What a Website Care Plan Actually Covers

“Care plan,” “maintenance plan,” “hosting package”: every web developer uses a different name, and the details vary wildly. Some plans are little more than a hosting bill. Others include real ongoing work. If you’re paying monthly, you should know exactly what you’re getting.

Here’s what a good care plan covers, in plain language, and what it typically doesn’t.

The foundation: keeping the site online and safe

These are the things you’ll never notice when they’re working, and will definitely notice when they’re not.

Hosting. Your website has to live on a server somewhere. Good hosting is fast, reliable, and located in the U.S. close to your customers. Cheap shared hosting is where a lot of slow, frequently-down small-business sites live.

SSL certificate. The padlock in the browser bar. Without it, browsers warn visitors that your site is “Not secure.” Certificates expire and must be renewed. A care plan handles that automatically.

Backups. Automated copies of your site, so if something goes wrong it can be restored quickly instead of rebuilt.

Uptime monitoring. A service checks your site around the clock and alerts your developer if it goes down, ideally before you or a customer notice.

Security and software updates. Every website depends on software that needs updating: frameworks, libraries, server software, and on WordPress sites, plugins and themes. Skipped updates are one of the most common ways small-business sites get hacked.

A monthly report. A short summary of uptime, speed, and traffic, so you can see the site is being looked after and how it is performing.

The part you actually feel: changes and help

This is where plans differ most.

Content edits. New hours, a seasonal special, a new photo gallery, a staff change, an updated price list. A good plan includes a set number of edits each month, so you can email the change and get on with your day.

Response time. When something is wrong or you need a change, how fast will someone respond? This should be written down, not implied.

Google Business Profile upkeep. For local businesses, your Google listing can matter as much as your website. Some plans include keeping hours, photos, and posts current there too.

Periodic checkups. Higher-tier plans often include a regular speed and SEO review, so small problems get fixed before they cost you rankings or customers.

What care plans usually don’t cover

Being clear about this upfront avoids surprise invoices.

• Redesigns or new page templates
• Large new sections, like adding online booking or a store
• Writing lots of new content, such as a series of blog posts
• Paid advertising management
• Fixing problems caused by someone else editing the code

These are usually quoted as small projects. A good developer will tell you before starting whether something falls outside your plan.

How my plans break down

I keep three plans, all month-to-month after launch (unless you are paying off a build on the $0-down plan):

	Essential	Growth	Partner
Price	$99/mo	$199/mo	$349/mo
Hosting, SSL, backups, monitoring, updates, report	✓	✓	✓
Content edits	1 per month	Up to 3 per month	Up to 3 hours per month
Response time	2 business days	1 business day	Same business day
Google Business Profile upkeep		✓	✓
Quarterly speed and SEO check		✓	✓
New pages and monthly check-in			✓

Full details are on the services page.

Questions to ask any developer about their plan

Whether you work with me or someone else, ask:

1. Who owns the domain and the site? It should be you.
2. How many changes are included, and what counts as one?
3. How fast will you respond, and is that in writing?
4. How often are backups made, and have you ever tested restoring one?
5. What happens if I cancel? You should be able to take your site with you.

If the answers are vague, the plan probably is too.

Not sure what your current setup includes? Request a free website check-up and I’ll tell you what is (and isn’t) being looked after.