Most people focus on the upfront cost of a website. The ongoing costs tend to catch them off guard. Here\u2019s a breakdown of what website maintenance typically costs in the UK, and what you\u2019re paying for.<\/p>\n
At minimum, maintenance means keeping your site live, secure, and up to date. Things like hosting, SSL renewal, and security patches.<\/strong><\/p>\n Beyond that baseline, in practice, this ranges from a quick monthly check to fully managed support with updates, monitoring, and fixes handled for you. The cost difference between these two is significant. Before committing, it\u2019s worth asking for a clear breakdown of what\u2019s included.<\/p>\n Most UK freelancers charge \u00a350\u2013\u00a3200\/month for ongoing maintenance, or \u00a3300\u2013\u00a31,000\/year for a basic managed retainer.<\/strong><\/p>\n The lower end (\u00a350\u201380\/month) usually covers hosting, security updates, and being on call if something breaks. The higher end includes active management: performance checks, content updates, and backup systems.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re paying more than \u00a3150\/month for a simple brochure site, with no e-commerce and no regular content changes, it\u2019s worth checking exactly what\u2019s included.<\/p>\n Wix<\/a> and Squarespace<\/a> include hosting in their monthly subscription, but they don\u2019t include any human support, and they don\u2019t manage the site for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n Plans start at \u00a313\u201316\/month. That covers hosting, which is generally reliable for most small business sites. What it doesn\u2019t cover: someone to call if something breaks, help updating content, or any of the premium apps you\u2019ll likely need for bookings, forms, or analytics.<\/p>\n Your headline monthly fee is the minimum. Your actual annual cost includes add-ons, premium apps, and the time you spend managing everything yourself.<\/p>\n Duport charges \u00a394\/year for hosting, maintenance, and security updates \u2014 plus domain registration from \u00a320.99\/year.<\/strong><\/p>\n This includes hosting, security updates, and human support for technical issues. You won\u2019t have a monthly fee, no surprise invoices, and no platform to learn.<\/p>\n Duport\u2019s website build<\/a> starts from \u00a3360, mention this article when you get in touch and we\u2019ll honour the \u00a3144 rate. Add the \u00a394\/year renewal and you know exactly what you\u2019re paying for the site\u2019s lifetime.<\/p>\n Any legitimate maintenance agreement should specify: hosting provider, how often security updates happen, response time if something breaks, and what counts as an included fix versus a chargeable request.<\/strong><\/p>\n Vague language like \u201congoing support\u201d or \u201cwebsite care\u201d without specifics is a red flag. If a provider can\u2019t answer what their standard response time is and what\u2019s included in a content change, that vagueness will cost you later.<\/p>\n High monthly maintenance fees (\u00a3100+\/month) are justified for e-commerce sites, membership platforms, or any site with regular content changes. Not for standard five-page brochure sites.<\/strong><\/p>\n If your website is a static brochure: home, about, services, contact, it doesn\u2019t need active management. It needs hosting and security. A small business owner paying \u00a380\u2013\u00a3150\/month for a site that hasn\u2019t changed since it launched, in many cases, that level of spend isn\u2019t necessary for a static site.<\/p>\n For the full first-year cost comparison including build options, see How Much Does a Small Business Website Cost in the UK?<\/a>. Already have a website? Run it through our free compliance checker to see what\u2019s there and what isn\u2019t. Check your website now \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n Duport\u2019s website build starts from \u00a3360. Mention this article when you get in touch and we\u2019ll honour the \u00a3144 rate.<\/strong> Hosting and maintenance included at \u00a394\/year renewal. See what\u2019s included at duport.co.uk\/related-services\/website-design.<\/a><\/p>\n Good quality hosting for a simple small business site costs between \u00a320 and \u00a3100\/year. Anything significantly above that should come with a clear explanation of what the extra money provides.<\/p>\n Yes. Hosting is the server your site lives on; maintenance is the ongoing work of keeping it secure, updated, and functional. Some providers bundle them; others charge separately.<\/p>\nHow much do freelancers charge for website maintenance in the UK?<\/h2>\n
What do Wix and Squarespace include in their ongoing fees?<\/h2>\n
How much does Duport charge for ongoing maintenance?<\/h2>\n
What should a fair maintenance package include?<\/h2>\n
When are high maintenance fees justified?<\/h2>\n
\nOne area maintenance contracts rarely cover: legal compliance. Your privacy policy, cookie notice, and business footer information all need to stay accurate as your business changes. Most providers won\u2019t flag when these are out of date.<\/p>\n
\nFAQs<\/h2>\n
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How much should website hosting cost for a small business in the UK?<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Is website maintenance different from website hosting?<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n