Managed hosting, updates, backups and security for business websites. Tell us about the job and we'll match you with a local provider who covers your ZIP code.
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Hosting is where your website lives. Maintenance is the ongoing care that keeps it working: software, theme and plugin updates, security monitoring, an SSL certificate, regular backups stored off the server, uptime checks and small content edits.
Sites that go months without updates are easier targets for malware and more likely to break when something finally is updated. A maintenance plan is mostly about avoiding a bad day.
Plans vary by the type of site (a simple brochure site versus an online store), traffic, how often backups run, whether a staging copy is used to test updates, and how many hours of edits are included each month.
Ask what's included and what's billed hourly, how quickly they respond if the site goes down, and whether malware cleanup is covered or extra.
Your website doesn't care about hurricanes, but your office might. Cloud hosting keeps the site online even if your local power or internet is out, which can matter when customers are searching for help after a storm. Ask where backups are stored, how many days are kept and how fast a restore takes.
Register the domain in your own business account, keep the login for your registrar, and make sure you can get a full copy of your site files and database if you ever switch providers.
Ask for examples of work for local service businesses like yours and, if possible, a reference you can call. Look at the results they report, not just the design or the pitch.
Get the scope, monthly deliverables, price, term, cancellation terms and reporting in writing. Confirm that your business owns the domain, website, profiles and ad accounts, with the provider added as a user.
Marketing and web work don't require a state contractor license in Florida, so ask about experience and insurance instead. Through Tampa Services, any license and insurance information a provider gives us is on file; verify it yourself before hiring.
It can be for a very small site. Busy sites, online stores and sites running lead forms usually do better on managed hosting with support and backups.
Many providers check weekly and apply updates after testing. Security fixes should go in quickly.
Ask your provider before it happens: who cleans it up, how fast, and whether it costs extra.