What the maintenance retainer includes
A maintenance retainer takes the worry of keeping the site running and current off your plate. It covers:
- Monitoring. We track site availability and key functions - forms, payments, catalog, member area.
- Updates. Dependencies, libraries, and security patches so the site does not become a vulnerability.
- Backups. Regular code and data backups with a fast rollback path.
- Minor fixes. Copy, images, prices, layout - small changes within the agreed monthly hours.
- Incident response. If something breaks, we fix it as a priority, not in a general queue.
How a site is handed over to us
If we did not build the site, we start with a handover - without it, support becomes guesswork. What we check and document:
- Access. Domain, hosting, repository, email, analytics, payment and mail services. We also verify they are registered to you rather than to the previous contractor.
- How it is built. What the site runs on, where the code lives, how it is deployed, what is connected externally.
- What is already broken. A handover often surfaces a dead form or an expired certificate - we fix those straight away.
- Backups. Set up so that restoring is actually tested, not merely claimed.
Afterwards you keep a written description: what lives where, how it all connects, and who to contact for each service. That is not a formality - it is precisely the document that is missing when a previous contractor disappears.
What the retainer does not cover
The retainer keeps the site running and covers small edits within the agreed hours. New sections, redesigns, major features and integrations are separate jobs: we quote them or bill hourly, so the retainer does not quietly turn into development at support prices. Those go under improvements.
Pricing
Retainer starts at 50 EUR/month. The plan includes an agreed number of hours for fixes and a defined response time. What is covered and how many hours per month are set upfront so the invoice is predictable. Larger development tasks on top of the retainer are scoped separately.
What sets us apart
You work directly with the engineer who manages your site - no account managers or ticket queues. Every change is documented: what was changed, why, and where access credentials live. We take on both our own projects and sites built by others, after a short audit.
Related services
Need a specific task rather than regular fixes? See custom development. Site slow or failing Core Web Vitals? See speed optimization.
FAQ
What is included in the maintenance retainer?
The retainer covers uptime monitoring for the site and key functions, dependency and security patch updates, regular backups, minor content and layout fixes within an agreed number of hours, and priority incident response. Larger development tasks and new features are scoped separately.
How much does website maintenance cost?
Maintenance starts at 50 EUR/month. The price depends on site size, the required hours for fixes, and response time expectations. The exact plan is fixed after a short site audit.
Do you take on sites you did not build?
Yes. We take over maintenance for sites built by other developers - on clean code, Headless CMS, as well as WordPress and site builders. Before starting we run an audit: we review the stack, code quality, access credentials, and hosting.
How fast do you respond to issues?
Critical incidents - site down, broken forms, or payment issues - are handled within a few hours during business hours. Planned fixes are delivered on agreed timelines. You communicate directly with the engineer, with no call center.
Can I pause the retainer?
Yes. The retainer is flexible: it can be paused or the scope adjusted by agreement. If regular fixes are temporarily not needed, you can switch to hourly billing and pay only for tasks actually completed.