Do you already have a website, or are you only planning to create one? In either case, it is important to understand in advance what will happen after the website is launched. A website does not start working by itself after publication. Even if everything was configured correctly during development, over time it is still necessary to monitor its availability, install updates, create backups, check the SSL certificate, forms and links, fix emerging errors, and monitor security, loading speed and the compatibility of components after updates.
In addition, a website almost always develops together with the business. New services and areas of activity appear, information changes, new pages and functions need to be added, new services need to be connected, and forms, integrations and individual website elements need to be changed. What was enough at the time of launch may no longer meet the company’s new needs after a year, or even after a few months.
That is why website maintenance should be planned in advance. Who will monitor the website, install updates, fix errors and make the necessary changes: you yourself, a separate in-house specialist, or a professional company entrusted with ongoing technical support?
Each option has its own advantages, limitations and costs. At the same time, the right choice depends not so much on the size of the business as on the volume and nature of the work that really needs to be performed on a regular basis. Even for a large company, it is not always economically reasonable to keep an in-house specialist or even an entire technical team if most of these resources are needed only from time to time.
What website maintenance really means
Website maintenance is not a situation where once a month you need to replace a photo, correct a few words or add a new phone number. Changing information is only a small part of the work. The main purpose of maintenance is to ensure that the website continues to function properly after launch and remains available, secure and technically sound.
It is necessary to monitor the operation of both the website itself and the hosting, renew the domain and SSL certificate on time, check that backups are being created and make sure that the website can be restored in case of failure. If a content management system, plugins, modules or other third-party components are used, they need to be updated and checked after each update to make sure that the update has not caused conflicts or errors.
A separate task is to constantly check whether visitors can actually use the website. Contact forms must send messages, buttons and links must lead to the correct places, pages must open correctly on both computers and mobile devices, and connected external services and integrations must continue to work after their own updates.
Technical errors that did not exist at the time of launch may also appear periodically. They may be caused by a software update, a change in server settings, a new browser version, the end of support for a component or a change in the requirements of an external service. Such problems need to be found, their cause identified and the issue resolved.
Maintenance also includes small changes that constantly arise in the daily work of a business: adding a new page or employee, changing a service or information about it, publishing a document, modifying a form, adding a new contact method, changing a separate block or connecting a new function. Each such task may be small on its own, but over a year quite a lot of them can accumulate.
That is why full website maintenance combines several areas: technical monitoring, updates, backups, security, work with the domain and hosting, checking forms and links, fixing errors and making small changes to the existing website. This real volume of work is exactly what needs to be taken into account when a company decides who will be responsible for the website after its launch.
Can you maintain a website yourself?
Yes, part of the work related to a website can be done independently. This is especially true if it is a small informational website and the content management system allows you to change text, replace a photo, add news, correct contact details or update a service description without technical knowledge.
However, it is important not to confuse managing website content with technical website maintenance. The ability to change text independently through the administration panel does not mean that the website owner will be able to solve any technical problem on their own.
As long as everything works normally, the difference may be almost invisible. But it becomes obvious when, after an update, a form stops working, plugins conflict with each other, the website starts loading slowly, database errors appear, server space runs out, email stops working correctly or the website stops opening altogether.
For such tasks, knowing how to use the administration panel is no longer enough. It is necessary to understand how the website is built, which components are connected to one another, where to look for the cause of an error and what changes can be made without risking the operation of the rest of the system.
Special care is needed with updates. Pressing the “update” button is not difficult, but the update itself may change the way a theme, plugin, module or other component works. Therefore, before making serious changes, it is advisable to have an up-to-date backup and to understand how to restore the website if something goes wrong.
The same applies to working with hosting, the server, the database, code and security settings. A mistake in these areas can affect not just a separate text or image, but the operation of the entire website.
Therefore, for a small website it is perfectly reasonable to manage the content independently: update information, photos, news, prices and other materials. But technical maintenance should be considered separately. If solving a task requires working with code, the server, the database, plugins, system settings or security, then the necessary knowledge and experience are already required.
One in-house specialist: advantages and limitations
An in-house specialist can be a very convenient solution. This person works inside the company on a regular basis, understands its internal processes, knows the employees, the website structure and the history of changes, and can respond more quickly to tasks that arise during the working day. There is no need to explain again each time what the company does, who makes decisions and why a particular section needs to be changed.
