2024 Website Maintenance Pricing: How Much Should You Pay?

How much does website maintenance cost?

2024 website maintenance costs vary significantly.

Depending on the size, complexity, and functionality of your site, as well as the background, skillset, and pricing model of your service provider, your business may pay $20 to $5000 per month or $300 to $60,000 per year to maintain your website.

Average website maintenance costs

• Domain names cost $10 to $130 per year
• A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate costs $8 to $60 per year
• Website hosting costs $2 to $500 per month
• General website upkeep costs $15 to $105 per month
• Content management system (CMS) costs $0 to $3500 per month
• Tech support costs $0 to $3500 per month
• Ecommerce system maintenance costs $5 to $15 per month
• Plugins cost $0 to $50 per month

If you’re looking for accurate estimates on the cost of website maintenance, keep reading for a breakdown of website management costs by site type. Plus, learn what website maintenance pricing includes and get answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about keeping your website up-to-date.

Already know your company’s site needs professional maintenance?

Browse our monthly and hourly pricing for our leading website maintenance services. You can also contact us online or call us at 888-601-5359 to immediately speak with one of our experienced strategists about your site.

2024 website management costs by website type

When it comes to website management costs, your company’s rates depend heavily on your website. That’s why it’s helpful to break down website maintenance pricing by website type, like ecommerce, small business, or enterprise.

Get an estimate for your website maintenance costs by using the table below:

What do website maintenance fees include?

As you browse website maintenance packages pricing, it’s essential to look at what the provider includes with their services. If you purchase a package without looking at the deliverables, you can end up wasting money and getting locked into the wrong service contract.

For the best experience, you want a service provider that includes the following as a part of their website maintenance pricing:

Whether you need all of this will depend upon your business, website, and resources.

For example, if your company operates offline, then you don’t need to worry about maintenance to your ecommerce system. Your business may also have an internal team member to handle technical issues, which can remove tech support expenses from your website maintenance costs.

Keep reading to learn more about each feature of website maintenance pricing.

8 core website maintenance costs

When researching the average cost for website maintenance, you’ll want to consider these eight factors (mentioned in the table above), which will influence how much website maintenance costs your business.

1. Domain name

Cost: $10-$130 per year

A domain name is unique to your business, appearing in your website’s URL. Without a domain name, it’s impossible for users to visit your site, which is why you must pay to renew your domain name each year. If you don’t, someone else could purchase the name and force your company to find a new one.

On average, businesses pay $10 to $130 per year to renew their domain name. The cost varies depending upon your domain name and its worth.

2. SSL certificate

Cost: $8-$60 per year

An SSL certificate, also known as a Secure Sockets Layer, protects your company and your site visitors. This certificate works by allowing your site to receive, transfer, and secure sensitive data provided by users or your business.

If you have an active SSL certificate, your website URL will have “https” at the start. Additionally, when in Chrome, users can click the sliding bars icon and see whether your website’s connection is secure

Companies can purchase an SSL certificate for free, but most invest in a paid license. A paid SSL certificate often includes additional features, like customer support and higher encryption rates, which are beneficial for businesses of any size.

Prices for paid SSL certificates range from $8 to $60 per year. Some SSL certificates can be more expensive if you have an enterprise-level website, as you need more security than a basic SSL.

3. Website hosting

Cost: $2-$500 per month

Like your domain name, website hosting is essential. If you don’t have a hosting provider, it’s impossible for people to access your website. That’s why your business needs to include website hosting costs in your website maintenance budget.

Your business can choose from a few options for website hosting:

1. Shared host: A shared host costs $2 to $15 per month. It’s the lowest cost option because it hosts your website on a server with several other sites. If you have minimal website traffic, a shared host service can work well.
2. Website builder: A website builder hosting service, like from Wix or WordPress, costs $3 to $70 per month. This service option provides an excellent solution for small businesses and professional bloggers.
3. Virtual private server (VPS): A VPS costs $20 to $100 per month. While you share your server, like with shared hosting, you have complete access to your server’s resources because the provider divides the server into multiple virtual servers. You can look at a VPS like an apartment building, with the server representing the building and the virtual servers the apartments.
4. Cloud hosting: This website hosting option costs anywhere from $10 to $200 per month. Cloud hosting, as the name suggests, is when your website is hosted on virtual servers in the cloud. It’s a good solution for companies that get a lot of traffic but don’t want to pay for a dedicated server.
5. Dedicated server: A dedicated server costs $80 to $500 or more per month. It’s the most expensive website hosting option, which is why most websites that use a dedicated server have more than 100,000 site visitors per month. With a dedicated server, you have complete access to your own server.

While your business may want to save money by choosing a less expensive website hosting option, it’s essential for your team to select the best one for your site. If you opt for a hosting option that doesn’t meet your current website traffic levels, this can result in a sluggish site and you may lose quality leads.

Today, most people expect a website to load in two seconds or less. If it doesn’t, they go somewhere else to research a product, find a service provider, or spend their money. That’s why your business needs to make the speed of your pages and site a priority.

