The verdict in three sentences
For a 40-employee SMB whose website generates quote requests, the right maintenance level sits between EUR 150 and 250 a month excl. VAT, with a guaranteed 8 business-hour response time and daily off-site backups. EUR 49 plans cover updates, rarely the recovery after an incident. The deciding factor is not the monthly fee but what the contract promises, in writing, on the day the site goes down.
Three offers, three real service levels
A London business owner typically receives three proposals: a freelancer, a local agency and a managed-service provider. Price gaps mostly reflect response time and contractual liability.
| Criterion | Essential plan | Pro plan | Premium plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | EUR 49 excl. VAT | EUR 160 excl. VAT | EUR 390 excl. VAT |
| CMS and plugin updates | Monthly | Weekly | Within 24 h for critical flaws |
| Backups | Weekly, same server | Daily, off-site storage | Daily + 90-day retention |
| Guaranteed response time | 48 business hours | 8 business hours | 4 h, 7 days a week |
| Included development hours | 0 | 1 h per month | 3 h per month |
| Uptime monitoring | None | Every 5 min | Every minute + SMS alert |
| Monthly report | No | Yes | Yes + quarterly review |
The EUR 49 plan remains relevant for a brochure site with no forms and no paid traffic. As soon as the site feeds the sales pipeline, 48 hours of downtime during a campaign costs more than the annual difference between plans (EUR 1,332 between Essential and Pro).
What an incident costs without the right contract
2026 orders of magnitude observed on European SMBs show that the cost of a hack far exceeds the maintenance budget.
| Post-hack cost item | 2026 estimate |
|---|---|
| Site cleanup and restoration | EUR 1,500 to 4,000 |
| Forensic review and log analysis | EUR 2,000 to 6,000 |
| Lost leads over 5 to 10 days | EUR 2,000 to 8,000 |
| Regulator and customer notification if data exposed | EUR 1,000 to 4,000 |
| Removal from Google and email blacklists | EUR 500 to 1,500 |
| Reputational damage, lost prospects | Hard to quantify |
| Average total | EUR 8,000 to 25,000 |
Nearly half of WordPress compromises come from outdated plugins. A weekly update, tested on a staging environment, removes most of that risk.
Clauses to demand in the contract
A serious maintenance quote specifies at least the following:
- Response time and restoration time as separate commitments: reacting within 4 h does not mean being back online within 4 h.
- Penalties or service credits if the SLA is missed, for example 10 % of the monthly fee per 4-hour delay.
- Where backups are stored and for how long, with a restore test at least every six months.
- Rollover of unused development hours within the quarter.
- Reversibility: handover of access, code and the latest backup within 5 days upon termination.
- Commitment term of 12 months maximum, with 1 to 3 months' notice.
Be wary of contracts that bill every out-of-scope task above EUR 90 an hour with no cap, or that say nothing about liability for an unpatched flaw.
Mini case study
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Claire, managing director of a 40-employee lab equipment SMB in London, receives 35 quote requests a month through her website, with a 12 % conversion rate and an average margin of EUR 2,800 per order. Each day of downtime costs her about 1.2 requests, close to EUR 400 of expected margin.
On the Essential plan, an incident can last 3 to 5 days: EUR 1,200 to 2,000 of margin at stake. On the Pro plan at EUR 160, restoration happens in under a day. Extra annual cost: EUR 1,332. A single avoided incident per year pays for the gap, and the monthly development hour (12 h a year, about EUR 1,000 of value) funds small conversion improvements.
FAQ
What budget should an SMB plan for website maintenance in 2026?
Count EUR 150 to 250 a month for a lead-generating site, and EUR 49 to 90 for a simple brochure site. E-commerce sites or sites with a client area often reach EUR 300 to 500.
Is a 4-hour SLA necessary for an SMB?
Rarely. An 8 business-hour response is enough for most B2B sites, unless the site processes online orders. A 4-hour, 7-day SLA usually costs 2 to 2.5 times more.
Can we switch providers mid-contract?
Yes if a reversibility clause exists, with 1 to 3 months' notice. Require the handover of access and a full backup within 5 business days.
Are included development hours useful?
Yes: 1 to 3 hours a month cover new pages, client references or form tweaks. At an average hourly rate of EUR 80 to 95, that represents EUR 1,000 to 3,400 a year.
Does maintenance include hosting?
Not always. Check whether hosting (EUR 10 to 90 a month depending on the plan) is included or billed separately, and who is responsible when the server fails.
Let's scope your project. We audit your current site and propose a calibrated maintenance retainer, from EUR 90 to 390 a month, with a written SLA and tested backups. 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.
