Website maintenance is the regular work that keeps your site secure, up to date, backed up and online. In Australia, care plans typically cost from about $40 to $350 a month, depending on the platform and what's included. Ours start from $49 a month for an existing website.
If you've ever had a website stop working, get hacked, or show out-of-date information, you already know why it matters. This guide explains what maintenance includes, what it costs, how it differs by platform, and how to choose a provider.
What does website maintenance include?
A good maintenance plan covers four jobs:
- Keeping the software current. WordPress, plugins, themes and other code need regular updates, because outdated software is the most common way sites get hacked.
- Backups that work. A backup you've never tested is a hope, not a plan. We test that backups can be restored.
- Monitoring. Uptime monitoring tells us when your site goes down, ideally before your customers notice.
- Small changes and fixes. Updating opening hours, swapping a photo, fixing a broken form, adding a new service.
Some plans also include security scans, speed checks, traffic reports and advice.
Maintenance, hosting and support: what's the difference?
People mix these up, and some providers bundle them together. It helps to know which is which:
- Hosting is where your website lives, so it can be seen on the internet.
- Maintenance is the regular work to keep the site healthy: updates, backups, monitoring and security.
- Support is help when you need something: a fix, a change, or an answer to a question.
A good plan covers all three, and tells you exactly what's included.
How much does website maintenance cost in Darwin?
Prices depend on the platform, the size of the site and how many changes you want. In October 2026, advertised plans in Darwin and across Australia ranged from roughly $40 to $350 a month, with premium agency plans costing more.
At CorewebIT:
- Care Only: from $49 a month. For a website you already have. Month to month with 30 days' notice.
- Starter Care: $39 a month plus a $99 setup fee. We build your site and look after it.
- Business Care: $79 a month plus a $149 setup fee. More pages, 3 content changes a month and priority support.
Prices are in AUD, excluding GST. See website maintenance in Darwin for what each plan covers.
What happens if you skip maintenance?
- Security holes stay open, and hacked sites can lose customers and search rankings.
- Forms stop working and nobody notices for weeks.
- The site slows down, and visitors leave.
- A broken update takes the site offline and there is no recent backup.
- Information goes out of date, such as old prices or holiday hours.
A typical example
A cafe's contact form stops sending emails after a plugin update. Nobody notices for three weeks, and booking enquiries are lost. With monitoring and a monthly form test, the problem is found within a day. The cost of a care plan is small compared with the cost of lost enquiries.
Maintenance by platform
Different platforms need different care:
| Platform | What needs looking after |
|---|---|
| WordPress | Core, plugin and theme updates, security scanning, backups, speed |
| Hand-coded or static sites | Hosting, SSL certificates, content changes, form delivery |
| Shopify | Apps, theme updates, product and content changes (the platform handles hosting and core security) |
| Wix and Squarespace | Content, forms, bookings and SEO (the platform handles hosting and core security) |
| Custom web apps | Updates, security patches, database backups, monitoring, bug fixes |
How do I know my website needs attention?
- It loads slowly, especially on a phone.
- Your browser shows a security warning.
- Contact or booking forms sometimes don't arrive.
- The site hasn't been updated or backed up in months.
- Your hosting provider has sent end-of-life or security notices.
- Opening hours, prices or team details are out of date.
- Google reports problems in Search Console.
A simple maintenance checklist
Every month:
- Check the site loads quickly on a phone.
- Test the contact form and any booking or payment forms.
- Update plugins, themes and software.
- Confirm a recent backup exists.
- Review opening hours, prices and contact details.
Every year:
- Renew your domain and check the contact details on it.
- Review your pages and remove anything out of date.
- Check your site against the speed and mobile tests in Google's tools.
- Review who has access to your site and remove anyone who doesn't need it.
Do it yourself or buy a plan?
You can do maintenance yourself if you're comfortable logging in, updating software, checking backups and testing forms every month. The risk is that it gets pushed aside when you're busy, and a missed update or a failed backup is usually only discovered after something goes wrong.
A care plan makes sense when you'd rather spend your time running your business, when the site matters to your sales, or when you don't have anyone technical on your team.
How to choose a maintenance provider
- Ask exactly what's included, and how many changes you get each month.
- Ask how often backups run and whether restores are tested.
- Find out how fast they respond when something breaks.
- Check the contract: is it month to month, or locked in?
- Make sure you keep control of your domain, hosting login and content.
- Ask what happens if your site is hacked: is recovery included or quoted separately?
Our guide on choosing a web designer in Darwin has more questions to ask.
Frequently asked questions
How often should a website be maintained?
Software updates and backups should happen at least monthly, and monitoring should run all the time. Content changes happen whenever your business changes.
Can you maintain a website that someone else built?
In most cases, yes. We review the platform and its condition first, then give you a fixed monthly price. If it needs repairs before we can look after it, we tell you.
What does it cost to fix a hacked website?
Cleaning up a compromised site varies a lot, so it's quoted separately. Regular maintenance and backups make recovery faster and cheaper.
Do I need maintenance if my site is on Wix or Squarespace?
The platform handles hosting and core security, but you still need to keep content current and check forms and bookings.
Is there a contract?
Our Care Only plan is month to month with 30 days' notice. Plans that include a website build have a 6-month minimum and then continue month to month.
Next step
Want a free check of your website? Contact us and we'll review it and send a fixed monthly price with no obligation.