Why Your Business Website Needs an Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC)

The Hidden Cost of an Unmaintained Website

Most business owners think their website is "done" once it launches. In reality, a website is a living digital asset that requires continuous care — just like your office building, vehicles, or machinery.

Here's what happens to unmaintained websites:

• WordPress + plugins get hacked. 95% of hacked websites are running outdated WordPress versions or plugins. A hacked site gets blacklisted by Google, which means zero organic traffic until the issue is resolved and recrawled (weeks to months).
• Contact forms break. Email servers, captcha APIs, and form plugins change. A broken contact form silently stops leads from reaching you.
• Speed degrades. Without regular caching updates, database cleanups, and image optimization, website speed deteriorates over time — hurting both user experience and SEO rankings.
• SSL certificates expire. Browsers show a "Not Secure" warning that immediately destroys visitor trust.
• Legal compliance issues. Privacy policy, GDPR/cookie consent, and terms of service need updates as laws evolve.

The Real Cost of Website Neglect

A hardware store owner in Kolkata had their WordPress site hacked in 2024. By the time they noticed (2 weeks later), Google had blacklisted the domain. Recovery required:

• Malware removal: ₹8,000
• Google blacklist removal process: 3 weeks of lost organic traffic
• Estimated lost revenue from reduced visibility: ₹40,000+

Their Website AMC would have cost ₹12,000 for the year and prevented all of it.

What a Good Website AMC Includes

Security & Updates

• Weekly/monthly security patches for WordPress core, plugins, and themes
• Regular malware scanning
• SSL certificate monitoring and renewal
• Security hardening (limiting login attempts, firewall configuration)

Backups

• Automated daily/weekly backups stored off-server (cloud storage)
• Tested restore process — backups that can't be restored are worthless
• 30-day backup history minimum

Performance

• Monthly Core Web Vitals monitoring
• Cache management and clearing
• Image optimization
• Database cleanup

Content Updates

• Monthly content changes (text updates, image replacements, product changes)
• For growing businesses: higher-tier plans with unlimited minor content changes

AMC Pricing in India

Website AMC plans in India typically range from ₹6,000/year (basic maintenance for a simple brochure site) to ₹24,000+/year for comprehensive care including bug fixes, unlimited content changes, and priority support.

Compare this to emergency web development rates (₹1,500-3,000/hour) for fixing a hacked or broken site after the fact — the math for getting an AMC is obvious.

Who Needs a Website AMC?

• Any WordPress site — WordPress without maintenance is a security incident waiting to happen
• Ecommerce stores — a 2-hour downtime during a sale campaign can cost lakhs in lost revenue
• Businesses that depend on website leads — a broken form or blacklisted domain can stop leads cold
• Companies without in-house IT — you shouldn't be managing server crons and security patches

How to Choose an AMC Provider

1. Ask what "content changes" means. Does "1 content change" mean one word or one page section?
2. Confirm backup storage location. Backups should be on a different server than your website.
3. Check response time SLA. For premium plans, you want a maximum 4-8 hour response time for critical issues.
4. Ask if bug fixes are included. Some AMCs only handle maintenance — bugs require separate billing.