Designers, a quick one on handoffs. When a client asks for something beyond your wheelhouse, like custom software, an internal tool or an AI agent, what do you do with it? We take overflow builds from fellow studios and send back the web projects that do not fit our model, so both sides keep the client happy. Who are you referring work to right now?
Question for fellow designers: how do you handle post launch maintenance? We moved most clients to a monthly model so the site never goes stale, with hosting, updates and content all in one fee. Curious whether you bundle it, bill hourly or run retainers, and what churn looks like for you. Also happy to swap referrals if a lead lands outside your wheelhouse, like custom software or AI agents.
Question for fellow designers heading into Q4: how are you handling client requests that fall outside your core stack? For us it is usually ecommerce migrations or heavy custom software asks that come in mid project. We have started trading those with a few trusted peers instead of turning them down, and it has turned into steady two way referrals. If you have overflow, mismatched leads, or need a white label partner on custom builds, AI agents or software, I am happy to connect and swap notes on how you structure referral splits.
404 Locals Recommend Them • Posted on Saturday, October 24, 2026
Hey Alen, my business has been a highly successful maintenance provider for years. While most agencies were still doing one-time website... (more)
Hey Alen, my business has been a highly successful maintenance provider for years. While most agencies were still doing one-time website projects for a few thousand bucks, then upselling a la carte post-launch services or some kind of retainer, I dropped all that and moved to subscription everything before I saw anyone else doing it. I’ll build a fresh site or maintain your existing one on WordPress, Wix, Shopify, or Squarespace for one low monthly rate with a ton of included ongoing benefits. That model made my business very popular, but honestly I have stopped promoting maintenance plans because I'm evolving beyond it, and even more so, I think the web industry shift with AI is slowly killing that role.
So my advice to you is: don’t try to be just a maintenance provider. You need to do that stuff, and of course it is important, but you have to offer way more value than updating plugins. I'm sure you are a full service provider, so make it all part of your offer - not just those typical WP maintenance plans you see everyone else doing now.
Over the last few years, I’ve seen a lot of others pick up this model you are describing and even directly copy my plans. However most are primarily focused on WordPress. Honestly, the maintenance space is flooded now. Everyone offers WordPress security, plugin updates, included hosting, and maybe some minor page edits or a new blog post for $75-250 a month. There are literally thousands of providers doing exactly that and most are competing on price for the same services - so it is a race to the bottom.
Evidence of this would be the big dog in the space, SiteCare, who has really changed its business model in the last year or two with higher prices and more corporate client focus. They’re focused on bigger businesses now because there are truly far too many maintenance providers chasing SMBs for low-cost WP maintenance needs.
Me personally, I don’t even promote maintenance through my business anymore. I’ve shifted my model toward website + marketing coaching and other solutions I think business owners get more value from. With AI changing how sites get built and managed, I think the maintenance industry is slowly but surely dying. Of course I still include maintenance as it is always needed, and I include a lot in my plans, but it is all part of a bigger value-priced offer.
So I’d encourage you to think about your ongoing plans beyond plugin updates and minor fixes. Include all those little things, but pair them with something of real value that keeps clients with you for years and earns you a seat at their table with something they truly need and cannot find elsewhere. Just being “the WordPress maintenance guy” won’t get you there anymore.