If you are not sure where to start, start with the four basics that protect the site itself: hosting, updates, backups and security. Add monthly edits once you notice how often your website's facts change. Add marketing upkeep when the site is stable and you want it to bring in more calls.
The sections below describe each service in a sentence or two, who it suits, and the warning sign that tells you it is missing.
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Managed hosting
Your site lives on hosting that someone is responsible for, so a slow page or an expired certificate gets noticed and fixed.
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Updates and backups
Software, plugins and themes kept current on a schedule, with a restorable copy of the site taken before anything changes.
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Security and monitoring
Logins, certificates, plugins and suspicious changes watched, so a hacked site is caught early and cleaned properly.
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Monthly edits and support
A named person who changes your prices, hours, rebate notes, staff and seasonal offers when you ask, instead of a queue.
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Marketing upkeep
Google Business Profile, local SEO and monthly reporting kept running on top of a well-kept site, when you are ready for it.
Managed hosting
Managed hosting means your site sits on a server that someone is responsible for: watching speed, renewing certificates and dealing with outages. It is the floor everything else stands on.
Who it suits: every heating company with a website, but especially those on a cheap shared plan bought years ago by whoever built the site.
Warning sign it is missing: you do not know which company hosts your site, or the hosting bill goes to a personal credit card.
Read more on the managed hosting page.
Updates and backups
Websites built on platforms such as WordPress need regular software, theme and plugin updates. Each update is a small risk, so a restorable backup is taken first and the site is checked afterwards.
Who it suits: any site built on a content management system. Hand-coded static sites need fewer updates but still need backups.
Warning sign it is missing: your site's dashboard shows a long list of pending updates, or nobody can say when the last backup was taken or whether it has ever been restored.
Read more on the updates and backups page.
Security and monitoring
Security care covers who can log in, how certificates and plugins are kept current, and how suspicious changes are spotted. A hacked heating site can quietly redirect visitors or send spam that damages your domain's reputation.
Who it suits: every site, and particularly those with several staff logins or an old, unmaintained plugin list.
Warning sign it is missing: former employees still have logins, everyone shares one admin password, or Google has ever shown a warning on your site.
Read more on the security and monitoring page.
Monthly edits and support
This is the human side of care: a person who changes your hours, prices, staff photos, service areas and rebate notes when you ask. For heating companies, the rebate notes alone can justify it, because programs change several times a year.
Who it suits: companies whose office manager is already stretched, and anyone who has put off a website change for more than a month.
Warning sign it is missing: your site still mentions a program that has closed, or shows last winter's promotion.
Read more on the monthly edits and support page, and see our guide to keeping rebate pages accurate.
Marketing upkeep
Marketing upkeep keeps your Google Business Profile, local search presence and reporting running on top of the healthy site. It is where care turns into growth, and it is delivered through our monthly marketing plans.
Who it suits: companies that already have a stable site and want more booked calls from it.
Warning sign it is missing: you cannot say how many calls the website produced last month.
Read more on the marketing upkeep page.
A simple way to decide
Answer these four questions honestly:
- Do you know who hosts your site and hold your own login to that account?
- Has the site been updated and backed up in the last month?
- Is everything on the site true today, including prices, staff and rebates?
- Do you know how many calls it produced last month?
A "no" to question 1 or 2 points to hosting, updates and security. A "no" to question 3 points to monthly edits. A "no" to question 4 points to marketing upkeep. Prices for each tier are on the pricing page, and the FAQ covers contracts and ownership.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy just hosting?
Hosting on its own rarely solves the problem owners actually have, which is that nobody is responsible for the site. Our care tiers bundle hosting with maintenance so one party is accountable. Tell us what you need and we will say plainly whether a care tier fits.
What is the difference between care and marketing?
Care keeps the site healthy and accurate. Marketing makes more people find it and call. You can have the first without the second, but marketing on a neglected site wastes money.
Do I need all five services?
Not at once. Hosting, updates, backups and security belong together. Monthly edits come next for most companies. Marketing upkeep makes sense once the site is stable and you want more calls from it.
My nephew built our site. Can you take it over?
Often, yes, but it depends on how it was built and who holds the accounts. Send us the web address and what you know about the hosting, and we will tell you honestly whether a takeover or a rebuild is the better use of money.