Such a specialist is especially useful where the website is closely connected with the daily work of the business. If information needs to be updated regularly, materials added, new pages created, forms changed, internal services connected or small improvements made quickly, having a person inside the company really makes the work easier.
However, the capabilities of one specialist are still limited by their own qualifications and time. A modern website may simultaneously require knowledge of development, content management systems, servers and hosting, databases, security, backups, user interfaces, search engine optimization and design. It is difficult to find a person who works equally professionally in all these areas.
This does not mean that an in-house employee does their job badly. It simply means that different tasks require different competencies. A good developer is not necessarily a strong system administrator or security specialist, and a person who works excellently with WordPress and content does not have to professionally understand server infrastructure, design or SEO.
There is also an ordinary organizational factor. An in-house specialist may go on vacation, fall ill, be busy with another internal project or leave the company. If a significant part of the information about the website, access credentials, settings and completed changes is concentrated in the hands of only one person, that person’s temporary or permanent absence may seriously complicate website maintenance.
That is why the main question here is not whether the company’s specialist is good or bad. It is necessary to understand whether one person can cover the real range of tasks that arise around the website and whether they have enough working time for that. For some companies, one employee is completely sufficient. For others, the website gradually becomes an area where specialists from several different fields are periodically needed.
Even a large company does not always benefit from creating its own web team
A large company can usually afford to hire a good specialist, provide them with a workplace and pay a decent salary. Therefore, the question is not whether the business can afford its own employee or even an entire web team. It is much more important to understand whether this is economically justified.
If the website does not require continuous work throughout the entire working day, the company is effectively paying for a full workplace for tasks that arise only from time to time. In one period there may be a lot of work, and then several days or weeks may follow when the website requires only monitoring, small changes and rare technical interventions.
At the same time, one specialist is not always able to cover the entire necessary range of competencies. If the company really needs development, server administration, security, work with a CMS, databases, integrations, UX, SEO and design, then this is no longer about one employee, but about several people with different specializations.
In that case, costs increase significantly. The company pays not only salaries and taxes, but also for workplaces, equipment, software, licences, employee management, training and organizing replacement during vacations, illness or resignation.
In addition, its own team must have a steady workload; otherwise, the company still pays part of the team’s cost regardless of whether there are technical tasks at that particular moment or not. The narrower the range of tasks connected specifically with the website, the more noticeable this difference becomes.
Therefore, the size of the company by itself does not yet mean that its own web team will be the most cost-effective solution. It makes economic sense when the volume of ongoing tasks is truly sufficient to provide a steady workload for several specialists. If a significant part of the work arises only periodically, maintaining a full internal team may cost more than having the website maintained by an external company.
Why it may be more cost-effective to entrust website maintenance to a company
An external website maintenance company works according to a different principle. The client does not need to find one person who must understand everything. Tasks are distributed among specialists depending on their complexity and nature.
A small change on the website can be made by one employee. If there is a problem with the server or hosting, a specialist who works specifically with infrastructure is involved. A programming error is fixed by a developer. Security issues are handled by a specialist with the relevant competence. If it is necessary to change the user interface, connect a new function or solve an integration problem, the task is passed to the person best suited to solve it.
For the client, this means access not only to the knowledge of one specialist, but to the expertise of an entire team, without needing to keep that team on staff.
This is one of the main economic advantages of external maintenance. The company does not pay for the constant presence of several employees, but for the volume of work and support that its website really needs.
The external service provider, in turn, benefits from economies of scale. One professional team services several projects at the same time, so the cost of specialists is distributed among different clients. Each individual company does not need to pay for a full working day of a developer, system administrator, security specialist, designer and other employees if their involvement is needed only periodically.
That is why external maintenance is in many cases more economically reasonable than maintaining an internal technical team. The client gets access to the necessary expertise exactly when it is really needed and does not carry constant costs for specialists who may only be needed for part of the working time.
One specialist and a company are not the same thing
Handing a website over to a freelancer and handing its maintenance over to a company are not the same thing. Even if in both cases the work is performed by external specialists, the maintenance model itself is different.
A freelancer may be a very strong developer, know a specific project well and maintain it professionally for years. For many websites, this format is completely sufficient. But the business still remains dependent on one person.
