How to Know If You Really Need a Website Maintenance Plan (and What’s Included)

When your website is healthy, you don’t think about it. Leads come in, customers find you, and everything “just works.”

But websites aren’t refrigerators. They’re more like cars: skip the tune-ups and you’ll pay for it later.

This guide breaks down what’s actually in a website maintenance plan, why it matters for small businesses, and how to tell if you really need one now.

What a Maintenance Plan Actually Includes

A solid plan focuses on prevention, performance, and peace of mind:

• Software updates (core, theme, plugins).
  Keeps features working and closes security holes before they’re exploited.

• Backups (automatic + offsite).
  So if something breaks (or you get hacked), you can roll back fast, no panic.

• Security hardening & monitoring.
  Firewalls, malware scans, login protection, and alerts if anything looks off.

• Uptime monitoring.
  If your site goes down at 2 AM, someone knows, and can act.

• Speed & performance checks.
  Image compression, caching, and tune-ups so pages load fast on mobile and desktop.

• Broken link & form checks.
  Make sure inquiries and orders still reach you (no silent failures).

• Content & small edits.
  Update hours, swap photos, post promos, without you wrestling the editor.

• Reporting.
  A simple monthly summary: what was updated, what improved, and what needs attention.

At Mario Lima Design, I bundle these into a simple plan so you’re not juggling different vendors or dashboards.

“Do I Really Need One?” (Honest Answer)

If your website helps you get found, get booked, or get paid, then yes, you need some level of care. Here’s why:

• Security: outdated sites are the #1 target for automated attacks.

• SEO: slow or broken pages slide down in search.

• Sales: forms that fail or pages that crash cost you real money.

• Time: fixing preventable issues always costs more than maintaining.

If your site is a brochure nobody visits and you’re comfortable taking risks, a plan may not feel urgent. But most small businesses can’t afford unexpected downtime.

Signs You Need Maintenance (Now)

• You skip updates because you’re worried something will break.

• Your site feels slower than it did six months ago.

• You’re not sure when the last backup ran, or where it’s stored.

• Contact forms or online booking have “acted weird” lately.

• You’re seeing random spam, strange popups, or warnings in Google.

• No one’s watching uptime, security alerts, or Core Web Vitals.

If two or more sound familiar, you’ll get a quick win from a maintenance plan.

DIY vs. Managed Care

DIY works if you’re comfortable with updates, conflicts, rollbacks, cache layers, CDNs, and reading error logs. You’ll save a monthly fee, but you’ll spend time and take on risk.

Managed is for owners who want reliability without the tech headaches. You get a single point of contact and clear accountability when something breaks.

My approach: keep it simple, keep it fast, and keep it secure, so you can focus on running the business, not the website.

What About Cost?

Some agencies bury maintenance inside big retainers. I don’t.

Plans are straightforward and sized to small business needs. You get transparent coverage and real support, no surprise “ticket fees.”

If you’re not sure what you need, I’ll look at your site and tell you honestly if a plan makes sense, or if a one-time tune-up will do.

Want a quick, honest check of your site’s health?

Contact me here and I’ll review your setup, give you clear next steps, and (if you want) handle the tech for you.