The verdict in three sentences
Maintenance isn't optional: without it, a site degrades, gets hacked or goes down at the worst moment. In Ouagadougou in 2026, budget 300,000 to 1,200,000 FCFA/year for a showcase site and 1,200,000 to 4,000,000 FCFA/year for e-commerce. The key trade-off is between an hourly retainer (flexible, few guarantees) and a subscription (SLA, guaranteed recovery time).
Maintenance grid by site type
Price depends on technical complexity, traffic volume and service level (SLA). The ranges below are a 2026 order of magnitude for the Burkinabe market.
| Site type | Maintenance / year | Recovery time |
|---|---|---|
| Simple showcase (5-10 pages) | 300,000-600,000 FCFA | 24 h |
| Advanced showcase + blog | 600,000-1,200,000 FCFA | 12 h |
| E-commerce Starter | 1,200,000-2,000,000 FCFA | 8 h |
| E-commerce Growth | 2,000,000-3,000,000 FCFA | 4-8 h |
| E-commerce Premium | 3,000,000-4,000,000 FCFA | 4 h |
| Business application | 3,500,000-6,000,000 FCFA | 4 h |
E-commerce costs more because every hour of downtime translates into lost sales: a 4 h SLA is paid for but pays off.
What's included: hourly retainer vs subscription
The real question isn't price but scope. A clear subscription avoids nasty surprises and guarantees a response time.
| Service | Hourly retainer | Monthly subscription |
|---|---|---|
| Security & patches | On demand | Included |
| Automatic backups | No | Daily |
| Technical updates | Billed | Included |
| Guaranteed recovery time | No | Yes (SLA) |
| Evolution hours included | 0 | 2-8 h/month |
| Monthly report | No | Yes |
| Indicative cost | 20,000-35,000 FCFA/h | 50,000-350,000 FCFA/month |
The hourly retainer suits a stable, low-stakes site; the subscription becomes essential once downtime costs money or reputation.
Mini case study
Ms. Ouedraogo runs a distribution SME in Ouagadougou with a Growth e-commerce site (400-SKU catalog, 90 orders/week, average basket 25,000 FCFA). She hesitates: hourly retainer or subscription at 2,400,000 FCFA/year (8 h SLA). Without an SLA, a 2-day outage during a campaign costs her about 90 orders x 25,000 = 2,250,000 FCFA in missed sales, plus lost trust. The annual subscription (2,400,000 FCFA) thus pays for itself with the first outage avoided. Verdict: a subscription with SLA isn't an expense, it's quantifiable insurance.
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FAQ
Is maintenance really mandatory?
Yes for any professional site. Without security updates, a site becomes a target: most hacks exploit known, unpatched flaws. Backups, meanwhile, prevent total data loss.
Hourly retainer or subscription: which to choose?
Retainer for a stable, low-traffic showcase site; subscription once downtime costs sales or reputation. The subscription guarantees a recovery time (SLA), the retainer doesn't.
What does a 4 h recovery time (SLA) cover?
It means that in a major outage, the intervention starts and the site is restored within 4 h maximum. For an active e-commerce site, that time is often worth more than its cost in preserved sales.
Can evolutions be included in maintenance?
Yes, most subscriptions include 2 to 8 evolution hours per month (adding a page, editing content, a small fix). Beyond that, structural evolutions are quoted separately.
How much to budget the first year after launch?
For a showcase site, plan 600,000 to 1,200,000 FCFA/year; for an active e-commerce site, 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 FCFA/year with an SLA. This budget is separate from the initial build cost.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your site type, order volume and desired SLA: we'll propose a clear maintenance contract, retainer or subscription. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
