUM WEBSITE: with up to 30 pages, web cost £150/month
- All the above
- 3h Web Designer work
=> LARGE WEBSITE: 30+ pages or eCommerce businesses, site plans start from £200+ month
- All the above
- Designer work [tailored to each site accordingly]
*Social media posts, and Google GMB updates are optional and may include the monthly site maintenance package.
*Conduct a thorough site analysis every quarter to assess the effects of website maintenance and SEO efforts.
Detailed Costs of Website Maintenance
The following website costs are to be considered before you commit to hiring a web designer in London or building a website yourself.
1. Domain name
Price: from £15 to £24.99 a year [Registrar fee]
The domain name is the web address of your website, like "fitdesignldn.com" or "mhaccounting.org.uk". Once you have registered your domain name, it's yours for as long as you renew it.
Popular domain providers:
Namecheap
Create your online identity cheap with confidence.
HostGator
Another well-known domain registrar with great offers.
GoDaddy
Reliable domain and web hosting plan provider, that has been around for a while.
2. Web hosting
Price: from £30 to £100+ a year
Web hosting provides is a service that stores your website files on a dedicated server and makes them available to be viewed on the internet. Once you have registered your domain name, you will need to find a web hosting service to host your website.
Popular web hosting providers:
DreamHost
Bluehost
NameCheap
3. SSL certificate
Price: from 0 to £100 a year
An SSL certificate is a digital certificate that encrypts the data exchanged between your website and its visitors. It is important to have an SSL certificate if you want to accept payments on your website. An SSL certificate typically comes FREE in a bundle with web hosting, but you may need to purchase it separately if you need premium website security.
4. Email hosting
Price: from £20 to £200 a year
Email hosting is a service that provides you with an email address for your website. For example, if your domain name is "fitdesignldn.com", you can have an email address like "info@fitdesignldn.com". Email hosting typically comes bundled with web hosting, but you may need to purchase it separately with some providers. Either way, it's recommended as it will boost your website's credibility and authority.
4. Plugin
Price: from £0 to £100+
Plugins are small pieces of code that add functionality and features to your website. They can be purchased from third-party vendors or downloaded for free, depending on the plugin. Some popular plugins include WordPress SEO by Yoast, Gravity Forms, WP Super Cache, etc. It's important to make sure you're using compatible plugins with your website to ensure smooth operations.
5. Website Theme /Template
Price: from £15 to £80 one time fee
A website theme or template is the design of a website. It includes all the styling, images, colours and layout. You can buy or download free themes from various sites such as Themeforest and Template Monster. Themes come in different packages - some include additional features like shopping carts and contact forms while others are purely for customisation purposes.
6. Update
Price: from £100 to £1000+ a year
As your business grows, you might need to add new features to your website or make changes to the existing ones. All these changes require website maintenance that can be time-consuming and costly if you don't have the right tools or the right knowledge.
At this stage, you might need help from a web design agency in London or a freelance website designer that charges you a fixed fee or monthly cost.
Web Agency vs Freelance Web Designer Maintenance Costs
When it comes to web design and maintenance, there are a few different options available to businesses. Option one is to hire a web design agency in London and option two is to hire a freelance website designer.
1. Web Design Agency: £50-£250/month
Will come with a team of web designers and developers who can manage all aspects of your site from WordPress website maintenance service, website analytics, and domain registration to functionality and security updates.
Agency Benefits:
- You will have a team of experts working on your website at all time
- When it comes to monthly website maintenance fees, you will get a more comprehensive service
- Web design agencies can offer a more holistic approach to web development, design and maintenance
- Great communication and time-efficient service
Agency Drawbacks:
- Web agencies tend to be more expensive than freelance web designers
- Prefer to work with long-term clients
- Some development or design work will have to be scheduled
Price:
Monthly essential website maintenance costs start from £50/month which includes analysis and report. Or you can pay a fixed fee every 3,6 or 12 months for audit and maintenance service that usually starts from £150+.
2. Freelance Web Designer: £40-£100/month
A web designer who works independently and is usually available to be hired for short-term web design projects. Offers similar website maintenance plans as an agency, which include technical maintenance, domain name renewal, WordPress maintenance service and so on.
Freelancer Benefits:
- It is more affordable than a web design agency in London
- Faster turnaround time
- Can be more flexible with their working hours
Freelancer Drawbacks:
- May not have the same level of expertise as a web agency
- Doesn't have access to premium design/development tools
- May not offer comprehensive maintenance services
Price:
The monthly website maintenance pricing could be as low as £25/month. The fixed fee could be negotiated individually according to the website owner's needs and requirements.
Website Maintenance Package
Both options, web design agencies and freelance web designers offer website maintenance packages that are billed monthly or annually. These web maintenance costs usually include:
- Regular website backups
- Website's performance monitoring and reporting
- Security scanning and malware removal
- Software and plugin updates
- Uptime monitoring
- Live chat and technical support
- And more…
The website maintenance cost UK will depend on the size and complexity of your website, as well as the number of features you need. For example, a small business website with only a few pages will need a website maintenance plan that cost less than eCommerce websites with thousands of products.