So, expect to pay anywhere from $3 to $500 per month to host your website.

4. General website upkeep

Cost: $15-$105 per month

From a user perspective, general website updates keep your site looking fresh and modern, as well as secure. Even if your company, like a home improvement store, processes payments offline, it’s essential to have an online presence that conveys trust and quality.

If you don’t, you exclude yourself from a massive online audience. Like the homeowners, for example, researching local stores for their next home improvement project online. Or, the property managers that need a consistent and reliable supplier for their nearby apartment complex.

Provide your site with routine maintenance, and you can improve the chances of people not only finding your company but also investing in it, whether by visiting your store, calling your team, or purchasing your products or services.

In most instances, general website upkeep from a professional provider includes updates to your:

1. Webpages
2. Content
3. Media
4. Navigation
5. Files
6. Links
7. Forms
8. Background images
9. Colors

When it comes to website upkeep, most companies spend $15 to $105 per month.

Keep in mind that what your provider includes in your package as website maintenance will vary. Most companies will only do small updates and changes that maintain the quality and functionality of your website.

For example, if you’re launching a seasonal sale and need to update your product or service pricing, most website maintenance plans would include that kind of update. If you’re looking for your provider to redesign your product and service pages, however, you can expect a separate fee.

Depending on the requested updates, your business may also need to supply materials like content or images. For instance, if you want to change the copy on a product or service page, you must send that revised copy to your service provider.

If you’re confused about what your website maintenance pricing plan includes, talk to your service provider. With our dedicated account managers (which means you always have one consistent point of contact), it’s stress-free to talk about your account and package.

5. CMS updates

Cost: $0-$3500 per month

With content marketing capable of doubling website conversion rates, it’s not surprising that many businesses have a content marketing strategy. A core part of a content marketing strategy, however, is a content management system (CMS).

A CMS allows you to upload, publish, and manage your website’s content.

A few examples of some go-to CMS applications include:

1. WordPress
2. Joomla!
3. Magento
4. WooCommerce

In some cases, businesses will build a custom CMS.

Whether you choose a standard or custom CMS, it’s critical for your company to maintain it with security patches and routine updates. With consistent maintenance, your CMS remains secure and functional. Plus, your team can access new features and tools with most updates.

Depending on your CMS, your website maintenance costs may also include a subscription or service fee for using your CMS. WordPress, for example, features several paid service plans. You get billed yearly but pay monthly.

In addition to your service fee, your business also needs to consider the cost of the team updating and maintaining your CMS. If you don’t have the means to support your CMS in-house, you need to partner with an agency that can provide those services.

That’s why businesses can spend as little as $0 or as much as $3500 per month on their CMS.

6. Tech support

Cost: $0-$3500 per month

A website can experience a variety of issues, from broken contact forms to server errors. That’s why website maintenance pricing includes technical support from your provider. With this service, your team can forward site issues for your provider to fix.

In most cases, service agreements specify turnaround times for issues.

As an example, a basic website maintenance pricing package may include a turnaround time of five business days while a premium plan offers a turnaround time of two business days. Expect to pay more if you want a faster turnaround time.

Before your partner with a provider, review their turnaround times and make sure they meet your company’s needs. You may have to find another provider or opt for a higher-priced plan to match your standards if they don’t.

It’s essential to remember, as well as to explain to company decision makers, that tech support is critical. With professional assistance, you ensure the functionality of your website. Without tech support, it’s up to your in-house team to fix difficult situations, like broken shopping carts, quickly.

If you have an in-house person to provide technical support, you won’t have to worry about added costs. So, as a result, technical support can cost anywhere from $0 to $3500 per month.

7. Ecommerce system support

Cost: $15-$25 per month

If you’re an ecommerce business, then you understand the essential role of your payment system. Without your payment system, it becomes impossible to accept, process, and fulfill orders, which decreases your revenue severely.

That’s why ecommerce system support is essential for your company.

With ecommerce system support, your service provider keeps your system secure, up-to-date, and live. Like tech support, your team can also submit tickets when system errors appear. For example, maybe shoppers aren’t receiving an order confirmation email.

Depending on your provider, they may look at tech support and ecommerce system support separately. That means your business needs to pay for tech support, plus ecommerce system support to keep your website operational.

As with tech support, ecommerce system support will include an estimated turnaround time. Again, expect higher website maintenance costs if you want a faster turnaround time. For many ecommerce businesses, expedited turnaround time is worth the investment.

In most cases, ecommerce companies spend $15 to $25 a month for ecommerce system support.

8. Plugins

Cost: $0-$50 per month

Many website builders only come with the basic features you need to build a website. If you want something extra, like a form creator or search engine optimization (SEO) help, you need to install a plugin (or the platform’s equivalent — e.g. apps on Shopify).

Plugins help you add the features you need to create a more functional website, but the cost for them varies greatly. Some plugins are free no matter what, while others have a free version and a paid version with advanced features. Other plugins come at a cost right out the gate, which can vary greatly.

On average, businesses will pay $0-$50 per month on plugins for their website. The cost will vary dpeending upon how many plugins you use on your webiste, and how many of them are free.

