The verdict in three sentences
A brochure website is not a one-time purchase: it is an asset that must be maintained every month or it ages and gets hacked. In 2026, the realistic annual cost runs from 1,800 to 5,900 EUR (ex. tax) depending on service level, maintenance and hosting included. Budgeting nothing means paying later: a hack costs 3,000 to 15,000 EUR and an abandoned design forces a full redesign every 3 to 4 years.
The annual maintenance budget breakdown
Here is the line-by-line breakdown for an SMB brochure site, in 2026 France orders of magnitude.
| Item | Frequency | Annual cost ex. tax |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance (monthly retainer) | Monthly | 1,440-4,800 EUR |
| Hosting + SSL | Monthly | 180-1,080 EUR |
| Domain name | Yearly | 12-40 EUR |
| Off-site backups | Monthly | 60-240 EUR |
| CMS/plugin updates | Quarterly | included in retainer |
| Certificate + monitoring | Continuous | included in retainer |
| Indicative total | — | 1,800-5,900 EUR |
The dominant item is the maintenance retainer: it funds security updates, fixes and a bank of evolution hours.
The cost of no maintenance
Saving on maintenance is false economy. Here is what inaction costs, in 2026 orders of magnitude.
| Incident | Common cause | Remediation cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hack / defacement | Outdated CMS | 3,000-15,000 EUR |
| Prolonged downtime | Unmonitored hosting | 500-3,000 EUR/incident |
| Data loss | No backup | 2,000-10,000 EUR |
| Obsolete design | No refresh | redesign 5,000-15,000 EUR |
| SEO drop | No technical upkeep | hard-to-quantify lead loss |
A missed CMS update is the number one entry point for automated attacks: maintenance is not a luxury, it's insurance.
Mini case study
Ms. Leroy, head of a consulting firm in Bordeaux (WordPress brochure site, 8 pages, contact form), is weighing no contract against a 200 EUR/month maintenance retainer.
Maintenance cost: 200 x 12 = 2,400 EUR/year, hosting included at 30 EUR/month i.e. 360 EUR, total 2,760 EUR/year. Without a contract, her site runs on an un-updated WordPress: the probability of a hack over 3 years is high, with average remediation of 8,000 EUR plus 5 days of downtime. Over 3 years, maintenance costs 8,280 EUR but avoids a loss of the same magnitude plus an early redesign. The math clearly favors the contract.
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FAQ
Can I skip maintenance if my site is simple?
Even a 5-page site runs on a CMS and hosting that require security updates. Without them, you become an easy target. A 120-200 EUR/month retainer is the reasonable minimum.
What does maintenance concretely include?
CMS and plugin updates, bug fixes, uptime monitoring, verified backups and a bank of hours for small evolutions. Large developments are billed separately at the hourly rate.
How often should the design be redone?
Every 3 to 4 years on average: visual standards and mobile usage change fast. Active maintenance pushes back the deadline by adding continuous improvements rather than an abrupt redesign.
What does a hack really cost?
Between 3,000 and 15,000 EUR depending on scale: cleanup, restoration, security hardening and sometimes GDPR notification. It is almost always more than several years of maintenance combined.
Is hosting included in maintenance?
Not always: check the scope. Some maintenance retainers include hosting and SSL, others bill them separately (15-90 EUR/month). Ask for a quote that itemizes each line.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your CMS, page count and service expectations: we'll scope a maintenance retainer between 1,800 and 5,900 EUR (ex. tax)/year, hosting and backups included. 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.
