Short answer
Most small business websites cost $50 to $500 a month to maintain, or about $600 to $6,000 a year, according to GoDaddy's 2026 guide. The low end covers hosting, a domain, and security basics. The high end adds a professional who updates the site, fixes problems, and makes the changes you ask for each month. A busy store or a custom web app can cost more.
What does website maintenance actually include?
Maintenance is everything it takes to keep a site online, safe, fast, and accurate after launch. Some of it is a fixed bill you pay no matter what. Some of it is labor, which is where prices spread out.
Think of it in two layers. The first layer keeps the lights on. The second layer keeps the site useful, so it keeps bringing in calls and bookings instead of slowly going stale.
- Hosting: the server that keeps your site online.
- Domain: your web address, renewed every year.
- SSL certificate: the padlock that makes the site secure. Many hosts include it free.
- Software and plugin updates, backups, and security monitoring.
- Content changes: new prices, hours, photos, staff, and services.
- Fixes when something breaks, like a form that stops sending email.
What does each piece cost?
These are typical ranges from two 2025 and 2026 industry guides. Both are published by companies that sell hosting or maintenance, so use them as benchmarks, not quotes.
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Domain name | $10 to $20+ per year |
| Shared hosting | $5 to $15 per month |
| Managed hosting | $20 to $150+ per month |
| SSL certificate | Free, or $10 to $100 per year for a standard paid one |
| Developer time | $50 to $150+ per hour |
| Monthly maintenance retainer | $100 to $1,500+ per month |
How much should a small business budget per month?
GoDaddy puts small and medium business sites at $50 to $500 a month. WebFX breaks it down further: a simple small business site runs about $35 to $100 a month, while a larger small business site runs about $125 to $500 a month.
Where you land depends on how often your site changes and how much it matters to your sales. A five page site for a plumbing company that rarely changes sits near the bottom. A gym that updates class schedules, promotions, and trainer bios every month sits higher, because someone has to do that work. For what belongs on one, see do gyms and fitness studios need a website.
If your website is a main source of calls or bookings, budget for the second layer. A broken booking form for two weeks can cost more than a year of maintenance.
Do website builders like Wix and Squarespace include maintenance?
Partly. On Wix, Squarespace, and similar builders, the monthly plan covers hosting and the platform's own software updates. Your site runs on their servers, so you do not have to update plugins or manage a server.
What they do not cover is your time. You still write the content, swap the photos, fix the layout when it looks off on a phone, and figure out why a page is not showing up on Google. That work is either your evenings or a hired person's hours.
For a deeper look at the long-run math, see is a website builder or a web designer cheaper over three years.
Hourly, pay as you go, or a monthly plan?
There are three common ways to pay a professional for upkeep. Each one fits a different kind of business.
- Pay as you go: you call a developer when something breaks and pay by the hour. Cheapest when nothing happens, most expensive when something does, and nobody is watching the site in between.
- Block of hours: you prepay a set number of hours. Good if you know you will need a few changes each month.
- Monthly care plan: a flat fee covers hosting, updates, backups, monitoring, and a set amount of changes. Predictable, and someone already knows your site when you need help.
What maintenance can I safely skip?
Not every add-on is worth paying for on a small site. Be skeptical of plans that charge extra for things your host already includes, like the SSL certificate or basic backups.
You can also skip paid plugins you do not use, premium themes you never customize, and "SEO maintenance" with no clear list of tasks or monthly report. Ask any provider to show you, in writing, what they do each month.
Do not skip backups, software updates, or someone checking that your forms and phone links still work. Those are what keep a site from quietly losing you customers.
Questions to ask before you sign a maintenance plan
- What exactly is included every month, and what costs extra?
- How many change requests are included, and how fast are they done?
- Who owns the hosting account and the domain? They should be in your name or easy to move to you.
- How do I cancel, and how much notice do you need?
- What happens if the site gets hacked or goes down?
- Will I get a report, and what will it show?
What does Veshtera charge for website maintenance?
Our Website Care and Hosting Plan is $199 to $499 a month. It covers hosting, monitoring, backups, regular speed and security checks, and a set number of the changes you ask for each month, with one point of contact who already knows your site.
It is optional. The plan renews monthly, and either side can cancel with 30 days' notice. Once your project is paid in full, the custom work is yours. Every price is on our pricing page, and you can get a fixed quote before any work starts.
Common questions
Is website maintenance a one-time cost?
No. The domain renews every year and hosting is billed monthly or yearly, so a site always has some ongoing cost. Labor for updates and fixes is the part you can choose how to pay for.
How much does it cost just to keep a website online?
At the bare minimum, a domain at about $10 to $20 a year plus shared hosting at about $5 to $15 a month, per GoDaddy. That keeps it online but does not keep it updated or watched.
How often should a small business website be updated?
Software and security updates should happen as they are released, and backups should run on their own. Check your hours, prices, and services at least every few months, and anytime they change.
Can I maintain my website myself?
Yes, if you are comfortable with your site's editor and have the time. The risk is that small problems, like a broken form, go unnoticed because nobody is checking.
Want a fixed price for your site?
Tell us what your business needs. You get a fixed quote before any work starts.