✔ Your website breaks, you lose revenue.
✔ Plus, downtime damages trust and credibility.
✔ Ultimately, a website that affects income should be managed by an agency.
This guide explains who should manage your website, what each option costs, and how to choose the right one for your business.
Why You Need Someone to Manage Your Website After It’s Built
A website isn’t a “build it once” project.
It’s software — and software needs constant care.
Without ongoing management, you risk:
- plugin failures
- slow loading times
- broken forms
- downtime
- outdated content
- SEO ranking drops
🔗 Monthly Website Update Cost Guide
https://theclaymedia.com/monthly-website-update-cost-2025/
The 3 Options for Who Should Manage Your Website
1. Manage It Yourself (DIY)
Pros:
- Free to low cost
- Full control
Cons:
- 6–10 hours/month of your time
- Higher risk of breakage
- No monitoring or backups
- You must fix problems yourself
To see the full cost breakdown for small businesses, read our Website:
https://theclaymedia.com/website-maintenance-cost-for-small-business-2025/
2. Hire a Freelancer to Manage Your Website
This is the most common choice for small businesses.
Pros:
- Affordable ($95–$300/month)
- Someone handles basic updates
Cons:
- A single point of failure
- Slow response times
- No proactive monitoring
- High turnover
The freelancer disappears — your site is unprotected.
3. Hire a Professional Website Management Agency
- leads
- bookings
- online sales
- credibility
- SEO
What an agency handles for you:
- weekly updates
- security monitoring
- uptime monitoring
- performance tuning
- fixing conflicts
- SEO technical health
- content updates
- emergency support
This is the safest, most scalable, highest-ROI option for business owners.
For a deeper explanation of who should maintain your website, see our full guide:
🔗 Who Should Maintain Your Website
https://theclaymedia.com/website-maintenance-guide/
How Much Does Website Management Cost (2025)?
| Service Type | Monthly Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| DIY | $0–$40 | Hobby or personal sites |
| Freelancer | $95–$300 | Simple service websites |
| Agency | $295–$750+ | Revenue-generating businesses |
Your website impacts your income → the agency tier is the smartest and safest choice.
Real Example (From The Clay Media)
A service company in Orange County asked, “Who manages my website after it’s built?”
They were relying on a freelancer who only updated the site twice a year.
Their issues:
- Contact form broke for 19 days
- Page speed dropped to 9 seconds
- SEO rankings fell 40%
- Malware injected hidden outbound links
After switching to The Clay Media:
- Page speed improved to 1.9s
- Leads increased 62%
- No downtime in 14 months
- Full recovery from malware infection
This is why website management matters.
How to Choose Who Should Manage YOUR Website
Use this quick checklist 👇
Option 1: DIY (Do It Yourself)
Choose DIY if:
- Your site doesn’t generate leads
- You enjoy technical tasks
- You’re comfortable fixing issues yourself
This approach works only when your website is not mission-critical.
Option 2: Hire a Freelancer
Choose Freelancer if:
- Your website needs regular updates
- You don’t rely heavily on SEO or sales
However, this option carries risks like turnover and inconsistent reliability.
Option 3: Work With an Agency
Choose Agency if:
- Your website generates revenue
- You need reliability and fast support
- You care about long-term SEO
- Your site depends on proper maintenance
This is the safest, most scalable option for most businesses.
What’s Included in Proper Website Management
A complete service should include:
- WordPress updates
- security monitoring
- malware scanning
- uptime alerts
- speed optimization
- fixing broken elements
- SEO technical health
- monthly reporting
This is how you keep your website secure, fast, and converting.
🔗 Monthly Website Update Cost Guide
https://theclaymedia.com/monthly-website-update-cost-2025/
FAQ: Who Manages My Website After It’s Built?
Do I really need ongoing management?
Yes. Websites require updates weekly. Skipping them causes breakage.
Is website management the same as hosting?
No. Hosting keeps your site online.
Management keeps your site working properly.
Can I switch from a freelancer to an agency?
Yes — agencies handle migrations easily.
Does website management affect SEO?
Absolutely. Slow or broken sites lose rankings instantly.
Get a Free Website Management Audit
Your audit includes:
✔ performance test
✔ security scan
✔ plugin review
✔ update check
✔ backup verification
✔ management plan recommendation
👉 https://theclaymedia.com/contact/
For full monthly pricing, check our Website Maintenance
🔗 Website Maintenance Cost Per Month (2025 Guide)
https://theclaymedia.com/website-maintenance-cost-per-month/
Contact The Clay Media
📞 949-444-2001
📧 Team@theclaymedia.com
📍 Orange County, CA
Trusted by 400+ websites since 2014.
