After launch
What should website maintenance include?
Understand backups, updates, enquiry checks, content changes and handover responsibilities before choosing website support.
Make ownership clear from the beginning
Maintenance is not a single task. Your domain, hosting, software, content and enquiry handling may involve different accounts and people. A support arrangement should make clear who is responsible for each part and how to request help.
Keep your domain registrar, hosting details and important account access recorded somewhere your business controls. Agree a contact process for urgent faults and a separate process for routine changes.
Updates need checks, not just a tick box
Ask what happens before and after an update. For a WordPress project, discuss backups, plugin and theme changes, and how the site is checked afterwards. The appropriate routine depends on how often the site changes and how critical its transactions are.
A backup should be useful when you need it. Ask what it includes, where it is held, how much recent work could be lost, and whether restoration has been tested. A copy of the files alone may not include all the content or settings your site needs.
Check the journeys that keep the business moving
A website can be online while its most important feature is failing. Agree recurring checks that match what your customers actually do.
- Send a clearly identified test enquiry and confirm receipt in the intended inbox.
- Check phone and email links on a mobile device.
- For a store, test an agreed checkout and fulfilment scenario without creating unwanted live charges.
- Review important pages for broken links, missing images and stale details.
- Confirm renewal notices and support messages reach the right person.
Separate maintenance from new features
Changing opening hours is different from adding a booking integration. Ask what content changes are included, whether there is a time allowance, and how larger requests are quoted. The same clarity should apply to emergency work and out-of-hours support.
Hosted platforms and self-hosted sites divide responsibilities differently. Avoid assuming that a platform subscription includes custom development or that a hosting account includes every kind of website support.
Make support understandable
Request a short record of work completed, issues found and actions that need your input. A useful support relationship helps you make decisions without requiring you to interpret technical logs.
To discuss support, send your platform, website address and the type of help you need. We can review what is already covered and define an appropriate scope for ongoing work.
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