Do you need a website care plan?

Your website went live, everyone said it looked great, and then… nothing. Nobody touched it for a year. That's normal. But a website isn't a brochure you print once. It's software, and software needs looking after.

That's what a website care plan is for. Here's what one actually covers, what it costs, and how to decide if you need one.

What a care plan covers

A good care plan takes care of the boring, important jobs that keep your site online and safe:

• Hosting. The server your website lives on, ideally in Australia so it loads fast for local customers.
• Updates. Software, plugins and security patches, applied and tested so nothing breaks.
• Backups. Regular copies of your site, stored somewhere else, so it can be restored if something goes wrong.
• Monitoring. Someone gets alerted if your site goes down or shows signs of being hacked.
• Small changes. Updating prices, opening hours, photos or staff, without a new quote every time.

What happens without one

Nothing, at first. Then one day the contact form quietly stops sending emails and you don't notice for six weeks. Or an outdated plugin gets exploited and your site starts redirecting visitors to a dodgy pharmacy. Or the hosting renewal goes to an old email address and the site disappears the week before your busiest season.

I've cleaned up all three of those for Perth businesses. Every one would have been caught or prevented by basic maintenance.

What it costs

In Australia, small-business care plans usually range from about $50 to $200 a month. The difference is mostly how much hands-on help you get. Cheaper plans cover hosting, updates and backups. Higher plans add a set amount of changes each month, reporting and faster support.

Compare that with the cost of fixing a hacked site, or a month of lost enquiries, and it's usually an easy decision.

Do you need one?

You probably do if:

• Your website brings in enquiries, bookings or sales.
• It runs on WordPress or another system with plugins.
• You don't have the time or interest to check updates and backups yourself.
• You make small changes more than a couple of times a year.

You might not if your site is a simple, static page that rarely changes and you're comfortable managing hosting yourself.

Questions to ask about any care plan

1. Where is my site hosted, and who owns the account?
2. How often are backups taken, and have you tested restoring one?
3. What counts as a "small change"?
4. How quickly will you respond if the site goes down?
5. Can I cancel any time, and do I keep my site if I do?

The last one matters most. You should always be able to leave with your website, domain and content.

My own plans start at $79 a month, with no lock-in contracts. You can see what's included on my pricing page.