A website care plan is a monthly service where someone looks after your website once it is live, keeping it hosted, secure and backed up, checking it still works and making small changes for you when your business changes. You need one if your website brings in work and you would rather not deal with the technical side yourself. If you are happy to manage hosting, security and updates on your own, or your site sits on an all-in-one builder that already handles them, you may not need one at all.
This page explains what a care plan covers, what Marvanova's four plans include and cost, and the situations where you can honestly do without one.
Why a website needs looking after
It is tempting to think of a website as finished on launch day, but it keeps running on servers, software and browsers that keep changing around it. Security certificates expire, browsers update, contact forms stop delivering emails without anyone noticing, and the prices or opening hours on the site slowly drift out of date. None of this is dramatic on its own. Left alone for long enough, though, it adds up to a site that quietly loses you enquiries.
A care plan puts one person in charge of all of that, so you find out about problems from them rather than from a customer.
What a care plan usually covers
Plans vary from one provider to another, but a sensible one covers most of the following.
- Hosting and security. Somewhere fast and reliable for the site to run, with the SSL padlock renewed automatically.
- Your domain. Renewal reminders and the technical settings that point your web address at your site.
- Backups. Saved copies of the site so it can be put back if something goes wrong.
- Monitoring. A check that tells your provider when the site goes down, so it gets fixed.
- Form checks and spam protection. Making sure enquiries still reach you and the junk does not.
- Small changes. New photos, prices, offers or text, without a fresh quote each time.
Marvanova's four care plans
We offer four plans, each building on the one before. These are the prices and inclusions published on our websites page.
| Plan and who it suits | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Essential. For sites that rarely change. | £39 |
| Plus. For sites that need regular small updates. Free for 3 months with every build. | £69 |
| AI Care. For sites with an AI chatbot. | £99 |
| Growth. For businesses that want more enquiries. | £179 |
Essential, £39 a month: we keep it running
Essential covers hosting on fast managed servers with the SSL padlock renewed automatically, and your domain looked after with renewal reminders and DNS settings handled. Every version of your site is saved, with backups kept for 90 days. It includes uptime monitoring, so if your site goes down we know and fix it, a monthly check that your enquiries still reach you, spam protection on your contact forms, security and browser fixes as needed, and email support with a reply within 2 working days.
Plus, £69 a month: we keep it fresh
Plus includes everything in Essential, and adds up to 1 hour of changes a month for things like photos, prices, opening hours, text and offers, with images optimised as we go. Replies come by the next working day, and you get a short monthly report on visits, enquiries and uptime. We also keep your privacy and cookie notices up to date as your site changes, and give your site a Google check-up twice a year covering speed, search basics and your Google Business listing.
AI Care, £99 a month: we keep your chatbot sharp
AI Care includes everything in Plus and is for sites with an AI chatbot. The chatbot's running costs are covered up to 100 conversations a month. Each month we read through what visitors asked and improve the answers where it struggled, we update the chatbot when your prices, services or hours change, and we have a 20-minute review call with you every quarter.
Growth, £179 a month: we help it grow
Growth includes everything in AI Care, or everything in Plus if your site has no chatbot. On top of that you get one search-optimised blog article a month written for your customers, two Google Business posts a month and a monthly enquiries report.
How it works when we build your site
Every website we build includes three months of Care Plus at no extra cost, and our guide to what a small business website costs covers the build itself. Before the free period ends we email you a reminder with the date the paid plan starts and its monthly price. If you do not want to carry on, you tell us by email before the free period ends and you are not charged. Otherwise Plus continues at £69 a month, or you can switch to any of the other plans.
A few things are worth knowing up front. New pages, new features and redesigns are quoted separately, because the change time in a plan is for small updates to pages you already have. Unused change time does not roll over to the next month. You own your domain, care plans are monthly, and you can cancel with 30 days' notice. The reply times we quote are targets during UK working days rather than guaranteed service levels. All of this is set out in our terms.
Which plan is right for you?
If your site is a shop window that rarely changes, Essential keeps it safe and working without paying for changes you will not use. If your prices, photos or offers change through the year, Plus saves you sending a fresh request every time. If your site has a chatbot, AI Care keeps its answers accurate and covers its running costs, which matters because a chatbot giving out last year's prices does more harm than good. And if you want the site to bring in more work rather than simply stay healthy, Growth adds regular content for Google and your customers.
When you do not need a care plan
We would rather tell you this than sell you something you do not need. A care plan is probably not worth it in these situations.
- You use an all-in-one website builder and enjoy editing it yourself. Hosting and security are usually part of the builder's subscription, and if you are comfortable making your own changes, there is little left for a care plan to do.
- Someone in your business already looks after it. If a member of your team handles hosting, backups and updates properly, paying someone else to do the same is wasted money.
- The site is short-lived. A page for a single event or a short campaign that will come down in a few weeks does not need ongoing care.
Even then, somebody has to be responsible for hosting, backups and the security certificate. If that is you, put a reminder in your diary to check your contact form and your domain renewal date every so often, because both are easy to forget until something stops working.
Frequently asked questions
What is a website care plan?
A website care plan is a monthly service where someone looks after your website once it is live. It usually covers hosting, security, backups, monitoring, checks that your enquiry forms still work, and small changes such as new photos or prices.
How much does a website care plan cost?
It varies by provider and by what is included. At Marvanova there are four plans: Essential at £39 a month, Plus at £69, AI Care at £99 for sites with a chatbot, and Growth at £179, which adds a monthly blog article and Google Business posts. Every website we build includes three months of Plus at no extra cost.
Is a care plan the same as web hosting?
No. Hosting is the server your site runs on, and it is only one part of a care plan. A care plan also covers things like backups, uptime monitoring, security fixes, checks on your contact forms and small changes to the site.
Can I cancel a website care plan?
With Marvanova, yes. Care plans are monthly and can be cancelled with 30 days' notice. If you do not want to continue after the three free months of Care Plus that come with a new build, tell us by email before the free period ends and you will not be charged.
Does a care plan include new pages or a redesign?
Not at Marvanova. The change time in a plan is for small updates to existing pages, such as photos, prices, opening hours and offers. New pages, new features and redesigns are quoted separately, and unused change time does not roll over.