FAQs about website maintenance costs

If you have questions about website maintenance, check out this helpful FAQ from our developers!

What is website maintenance?

Website maintenance is a routine process of inspecting and updating your website to industry standards, as well as company changes. With website maintenance, for example, you ensure your site features the latest prices for your services or images of your product.

You also make sure your website adheres to industry standards for security and data protection. This process is critical since more businesses, even those that operate offline, support online transactions. For instance, a heating and oil company may allow shoppers to pay their bill online.

Like maintaining your vehicle, website maintenance is essential to your business.

Why pay for website maintenance?

Companies may invest in third-party website maintenance services for a variety of reasons, including:

1. Small in-house development team
2. High costs for internal management
3. Limited resources for in-house management

In most cases, it makes sense for businesses to partner with a service provider that features a dedicated team of developers, like WebFX. Working with a company like WebFX allows your business to focus your funds and efforts on tasks that offer the most impact.

For example, if you’re a landscaping company, it makes sense for your business to invest in equipment, tools, or talent related to your services rather than incurring the ongoing costs of having someone manage your website in-house.

From this perspective, you’re making effective use of your budget.

How often should a website have maintenance?

A website should receive maintenance at least once a year, which generally includes:

1. Domain name, SSL certificate, and website hosting renewal
2. CMS updates and security patches
3. Ecommerce system updates

Now that website maintenance includes more than domain name renewals and website hosting updates, it’s becoming critical for companies to maintain their website on a more frequent basis. That’s why many service providers offer monthly plans.

With a monthly plan, your company’s website receives regular updates, as well as fixes to bugs, content, and images. It’s a proactive approach that helps your site remain accurate and provide users with the latest information on your products, services, and accomplishments.

Why does website maintenance packages pricing vary so much?

Prices for website maintenance have a wide range due to several factors, including:

1. Your website’s size
2. Your website’s complexity
3. Your service provider’s experience
4. Your service provider’s resources
5. Your website maintenance service selection

While most service providers try to provide a one-size-fits-all package for website maintenance, many sites require a customized service and pricing plan. That’s why WebFX offers several standard packages, as well as the option to customize those plans for your business.

With the ability to personalize your plan, you eliminate the frustration and hassle that comes when working with a company that doesn’t adapt to your needs. You don’t have to argue with representatives or explain to your boss that the provider you chose isn’t the right fit for your business.

Even though pricing is a critical factor, you shouldn’t use it as the deciding factor.

Fixating on website maintenance pricing can result in your company partnering with an inexperienced, unresponsive provider. That’s why businesses need to look at price as a component rather than as a decision maker when comparing service providers.

For example, you may have two potential agencies: one charges $45 a month and the other $150 a month. While the one is cheaper, they also have less experience and fewer team members than the competing company. This difference can result in slower response times and longer turnaround times.

Get your business and your website the best service possible by considering more than pricing.

That doesn’t mean your company needs to exceed your website maintenance budget. Instead, you should partner with a service provider that offers the best service and customer experience, versus the lowest price.

How much does monthly website maintenance cost?

The average price for monthly website maintenance is $20 to $5000 per month. Depending on your business and website, you may spend a different amount. That’s why it’s helpful to use this monthly average as a reference rather than a standard.

To put the variance of monthly website maintenance pricing in perspective, think about the maintenance for a massive and complex ecommerce site like Target. Due to the size and complexity of Target, it makes sense that Target would exceed this monthly average.

In comparison, a local coffee shop may have website maintenance fees of less than $35 per month. They have a small, simple site without ecommerce functionality. Plus, they get their SSL certificate for free. Those features simplify their upkeep tasks and reduce their costs.

If you’re searching for an accurate estimate for monthly website maintenance costs, get started by looking at your current expenses. You can find what you pay for your domain name and website hosting, for example, as well as if you have any additional CMS fees.

How much does website maintenance cost per year?

The average cost for website maintenance each year is $300 to $60,000. While you may pay for some services on a monthly basis like tech support and website updates, other website maintenance fees require an annual payment.

A few examples of services that usually require upfront payment for the year include:

1. Domain name
2. SSL certificate
3. Website hosting

When you build your website maintenance budget, your team should research which services mandate upfront payment for the year. This approach allows your department to secure these funds immediately versus over time.

If you’re looking to partner with a service provider for website maintenance, many operate on a per-month pricing plan. WebFX, for example, offers monthly service plans to give your company and your team the flexibility and convenience of modifying your package.

Should I outsource or DIY my website maintenance?

While you can lower your website maintenance costs by managing and maintaining your site in-house, there are some downsides. You’ll need to have the time, for example, as well as the development background to maintain your site successfully.

In comparison, outsourcing increases your web maintenance costs. It does save you time, though, as well as connects you with an experienced developer or development team. You can outsource your website maintenance to freelancers, contractors, or even agencies like WebFX.

Unless you (or your company) has the experience and time to maintain your website in-house, it’s often better to outsource the task. That way, you ensure your site remains secure, accessible, and functional year-round.