The Truth About Website Retainers (And Why You May Not Need One)

I hear about these weird monthly maintenance retainers all the time, and even been up against them (and lost) before.

My hot take? You probably don’t need it.

The web development world can be a minefield of overpriced website maintenance plans and jargon designed to confuse small business owners. Some folks out there thrive on the “you don’t know any better, so I’ll overcharge you” mentality… and I get why it works – fear of tech issues, not knowing what you actually need, the elusive SEO importance.

A well-built website should work for you, not demand your constant attention.

And listen, I know I’m not cheap to work with—this isn’t my race-to-the-bottom sales pitch. I’m really good at what I do, and a website is an investment. It should be a solid, foundational piece of your brand—not something you’re constantly having to tinker with. Yes, you’ll need to update content over time, and eventually, you might outgrow it. But if the build was done right from the start, you shouldn’t feel like you have to be in there every month just to keep it functioning.

Where Should You Focus Instead?

The real monthly maintenance MVPs? Your content—blogs, portfolios, and marketing materials. That’s where your regular attention should go, and what’s going to help your SEO standing if that’s the solution you’re looking for. Put that money towards a copywriter, social strategist, photographer and/or content creator (I am the Yellowpages for recommendations if you want to slide into my DMs or book a Brainstorm Session).

I think if I really look at what irks me about these monthly retainers is that it’s often an audience misalignment. There’s a place for complex, high-maintenance websites, but most of my clients don’t need that.

The 3 Tiers of Website Builds (And Where You Fit):

1. DIY & Website Builders for Small Businesses: ideal for budget-friendly startups and solo entrepreneurs
   • for when you’re just dipping your toes in, getting started and being scrappy to do as much as you can on your own with a limited budget
   • use builders like SquareSpace (for service based) and Shopify (for ecommerce)
   • better yet, get ShowIt templates from somewhere like Tonic or Monarch Design
   • I will even work in your Squarespace or Shopify to do a little zuzhing and refinining to your DIY site in a VIP Day
     
2. Custom Website Design (but still easy to manage): you’re working towards that NEXT STAGE of growth and need something more custom than the prebuilt templates
   • you’re likely a couple years in, business is growing, you have more budget to play with
   • still work in your business and would like control over updates—think blogs and portfolios to boost your SEO
     
3. Fully Custom Websites: you need a high-performance, enterprise-level site or something highly technical…
   • big budgets, intricate needs, advanced coding languages
   • we’re talking tens of thousands of dollars… or more

And I mean, if Tier 3 is your jam, get that bag… But I also feel like this tier is dwindling off with the website options available in 2025.

IMO the reason for the normalization of these monthly mAiNtEnAnCe retainers is a combo of Tier 3, and just web of days gone by – when websites were hard coded and hosted, before all the choices and ease of new technology. Back in the day, these types of maintenance retainers covered things like:

What Monthly Website Maintenance Retainers Cover

• hosting – basically storing your files and having them available on the internet (like storing your winter tires at the mechanic)
• security features ensuring your files were safe from hackers and bots
• regular updating of plugins etc
• jamming keywords into a giant nothing paragraph at the bottom of your site in hopes Google sees it and puts you on page one (aka keyword stuffing)

I used to work in an agency that did this. We built on WordPress, hosted on our servers, and clients had to pay us monthly. Want to post a blog? Call us (and get the bill later). I hated it.

Clients felt like they worked with us to get their website, but now they were held hostage. They couldn’t work with anyone else, or have someone trained in house to add a new blog post. AND THE WORST PART? Our servers went down all the time lmao

Do You Actually Need a Website Maintenance Plan? (Probably not.)

If you’re on Shopify, Squarespace, or ShowIt, your website hosting, security, and updates are already handled in your monthly subscription. It’s simplified, and you get the peace of mind of a bigger team dedicated to handling these things. If their servers hiccup (which is rare), they have a team on it.

And that keyword stuffing? Google hates that shit.

If you’ve got a super custom-coded site or massive traffic, then maybe consider a retainer. But for the stage and needs of the types of small businesses I work with, I say you don’t need yet another monthly recurring fee to pay.

I’m also just not in the business of forcing people to work with me, ever.

My repeat clients are repeats because they want to be, not because they have no other choice. and I never want to be the mechanic scenario, where you leave wondering if you just got ripped off. I’ll craft a site tailored to your needs, helping you develop your brand in the unique way you want to do it, but you’re not tethered to me for the rest of it’s existence.

If you want ongoing support with making updates or adding new content, I’ve got you with retainer options or VIP Days. But once we’re done, you’re free to fly solo, and you don’t need to stress about maintaining security or whatever shit someone else is trying to sell you.

tl;dr:

• monthly maintenance plans? not essential for most small business websites
• focus your energy on updating content, that’s what keeps your site fresh and relevant
• there’s more or less three tiers of website projects, if you’re reading this you’re probably #1 or 2
• modern platforms cover the hosting, security, feature updates – AND GIVE YOU NEW ONES, PROBABLY
• when you’re ready to level up from your DIY, I build websites
• ongoing support is optional, VIP Days + retainers so you get what you need as needed

If you’re sick of the website hamster wheel and want something built right the first time, let’s chat. VIP Days or custom website builds are my thing—hop on my waitlist and let’s make your site actually work for you.