If that specialist becomes ill, goes on vacation, is busy with another project, becomes temporarily unavailable or stops working altogether, there is a risk of delays. If the matter concerns only a small correction, this may not be significant. But if the website, order form, integration or email stops working, or if a security problem appears, dependence on the availability of one person becomes a real business risk.
Maintenance through a company has a different logic. The project should not be tied only to one specialist. Completed changes, technical specifics, work history and necessary access credentials must be organized in such a way that another employee can continue the task if necessary.
This makes it possible not to start everything from scratch each time and not to explain to a new person from the beginning how the website is built, what decisions have already been made and what has been changed before.
In addition, different tasks can be assigned to specialists with the appropriate profile. If the problem is related to the server, one person solves it. If a programming improvement is needed, another specialist handles it. If a security issue arises, a person who works specifically in that area is involved.
For the client, this is a fundamental difference. The client is not turning to a specific programmer whose schedule and availability determine the entire project, but to a company responsible for organizing and ensuring continuity of maintenance.
Therefore, when comparing a freelancer and a company, it is important not to look only at the hourly rate. In one case, the business depends to a large extent on one specialist. In the other, tasks can be transferred to another specialist inside the team and continuity of service for the project can be maintained.
In other words, the client pays not only for the completion of a specific task, but also for the possibility of continuing website maintenance regardless of whether one particular specialist is available at that moment.
When your own specialist is really more cost-effective
External maintenance is not suitable for every company. There are situations where an in-house specialist or an internal technical team really becomes the more rational solution.
If a company develops its own digital platform every day, constantly releases new functions, changes existing processes and works with internal systems, APIs, databases and complex integrations, the volume of technical tasks may be so large that specialists are effectively occupied with them for a full working day.
In such a situation, maintaining an internal team already makes economic sense. Employees work continuously within the project, know its architecture in depth, participate in planning new functions and can work every day on developing the system together with other company departments.
The same applies to businesses for which the website or digital platform itself is one of the main working tools. An online store under constant development, a large online service, a marketplace, a booking system or the company’s own internal platform may require so many daily changes that passing every task to an external provider becomes less convenient.
The main criterion here is continuous workload. If a developer, administrator or an entire team really has enough work for a full working day every day, the cost of in-house employees can no longer be considered payment for unused resources. The company uses their working time constantly.
As the project grows further, separate specialists may appear for development, infrastructure, security, user interfaces and other areas. In this case, a full internal technical team is formed because the volume of work already justifies its existence.
Therefore, it cannot be said that external maintenance is always more cost-effective. The economic justification changes together with the volume of tasks. As long as technical work appears only periodically, maintaining an internal team may be excessive. But when development and maintenance become a constant daily process, in-house specialists may prove to be a more convenient and economically justified solution.
The determining factor is not the size of the company, or even the complexity of the website itself, but the volume of ongoing work that can realistically keep in-house specialists occupied.
In-house employees and external maintenance can be combined
The choice does not have to be limited to two options: either fully maintaining an internal web team or fully handing the website over to an external company. For medium-sized and large businesses, it is often more rational to divide responsibility between internal employees and several external service providers.
An internal employee can handle what truly requires constant presence inside the company: managing website content, working with marketing, receiving requests from managers and other departments, setting priorities, approving changes and coordinating the work of external providers.
At the same time, technical tasks can be distributed among external companies according to their specialization. One company may be responsible for the website and its technical maintenance, another for a mobile application or a separate digital system, while the internal employee remains the link between the business and all service providers.
This is exactly how the work was organized in one bus company in Italy. When designing the digital architecture of the project, we separately assessed which tasks were more cost-effective to keep inside the company and which should be assigned to external specialists. As a result, an in-house employee is responsible for the tasks that require constant involvement from the company itself, we maintain the website, and another service provider maintains the application.
This division of responsibilities did not appear by chance. The goal was not to hand the entire project over to one company or, on the contrary, to create an internal technical department. We looked at each area separately and determined to whom it was most reasonable to assign it from both an economic and organizational point of view.
As a result, the business retains internal control over the project, while at the same time not paying to maintain specialists for whom it cannot provide a constant workload. Each participant works in their own area, and the client company receives the necessary expertise exactly where it is needed.
Therefore, a combined model may include not only in-house employees and one external company. In a complex project, it may be more reasonable to distribute different parts of the system between an internal team and several specialized service providers, if this architecture is more cost-effective for the business.
