Services / Maintenance & optimization
A website is not a picture hanging on the wall where nothing ever happens to it. It is a program that runs twenty-four hours a day on the public internet, and it wears out over time — whether you touch it or not.
Why a website needs maintenance at all
Attacks are automated and do not pick their victims. This is what surprises people most. Nobody is sitting at a computer choosing your website in particular.
Imagine a burglar walking down a street and trying every door handle in turn. He does not know anyone on that street, he does not know whose doors they are — he is just looking for the ones that are not locked. When he finds one open, he goes in.
The same thing happens on the internet, only at machine speed. Programs constantly knock on every website they can reach and check whether something old and open has been left behind. They do not care whether you are a small carpentry workshop or a large company. They are not looking for you — they are looking for open doors.
A website “wears out” over time, even though it looks the same. From the outside nothing changes — the same images, the same text. But a website is not a picture, it is a machine that runs non-stop, and like every machine it needs servicing.
The parts of that machine are constantly being fixed and improved, but someone has to install those fixes. If they are not installed, the website stays on the old version.
And here is the key point: whenever such a fix is released, it is also made public what could previously be broken into. It is as if a locksmith announced that a certain lock can be opened with a piece of wire. Whoever replaced the lock can relax. Whoever did not now has a lock the whole world knows how to open.
That is why a website that has not been maintained for a year is not the same website it was a year ago. It is the same website with a list of unlocked doors that anyone can read.
Content goes out of date faster than you think. You changed your phone number, opening hours or prices. You added a new service. You moved. On the website all of that stays the same until someone goes in and changes it.
It is like a shop-window sign still advertising last year’s sale. You no longer even notice it, but everyone walking by sees it.
The most expensive mistake is a wrong phone number. Someone calls, nobody answers — and they move on. They do not call a second time or send an email to let you know. You never find out about that client.
It does not happen all at once. First the website starts loading more slowly. Then a form breaks somewhere and enquiries stop arriving, and you notice only a month later when you wonder why nobody is getting in touch. Then an image disappears. Then, after an automatic hosting update, the website opens with a white page and an error message.
The worst case is a break-in. Google then shows a red warning in front of your website saying the page is dangerous, and you lose both visitors and the search ranking you have built for years. Recovering from that point takes much longer and costs much more than a year of maintenance.
What is included
No hidden items and no extra charges for the basics.
01
WordPress, the theme and all plugins are updated regularly — but not blindly. Before every update a backup is made, and after it the website is checked to make sure nothing broke. That second step is the reason updates are entrusted to someone at all.
02
A complete copy of the website and database, automatic and scheduled, with several older versions kept. This is the only thing that really saves you in the worst case — everything else is prevention, a backup is the way back.
03
Protecting the admin login, monitoring suspicious login attempts, restricting access to sensitive files and regularly checking that nothing has crept into the website.
04
Image optimization, caching, cleaning up unnecessary requests. A visitor on a phone waits two or three seconds and gives up, and Google also takes speed into account in its rankings.
05
An automatic check whether the website is online. If it goes down, I find out before someone calls you to ask why your website will not open.
06
Changing text, prices, images, opening hours, adding a page or a section. You send what you need, I do it — without a quote for every little thing.
To be clear
Maintenance covers keeping the website running, secure and up to date. It does not cover building new parts of the website. If halfway through the year you decide to add an online store, online booking or a complete redesign — that is a separate project and is agreed separately.
The line is simple: changing what exists is maintenance, building something new is a project. Changing a price in the price list is maintenance. Creating a price list that does not exist is a project. If something is on the borderline, I will tell you in advance, before doing anything.
Maintenance also does not include hosting and the domain — you pay for those directly to your provider, and that is how it should be, because the website must remain your property. I can help you choose and set them up, but the bill goes in your name.
How we work together
You focus on your business, I take care of the website.
01
First we see what the current state is: which versions are running, whether there is a backup, how fast the website loads and whether there are signs of anything suspicious. You get a list of findings, with no obligation to continue.
02
Whatever has piled up is resolved before regular maintenance begins. There is no point paying for monthly care of a website that is already in trouble.
03
Updates, backups and checks run on schedule, without your involvement. I do not call you when everything is fine — I get in touch when there is something you need to know.
04
You send what needs to be changed and get a confirmation when it is done. For urgent matters, call by phone — do not wait for an email.
Who it is for
Maintenance makes sense as soon as the website starts bringing you enquiries or sales. Until then it is a cost; after that it is insurance.
Your website works, but nobody takes care of updates and backups
You sell online, so every hour of downtime means lost orders
You have already had a problem with your website and do not want it to happen again
You have neither the time nor the desire to deal with technical things
Your website was built by someone else who is no longer available
FAQ
If something is unclear, write to me — I reply the same day.
Yes, and that is the most common misunderstanding. A website that stays untouched is not a website at rest — the software beneath it keeps changing, and the security holes that are discovered are published openly. A website nobody touches is actually the easiest target, because it is the oldest.
Because you pay for readiness, not for hours. Most months the work is quiet: checks, updates and backups that take little time and that you do not see. Then comes the day when something breaks, and then there are no working hours — the work goes on until it runs again. When a website crashes without a maintenance agreement, you first have to find someone willing to get into someone else’s website at all, and then pay for an urgent job — and a single intervention like that can cost as much as half a year of maintenance.
If your website or online store goes down, call right away, no matter the time. Things like that do not wait until Monday. Small changes and additions are handled during regular working hours, weekdays from 08:00 to 17:30.
Yes, on one condition — that I first look at what is inside. I work with WordPress websites, most often built with Elementor, and with WooCommerce stores. If a website is built with something I do not know well enough, I will tell you openly instead of learning on your website.
The website stays yours, with all access, and keeps running. You get the latest backup and access to everything that has been set up. No lock-in and no conditions — that would not be a fair way to keep a client.
No. You pay for hosting and the domain directly to the provider, in your own name, so the website always remains your property. I help with choosing and setting them up, but I do not keep your domain with me.
Send me your website address and you will get a review of speed, security and what should be fixed — with no obligation and free of charge.
© 2026 Živić Design — Jagodina, Serbia
