Website Maintenance Packages: How to Scope, Price and Quote Them | How-to Guide

How to build website maintenance packages that are genuinely different: three scopes, a responsibility table for host, builder, agency and customer, time allowances, exclusions, an example quote with editable assumptions, and a scope-change checklist.

A website maintenance package is a recurring agreement to keep a client's site working, secure and up to date. The packages that cause the fewest arguments are the ones where each tier covers clearly different work, the hours are written down, and everyone knows which jobs belong to the host, the builder, the agency and the client. This guide is written for freelancers and agencies selling maintenance, and for business owners comparing quotes.

Website maintenance packages at a glance

Most packages on the market are built from the same five ingredients: monitoring (is the site up, is the certificate valid), updates (software and plugins, which only self-hosted sites need), backups (taken and test-restored), content edits (a set amount each month) and reporting (what was done, what broke, what changed). Tiers differ by how much of each is included and how quickly you respond. The rest of this guide shows how to turn those ingredients into three tiers, price them from your own costs, and write the terms so neither side is surprised.

1. Define three genuinely different scopes

Tiers that differ only by "priority support" confuse buyers. Make each tier a different kind of service:

Keep it runningKeep it currentKeep it growing
Who it suitsSites that rarely changeBusinesses with regular updatesBusinesses publishing and testing
Monitoring, backups check, uptime alertsYesYesYes
Content edits (text, images, hours, prices)Small allowanceMonthly allowanceLarger allowance
New pages or sectionsQuoted separatelySmall number includedIncluded within hours
Monthly check (forms, links, speed, grader)QuarterlyMonthlyMonthly + report
SEO and content workNoTitles and descriptionsNew pages and updates to existing pages

2. Responsibility table: host, builder, agency, customer

Much "maintenance" is already done by the platform. Write down who owns each job so the client is not paying twice, and so nothing falls between the gaps:

JobHost / platformWebsite builderAgency / freelancerCustomer
Servers, uptime, SSL renewalUsuallyIncluded on hosted buildersMonitors, escalates-
Software / plugin updates-Handled by hosted buildersOn self-hosted sites (e.g. WordPress)-
Domain renewal--RemindsOwns and pays
Content accuracy (prices, hours)--Makes changesSupplies changes
Form delivery test--Tests on scheduleConfirms receipt
Legal pages content--Updates on requestResponsible for accuracy

Check each platform's own documentation for what it actually covers; this varies.

3. Time allowances and exclusions

  • State allowances in hours per month (or per quarter), and whether unused time rolls over. Most agencies say it does not.
  • Define one "edit" if you sell by edits, e.g. one change to one page taking under 15 minutes.
  • List exclusions plainly: redesigns, new features, copywriting from scratch, photography, paid ads, third-party subscription fees, recovery from client-caused breakage.
  • State response times as "first reply within" rather than "fixed within", unless you can guarantee a fix.

4. Example quote using editable assumptions

This is a worked example for a made-up agency. The numbers are assumptions to replace with your own, not market rates.

ASSUMPTIONS (edit these)
Hourly rate:                     R        (example: 60)
Hosting/platform cost per month: P        (example: 20)
Monitoring/tools per site/month: T        (example: 5)
Hours included per month:        H        (Running 0.5 / Current 2 / Growing 5)
Margin buffer:                   M        (example: 20%)

MONTHLY PRICE = (R x H + P + T) x (1 + M)

Running:  (60 x 0.5 + 20 + 5) x 1.2 = 66
Current:  (60 x 2   + 20 + 5) x 1.2 = 174
Growing:  (60 x 5   + 20 + 5) x 1.2 = 390

Extra hours beyond allowance:   R per hour, billed in 15-min blocks
Minimum term:                   [e.g. 3 months]
Notice to cancel:               [e.g. 30 days]

If you build sites on We.Inc, the platform cost P for your own account is the plan price (Starter $20/month, Pro $49/month, Max $99/month; see pricing). Agencies reselling under their own brand can read about the white-label option. Always use current prices when quoting.

WordPress packages versus hosted-builder packages

The platform changes what a package has to cover. A self-hosted WordPress site needs core, theme and plugin updates, a test after each update, backups you control, and someone watching for security problems. That is real recurring work, which is why WordPress care plans usually carry more hours at the bottom tier.

On a hosted builder (Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, We.Inc and similar), the platform runs the servers, the software and the certificate. A package there is mostly content edits, checks and reporting. Selling a hosted-builder client a "security and updates" tier they do not need is the quickest way to lose them at renewal, so price the two differently and say why.

What to put in the monthly report

The report is what the client sees in exchange for the fee, so keep it short and specific:

  • Uptime for the month and any outages, with cause and fix.
  • Changes made, each with the date and the page.
  • Checks run: forms submitted and received, broken links found, page speed on mobile.
  • Hours used against the allowance.
  • One recommendation for next month, with an estimate if it is outside the package.

If you are buying a package: questions to ask

  • Which jobs does my platform or host already do, and are you charging me for any of them?
  • How many hours or edits are included, and what happens to unused time?
  • Is the domain registered in my name, and will I get every login if I cancel?
  • What is the response time, and does it mean a reply or a fix?
  • What is the minimum term and the notice period?

A package that cannot answer these in writing is not really a package; it is an open-ended retainer.

5. Scope-change and cancellation checklist

  • Changes outside the package get a written estimate before work starts.
  • Clients can move between tiers from the next billing month.
  • On cancellation: hand over logins, the domain (if you hold it), a final backup or export where the platform supports it, and a list of third-party accounts in the client's name.
  • Domain and key accounts are registered to the client from day one, so cancelling never traps them.
  • Review the package once a year against hours actually used.

Tools that help

Use the website grader for the monthly check, and the website cost calculator when a client asks what a site should cost overall. Starting a new client site? Browse the business website templates.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a maintenance package and a retainer?

A package has a written scope: set hours or edits, named checks and listed exclusions. A retainer buys a block of time to use on whatever comes up. Packages are easier for clients to compare; retainers suit ongoing project work.

What is included in a website maintenance package?

Typically monitoring, backup checks, a set number of content edits or hours, regular checks of forms and links, and sometimes SEO or content work. Exactly what is included should be written down per tier.

How much should website maintenance cost?

It depends on hours included, your rate and platform costs. Use a formula like (hourly rate x included hours + platform and tool costs) x margin, with your own numbers. The figures in this guide are example assumptions, not market rates.

Do hosted website builders need maintenance?

Less technical maintenance, because the platform handles servers and software updates. Content updates, form testing and SEO still need someone to do them.

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