Website Maintenance & Retainer

Our Monthly Development Retainer is designed for websites and systems that need consistent attention over time, including occasional fixes.

It's a flexible way to work with a dedicated development team that already knows your setup, your history, and your priorities.

There are no fixed hour bundles to 'use or lose", no forced minimums, and no subscription-style commitments. You set a monthly budget cap, and we work within it as needs arise.

For many clients, a retainer is the easiest way to start working together, especially when the path forward isn't fully defined yet. It keeps systems healthy, allows improvements to happen gradually, and creates space to plan next steps without rushing decisions.

The Monthly Retainer works well for organizations with existing websites or systems that require ongoing attention, updates, and improvements over time.

It’s especially helpful if you have:

• An established site or application that can't be replaced overnight
• Ongoing needs that don’t fit neatly into fixed project scopes
• Limited internal development resources or bandwidth
• A preference for continuity over repeatedly bringing new teams up to speed

For smaller organizations, the retainer offers access to experienced developers without the overhead of hiring internally.

For larger teams, it provides a steady, low-risk way to maintain momentum, preserve institutional knowledge, and make thoughtful decisions over time.

Talk With a Developer View What We Do

How Long-Term Support Reduces Friction

Websites and applications aren't static. They change as organizations grow, tools evolve, and priorities shift. Treating them as one-time projects often leads to rushed decisions, repeated handoffs, and unnecessary rework over time.

A retainer creates continuity: the same team, the same context, and a shared understanding of how your system has evolved. Instead of reacting to issues as they appear, work can be planned, sequenced, and adjusted as needs become clearer.

With ongoing support, teams benefit from:

What a Monthly Retainer and Ongoing Support Covers 

Ongoing work looks different for every organization. Some months focus on stability and upkeep, while others involve improvements, refinements, or new ideas taking shape.

A retainer allows this work to happen naturally, without forcing everything into a fixed scope. The areas below reflect the kinds of work that most often benefit from continuity and familiarity over time.

How Our Retainer Plan Works 

The goal of our retainer is to make ongoing development support predictable, flexible, and easy to manage without forcing you into rigid plans or unused time. 

Instead of purchasing a fixed number of hours each month, you set a monthly budget cap. That cap defines how much work we can take on during the month, while still allowing priorities to shift as needs change.

1. You Set a Monthly Budget Cap
   Rather than committing to a fixed number of hours, you choose a maximum monthly spend. This keeps costs predictable while allowing flexibility in how work is allocated.
2. You Pay Only for Time Used
   Work is tracked based on actual time spent. If less work is needed in a given month, you’re only billed for the time used, not the full budget cap.
3. No Minimum Commitments
   There are no required minimum hours and no "use it or lose it" structure. The retainer adapts to your workload, not the other way around.
4. No Work Means No Invoice
   If no work is requested or required in a particular month, there’s no invoice. The retainer remains available without forcing activity.
5. Transparent Task Logs
   Each invoice includes a clear task log outlining what was worked on, when, and how much time was spent. This keeps everything visible and easy to review.

Our Retainer Plan offers a straightforward, budget-friendly way to access expert web development support whenever you need it without paying for time you don’t use. 

How Retainer Pricing Is Structured

Retainer pricing is designed to be fair, flexible, and reflective of how work actually happens over time rather than locking everyone into a single flat rate or rigid tier.

Because ongoing work varies from month to month, pricing is based on current usage and the type of work being done, not on long-term commitments or bulk pre-purchases.

Pricing reflects current work and current scope, and may vary over time as needs change.

How Larger Projects Sometimes Emerge

A retainer is often where the real understanding begins. Through ongoing work, patterns emerge: what's working, what’s fragile, and what’s starting to limit progress.

That context allows work to move forward more intentionally. Early on, the focus is usually on stabilizing and supporting what already exists. Over time, recurring issues, constraints, and opportunities become clearer, making it easier to identify where improvements would have the most impact.

In practice, work often progresses through a natural rhythm:

• Stabilizing and supporting existing systems
• Identifying patterns and limitations through real usage
• Planning improvements based on context and priorities
• Making larger changes when it makes sense to do so

Not every retainer leads to a larger project, and there's no expectation that it should. But when more substantial changes are needed, having this foundation in place tends to make the work safer, smoother, and easier to scope.

When You're Ready to Talk

You don't need a fully defined plan to get started. Some clients come to us with a clear list of ongoing needs, while others simply know their site or system requires steady attention.

Sometimes the next step is a development retainer. Other times it’s just a conversation about ongoing support. We'll help you figure out what makes sense. Use the form below to tell us a bit about your setup and what you’re hoping to improve. We'll take it from there.