Website maintenance
Website maintenance for UK and US businesses: what actually matters
Updates, security, backups and content. Why a one-off redesign fades, and what a monthly care plan should include.
What is website maintenance for a small business?
It is the monthly work that keeps a live site safe and usable: updates, backups, security, content edits and checks that forms still send. It is not a redesign. It is care so last year’s improvement does not rot.
I get this from UK referrals more than any other request. The site was “done” two years ago. Plugins sit unpatched. The offer on the homepage is old. Nobody owns it. Then a form dies and enquiries drop, and people assume they need a new website.
What should a monthly website maintenance plan include?
Updates and security, a backup you can restore, content changes you can ask for, and a check that contact paths still work. If a plan is only “hosting”, it is not maintenance.
- CMS, plugin and dependency updates
- Backups and a restore path
- SSL, login and obvious malware checks
- Copy edits: hours, prices, staff, seasonal offers
- Form, phone and WhatsApp tests on mobile
- A short note of what was done that month
US owners ask the same thing with different tools. WordPress, Webflow, a custom Next.js site. The care is the same. Someone has to stay on it.
I do not sell a black-box “we handle everything” package with no list. You should know what ran this month. If a plan cannot explain that in a few lines, it is hosting with a nicer name.
Why does a redesign fade without maintenance?
Because the web does not sit still. Browsers change. Plugins break. Content goes stale. A redesign without a care plan is a one-off spend that looks tired again in 12 months.
That is why Hexify sells website maintenance as part of the path, not as an extra afterthought. Improve it. Keep it healthy. Then talk about AI.
Can you maintain a site you did not build?
Yes. Most takeovers are sites we did not build. We review the live URL, say what is risky, and put a written monthly scope in front of you. No surprise invoices for basic care.
If the stack is unsafe or impossible to edit, I will tell you that an improvement sprint has to come first. Maintenance cannot paper over a site that cannot be logged into.
Typical takeover: I get admin access, check backups, see what is out of date, test the form, then write the first month’s scope. UK registered. Same process for a US company site, with timezones agreed up front.
How do UK and US owners usually start?
Send the live URL and say whether you want monthly care, a redesign, or both. A 30-minute call is enough to see if we are a fit. Hexify is UK registered. We work US hours when we need to.
Questions people ask
What is website maintenance for a small business?
Ongoing updates, security, backups, content changes and checks that forms still work. It is care after the redesign so the site does not go stale again.
How often should a UK or US business site be maintained?
Monthly as a baseline. Security updates and form checks should not wait for a yearly refresh.
Can you maintain a website you did not build?
Yes. That is normal. Review the live site first, then put it on a written monthly plan.
Send the live URL. I will tell you the next step.
UK registered. Serving UK, USA and worldwide. Improvement and maintenance first. AI only if it fits.