The average monthly website maintenance costs for a small business start from £75/month. The larger online stores - eCommerce website maintenance has an average monthly costs starting from £200/month.
How Often Should You Do Website Maintenance Services?
Business website owners should be aware of the importance of website maintenance. Not only is it necessary to keep your site looking fresh and up-to-date, but it's also important to ensure that your site is functioning properly and providing a positive user experience. So, how often should you do website maintenance? While there is no hard and fast rule, we recommend performing a site audit at least once a month.
This will help you identify any areas that need improvement and make sure that your site is running smoothly. Also, with the right tools like GTmetrix and Google Analytics in place, you can keep an eye on your website performance and make sure that it is meeting your goals.
If you want to rank higher and optimize your web pages SeoObility and SEOTester are great tools to check ranking, on-page SEO strategy and many more. According to the KPMG survey about online shopping, there is a huge global arena of consumers ready to spend US$1.9 trillion online. So, it's worth tapping into this market by ensuring that your site is up to date and user-friendly.
Steps to Take to Lower Website Maintenance Costs?
Check out the following website maintenance services list and see how you can take matters into your own hands and keep website maintenance costs down.
1. Review the website goals and objectives
Before you start making changes to your site, it's important to take a step back and review your website's goals and objectives. What is your site trying to achieve? What are your target customers looking for? By understanding your goals, you can ensure that any changes you make will help you achieve them.
2. Check for broken links
One of the most important aspects of website maintenance is checking for broken links. Broken links can frustrate users and damage your credibility, so it's important to fix them as soon as possible. You can use a tool like BrokenLink or DeadLinkChecker to scan your site for broken links.
3. Update your content
Another important step in website maintenance is updating your content. Outdated content can make your site look stale and unprofessional, so it's important to keep it fresh. You should aim to update your content regularly adding new blog posts, products, and pages as needed. Many great AI tools are out there to help you without any knowledge and writing skills.
If you have a content management system (CMS), you can make updates yourself. If not, you may have to hire a freelance web designer in London or a web development agency to help you. Updating your content doesn't have to be a huge undertaking. Even small changes, like fixing typos or updating your About page, can make a big difference.
4. Optimize search engines
If you want your site to be successful and rank high on search engine results pages [SERPs] you have to make sure your site has search engine optimization [SEO] at its fullest. This means ensuring that your site is well-designed, fast-loading, and mobile-friendly. You should also make sure that your content is keyword-rich and informative and has all the necessary on-page website's SEO elements to reach good search engine rankings.
There are several ways to improve your site's SEO, but it's important to start with the basics. You can use tools like Outranking, Marketmuse and Surfer to create content, and optimize your site's keyword, title, and meta tags. If you need a free audit, reach out to Fit Design and our expert web design agency in London will send you a full report.
5. Monitor your site's performance
Make sure to monitor your site's performance regularly. This includes things like checking your web server's error logs, uptime monitors and analysing your website traffic. Doing this will help you identify any potential problems early on and fix them before they cause major issues.
FAQ - Website Maintenance Guide for Beginners
- HOW OFTEND DO I NEED WEBSITE MAINTENANCE SERVICES?
It depends on your website and business. If you have an eCommerce website, you'll need to update your product inventory regularly. If you have a personal blog post website, you'll need to add new content regularly. If you have a static website, you may only need to make changes occasionally - one a month or quaterly.
- HOW MUCH DOES WEBSITE MAINTENANCE COST?
The cost of website maintenance varies depending on the size and complexity of your site, as well as the frequency of changes. You can expect to pay anywhere from £75 to £150 per month for website maintenance services.
- WHAT IF I DON'T DO WEBSITE MAINTENANCE?
If you don't maintain your website, it will become outdated and may no longer function properly. This can frustrate users, damage your credibility, and hurt your business. So it's important to keep your site up-to-date and running smoothly with regular website maintenance services.
- WHO SHOULD PERFORM MY WEBSITE MAINTENANCE SERVICE?
You can perform website maintenance yourself if you have the time and knowledge. If not, you may want to hire a web designer or web development London to help you.
Conclusion
Cost of maintaining a website can seem daunting, but it's important to keep your site running smoothly and looking its best. If you want to achieve success online and make sales, you have to make sure your site is well-designed, fast-loading, and mobile-friendly. You should also update your content regularly and optimize your site for SEO.
By following these tips, you can ensure that your website is always up-to-date and running smoothly. And if you ever need help, don't hesitate to reach out to our bespoke web design agency in London. We're always happy to help! Our services include regular maintenance, web design, web development, SEO, eCommerce solutions and digital marketing campaigns.
As a full-service web design agency, Fit Design will help your online business grow. Contact us today to learn more about our website maintenance services and tech support.
