In this article, I will reveal how much WordPress maintenance packages cost and what options you have to make the most of your budget while receiving top-notch service.
In the previous articles, I’ve discussed why you need a WordPress maintenance agency, what a maintenance plan should include, and how to choose the best WordPress maintenance agency. Hence, I also recommend checking those articles to have a complete picture.
Before analyzing the price of various WordPress maintenance services, I would like to tell you the cost of NOT HAVING any maintenance package.
The Cost of Not Having a WordPress Maintenance Plan
People that just started online believe that building a website is enough, so they don’t see the necessity of paying a retainer for maintenance.
However, this assumption is wrong, as, without a maintenance plan, they don’t have access to backups, security monitoring, platform updates, support and many other things.
Here are two issues to consider:
Lost Revenue
When we say “Mission-Critical” WordPress maintenance, we mean just that. For global businesses, having a site go down can cost $100,000s to even millions in lost revenue depending on how much money flows through the site.
24/7 monitoring is a great tool for companies, especially if the cost of even a couple hours of down time is way more than having a team on call.
Being Hacked
When a website gets hacked, they can not fix or restore the website, jeopardizing their reputation and business entirely, especially if they are the source of client data getting exposed to bad actors.
There are various stories online about database leaks, hacking incidents and people who lost their business by not having a maintenance plan.
According to ICTSD, cyberattacks can be costly for small businesses. An average small business in the US will spend $25,612 on cyberattacks over twelve months. More shocking than that is that according to Cyberventure, 60 percent of small companies close within six months of being hacked.
So now is a perfect moment to ask yourself how much your online business is worth to you and how much would you pay to avoid the headache and losses of a hacked website.
Now that you know the cost of not having a maintenance plan, let’s look at how much it costs to have one.
WordPress Maintenance Cost Estimation
It’s not an easy task to estimate how much the maintenance of your WordPress will cost. That’s because websites come in different sizes and shapes and meet specific needs. On top of that, WordPress maintenance companies have different levels of support plans.
If you’re reading this article, we’re assuming your website is a place of business.
If you just have a personal blog with no commerce attached, that’s a different story.
But here at WPRiders, we have been doing WordPress maintenance for over a decade, working with over 1500 clients.
Before we talk about why global brands like Versace, Panasonic, BNP Paribas, & Rutgers choose us, let’s be sure you understand your options.
Junior/3rd-World Agencies/Web Developers
Benefits:
- Cheap
- Ubiquitous
- Replaceable
Drawbacks:
- Culturally-confused
- Unreliable
- Limited capabilities
- Low-quality
- Sporadic availability
- Unaware of security issues
Internal Web Developers
Benefits:
- Full-time
- On-site
- One client (you)
- Better availability
Drawbacks:
- Expensive
- Underutilized
- Limited exposure to market trends
- Unable to scale quickly
- Unaware of security issues
Mega Agencies
Benefits:
- Creative expertise
- Physical locations in global hubs
- Branded executives
Drawbacks:
- Very expensive
- Limited availability
- Technically behind
- Under pressure to generate additional billable hours
- Struggle with listening
- Unaware of security issues
This being said, here is our estimate about how much you should expect to be paying for maintenance:
Essential WordPress Maintenance Features
For a site that isn’t technically complex, about $67/day is a great price to keep everything running smoothly.
- Daily Backups
- Security Monitoring
- Uptime Monitoring
- Plugin & Theme Updates
- Malware Removal
Monthly cost estimate: $2000
Medium WordPress Maintenance Features
For companies that have integrated e-commerce, there is additional complexity and payment-associated risk. Expect to pay more like $100/day for quality maintenance and extra speed optimization to keep memory-intensive plug-ins and big photo repositories running smoothly and optimized for load speed..
- All the services from the Basic plan +
- Monthly security audits
- eCommerce support
- Speed Optimization
- Hosting optimization
Monthly cost estimate: $3000
Advanced WordPress Maintenance Features
For companies that want to have their cake and eat it, too, you’ll want a plan that accommodates content changes, too. Think of this type of plan as having all of the benefits of a full-time staff member with none of the drawbacks. You get 24/7 coverage, changes when you need them, but you don’t have to cover a salary or benefits or deal with vacations or off-time.
- All the services from the Medium plan +
- Website changes (contact details, adding pages, etc.)
- Adding custom functionalities
- Dedicated project manager and support specialist.
Monthly cost range: $4000+
Besides these costs, you should also consider a couple of other costs associated with your WordPress website.
- Domain Name Renewal – between $10-30 per year, depending on the registrar (Godaddy, NameCheap, Domain.com, etc.);
- Hosting Package – varies from $20 for a shared package up to a couple of hundred monthly for a VPS or cloud account, depending on the resources used (WPEngine, Cloudways, BlueHost, Lunar Pages, etc.);
- Email Accounts – around $14 for each user seat monthly if you use Google Apps or Zoho. Depending on the tier, you get additional tools like video conference recording, apps, and more.
In-House WordPress Maintenance or Hiring an Agency?
Whether you hire a professional agency or conduct website maintenance in-house, each approach has its pros and cons. The website maintenance pricing also differs between the two.
In-House Approach
You really need to have a ton of changes needed all the time to justify the in-house approach.
You’ll need to cover a full salary and do your best to ensure that your internal team member is staying up to speed with technological and security developments so you can remain at a competitive advantage.
If you need 24/7 coverage, you’ll need to come up with a scheduling model where you have your team working shifts as well.
Hiring a WordPress Maintenance Agency
Web maintenance service agencies can take care of more complex and technical aspects. They also conduct regular software updates, monitor site security, and optimize its performance. Also, they can look after the website 24/7 as they have a well-trained staff that works in shifts.
Our personal belief if that the single best option for a company with mission critical traffic flowing through its site is the maintenance plans we’ve devised.
You get the benefits without the drawbacks.
We view our job is to be the foundational layer that allows your team to really express their creativity and marketing genius while we actually implement the vision and keep it running reliably.
FAQs
How Much Does It Cost to Maintain a WordPress Website Monthly?
Our mission-critical plans start at $2000/US per month and go up from there depending on your needs.
You absolutely can find novices or even firms full of well-intended individuals who don’t have the know how to do mission-critical work. We don’t provide those services but if you just have a hobby website, you’ll find all kinds of options.
Should We Handle Website Maintenance in-House or Hire a WordPress Maintenance Agency?
With the right staff, you can certainly maintain a WordPress site. But keep in mind that under most circumstances, a true 40-hour person just focused on a website doesn’t make sense even if you have lots of weekly changes. You can get 24/7 coverage and expert monitoring for less than the price of a full-time hire.
For most business websites that focus on business growth, the best option is to hire a website maintenance service with the necessary experience, tools, and technical know-how to take care of it so the rest of the team can really focus on delivering a great product or service to the clients who deserve it.
Takeaways
- Not maintaining your website is a costly risk, as according to statistics, 60% of small and medium businesses that suffer a hacking incident or a data loss close the shop in the next six months.
- A WordPress website without a website support plan can hurt your online performance, jeopardize your digital marketing (SEO, Social, PPC) efforts and put customers at risk.
- Once you decide that website maintenance is necessary, you should determine whether to handle it in-house or hire a professional agency.
- For mission-critical coverage, you’ll pay a little bit more and make that cost up in spades by avoiding lost revenue or even worse, a catastrophic data breach.
Conclusion
Now that you know how much WordPress maintenance of your website should cost, check our WordPress ongoing support plans and get peace of mind that your business is in good hands.
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