Website support plans
Here to support you beyond the launch of your website
The support plans outlined below are for WordPress based websites.
Feature comparison
Feature details
Priority Technical Support
The support plan provides you with priority access to a developer for the speedy resolution of any issues that might occur in relation to the operation or functionality of your website after it has gone live.
It covers: resolving problems with the operation of your website (such as pages not appearing, forms not working), resolving problems with the functionality of your website (ie, bugs discovered in parts of your website), and answering your technical questions.
Hosting issues will also be covered if you host your website with me. But if you host the site with a third party then you will likely need to contact your Hosting provider for a resolution.
Where I am taking over support for a website that I did not build myself then please note that any pre-existing issues on the website would not be covered under the cost of this plan.
Software Updates
I will ensure that the software that your website is running on is kept up-to-date with all the latest security patches, bug fixes and new features.
If you don’t keep your website software up-to-date then you could be leaving your site vulnerable to malicious hackers and malware. And the longer you leave it the worse the risk becomes.
It’s a sad fact that websites come under regular attacks. I have seen the damage that can be done and the recovery costs involved can be substantial. So I encourage all my clients to be proactive about their site software and take measures to protect the initial investment in their website.
Minor updates to the core WordPress software will happen automatically as they are released.
Major updates to the core WordPress software will be applied monthly.
Minor updates to plugins will happen automatically as they are released.
Major updates to plugins will be applied monthly.
Other scripts and libraries will be updated monthly, or sooner if urgent.
Offsite Backups
This facility ensures that your website database and files are backed up on a regular basis. This is a safeguard measure against the possibility of disaster and losing your website.
Backups are automated and stored on a different server to where your website is hosted. This is important because if you are backing up to the same server that your website is hosted on then what happens if your server completely fails or your hosting company goes out of business? You could lose your website and not be able to recover it. Having off-site backups gives you a measure of protection against such eventualities and means you will always have the reassurance that should the worst happen then your website can be restored.
Storage costs are included in the price subject to my terms of service.
Your site database is backed up daily. This is the most critical part of your website as it holds all of your website content and settings. Website files are backed up weekly.
Content Updates
Silver and Gold plans only.
Includes a set number of hours of content updates per year. This time is charged at a reduced rate (£30/hour instead of £35/hour) so is good value for money compared to adhoc change requests.
This is a great option for website owners who don’t have the time to edit their website content themselves.
When you need content changed on any of your web pages simply let me know via email and I will carry out the work for you. I’ll also ensure that the changes are properly checked and tested.
After each request I will deduct the time from the allocated hours and let you know how much you have left on your plan.
Uptime Monitoring
Gold plans only.
Your website will be automatically checked every 5 minutes to make sure that it is responding. Any downtime will result in an immediate notification, which can then be followed up on.
This service helps to spot issues early so that they can be resolved as quickly as possible.
Terms & conditions
The fee covers one website only (ie, a single domain name).
Monthly payments are by Direct Debit only.
Response times for technical support will depend to some degree on what the request is, but in relation to technical issues that might be affecting the operation, or visibility, of the website I aim to respond within 24 hours where possible.
For less critical items then I aim to respond within 3 working days. Please note that I cannot ‘guarantee’ turn-around times but if you have a support contract then you can be assured that you will receive my best possible service.
Note that some hosting providers do not allow automatic software updates. Where this is the case then updates will be applied manually once a month (WordPress plans).
The fee excludes the cost of updating commercial plugins that carry a license fee of their own.
Major WordPress updates may affect plugins adversely. This can stop some plugins working. This is very rare, but if this happens and no update is available for the plugin then you will be notified of the issue. I am not responsible for third-party plugins, so compatibility issues must be addressed by the original plugin author.
In the event that your website backups consume more storage space than I consider is fair and reasonable then I reserve the right to raise the subscription fee (to cover my extra costs) or cancel the service.