Once your website is finished, you need to decide on a few things. Where is the site going live? This is called hosting. Then there’s the need to keep your website up to date, this is called support.  Think of hosting like your computer, it needs to be quick, secure and will have occasional updates – like windows or mac operating systems.  Now consider your website like the programs that belong on the computer, microsoft office perhaps or Mac mail, these also need updating for the latest functionality and security.

We provide leading edge cloud hosting technology through Digital Ocean.  The types of websites and systems that sit on our standard hosting platforms are mostly made from Opensource Content Management Systems (CMS) such as Mod X and WordPress to name a couple. We build our sites on an Open Source CMS to ensure you are getting a product that you can manage yourself easily in the future. Clients are never locked in and can move their website and support to any provider if they wish.

Just like a bit of software or a computer, your website will need maintaining and updating to keep your site and customer data secure, in addition to ensuring it functions at its optimum.  

Why does my website need maintaining?

Your CMS is a combination of systems and modules that make up the whole site. As it is essentially a piece of software with multiple extensions, some elements will need updating and amending. Some components become outdated over time, meaning they could be less secure than they should be due to an enhancement in technologies, the code may require an update to conform to google’s ever changing algorithms or they simply become incompatible with newer functionality added to the various browsers.

With this all said, it is important that your site is updated on a frequent basis to ensure your site maintains efficiency and optimum performance.  If you are technically minded then you can always manage this yourself, however it is best to leave it with the people that designed and built the product. Any issues resulting in mismanagement of the technology will incur potentially high costs to rectify, so it’s important to bear this in mind when deciding what to do.

Hosting & support packages

Our hosting package covers core system updates and maintenance, this starts at £80 per month. Our support package includes additional maintenance such as fixing browser bugs, updating technology to a newer, more efficient version, human error and administration support and advice. The sites we build are bespoke content managed platforms, meaning you have full control over content but sometimes clients just need a bit of hand holding and to be shown how to do something; just like learning any new bit of software. We will even resize and edit images for you if that is required.

After go live, support requests will be taken via our team support email. This can be billed at either £105 per hour if you opt for a pay as you go scenario, or £92 per hour if you sign up to a 6 or 12 hour support package.
Many clients opt for the 12 hour package as it gives them peace of mind and they know our team are on hand to respond pretty much instantly. With a bespoke build and a flexible CMS there’s a lot our websites can deliver in the admin areas, so there’s a lot to learn!

Pay as you go

If you feel confident that you or your team are happy managing your website and want no monthly support costs then pay as you go is a good option. That said, we must stress that anything that should break will be your responsibility and may cost more to resolve the issue due to the time it takes to diagnose and investigate a problem.

Our hosting and support options

  • Basic Hosting and maintenance package, prices from £80 per month
  • Pay-as-you-go website support = £105 per hour, support when you need it.
    Non-critical issues resolved within 5 working days
  • Website support package A = £552 for 6 hours. Payment in advance, rolling for 12 months.
    Priority over pay as you go customers
  • Website support package B = £1,104 for 12 hours. Payment in advance, rolling for 12 months.
    Priority over pay as you go customers.

What happens if I need support?

If you need support, simply send any issues to the team here, or for really urgent issues pick up the phone. One of the team will respond asap and resolve the issue. Generally the average support request is managed within a day, and the resolution time within 3 days. Priority is given to clients that have opted for a support package A or B.