Costs should not be compared only with one programmer’s salary
When comparing an in-house specialist with external maintenance, it is easy to make a common mistake: to compare the monthly website maintenance price only with the salary of one programmer. Such a comparison does not show the real costs of the company.
An in-house employee costs the business more than the amount they receive after taxes. Salary is accompanied by taxes and other mandatory employer payments, a workplace, a computer and other necessary equipment, software and licences. In addition, the employee must be managed: tasks must be assigned, their completion checked, workload planned, and the time of a manager or another responsible employee must be spent on this.
Periods when the specialist is absent must also be taken into account. Vacation, illness or resignation do not cancel technical tasks. If the website plays an important role in the operation of the business, the company needs to understand in advance who will do this work during the specialist’s absence and how much such replacement will cost.
Another significant cost arises when one specialist’s competencies are not enough. For example, an in-house developer may work excellently with code, but separate tasks may still require a system administrator, designer, security specialist, SEO specialist or another professional in a specific field. In that case, the cost of external providers is added to the cost of the permanent employee, or the company needs to hire additional people.
Therefore, the full cost of the internal solution must be calculated: salary, taxes, workplace, equipment, software and licences, management, replacement of the employee and involvement of additional competencies.
But even after that, the comparison is not finished. The resulting amount must be compared with the real volume of work related to the website. If the specialist really works on this project for the entire working day, an in-house employee may be economically justified. If technical tasks take only a few hours a week or arise unevenly, the company pays for a much larger resource than it actually uses.
The same applies to external maintenance. It is necessary to compare not an abstract contract price, but what work is included in the maintenance, which specialists can be involved if necessary and what real volume of work the company receives for this money.
The correct comparison is not the website maintenance price compared with a programmer’s salary, but the full cost of the internal technical function compared with the real volume and cost of the work actually required for the website.
Who is responsible for the website after launch?
The question of website maintenance should be resolved before development begins. Already at the design stage, it is advisable to understand who will be responsible for the website after launch: the business owner, a company employee, the developer or a separate technical maintenance company.
This also affects the architecture of the project itself. If the client plans to change texts, photos, services and other materials independently, the website must be built so that these actions can be performed through a clear content management system without constantly contacting the developer. If regular technical development, integrations or more complex functions are planned, it is necessary to determine in advance who will handle these tasks and who will have the required access.
It is also important to divide responsibility. One person may be responsible for the website content, another for the technical condition, and a third for marketing or development. Not all tasks have to be assigned to one provider, but it must be clear who is responsible for each area and whom to contact when a problem arises.
It is especially important to determine in advance who controls the domain, hosting, SSL certificate, backups, updates and access credentials. These issues often remain unnoticed while everything works normally. But if the domain registration expires, a server problem appears or the website needs to be restored urgently, the lack of a responsible person immediately becomes a business problem.
Creating a website, launching it and then simply leaving it without maintenance is a bad approach regardless of how well the website was initially made. Technologies change, software components are updated, external services change their requirements, and the business itself sets new tasks for the website over time.
Therefore, launching a website does not mean the end of working with it. Before development begins, it is worth determining who will be responsible for its content, technical condition and further development.
Which option should you choose?
There is no universal solution here. For a small business, it usually makes no economic sense to keep its own technical specialist only for the sake of the website if most tasks arise only from time to time. In this case, it is more reasonable to manage the content independently and assign technical work to an external specialist or maintenance company.
For a medium-sized business, external maintenance or a combined model is often more cost-effective. Some tasks remain inside the company — for example, content, marketing, task setting and control over website development — while technical work is assigned to specialists who do not need to be employed permanently.
A large company, of course, can create its own internal technical team, but the mere fact that the company can financially afford such a team does not yet make this solution economically justified. An internal team is truly justified when development, maintenance, integrations and other technical tasks create a constant volume of work and enough continuous workload for specialists.
If the website needs technical intervention only periodically, even for a large company it may be more cost-effective to use external maintenance or divide tasks between its own employees and specialized service providers.
Therefore, it is not the size of the company or the number of its employees that should be compared. It is necessary to look at the website itself, its role in the business, the complexity of the technical part, the frequency of changes and the actual volume of work.
The size of the company by itself does not determine the right decision. The real volume of ongoing technical tasks does.
