Why is website care necessary?
What's the deal? Why would you need website care?
Most people look at a website and see pages with text and images, maybe some video. What could possibly go wrong with something so still? It turns out a website only looks still. Underneath there's a lot going on: the software that runs it, the security around it, how fast it loads, whether it's switched on at all. Just as the Earth's surface looks like unchanging rock while an ocean of molten activity moves underneath, a website is always shifting below the surface. Those are the things that need watching and updating to keep your site doing what it was built to do.
Static sites, like the ones we build now, are made differently. They don't have the same moving parts, so care looks a little different. They still need a home on the internet, a domain and a security certificate that stay renewed, and someone watching. That's what care means for them.
Plans at a glance
All prices are in Australian dollars (AUD).
| Feature | Essential | Plus | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per month | $65 | $155 | $279 |
| Updates (WordPress sites) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hosting (static sites we build) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Uptime monitoring | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Regular backups | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Monthly report | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Email support | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Footer credit | Yes | No | No |
| Security checks | No | Yes | Yes |
| Speed monitoring | No | Yes | Yes |
| Broken link checks | No | Yes | Yes |
| Small changes each month | No | 1 hour | 3 hours |
| Priority response | No | No | Yes |
| Database cleaning and optimisation (WordPress) | No | No | Yes |
Essential: a closer look
Essential is for sites that need looking after without much fuss. Every other plan includes everything in it.
Updates (WordPress sites)
Just as software developers send out updates to fix bugs or improve what they've built, WordPress sites get updates too. It's one of the platform's strengths: it never stands still. It also means that every time an update comes out, the whole site has to be checked afterwards to make sure it still works the way it should. That goes for WordPress itself and for every plugin and theme on your site.
We do it for you. We check the site before an update goes on and again after, and if an update breaks something, we fix it as part of your plan. The same goes for any maintenance work we do: if we break your site, we fix it. Sometimes we'll hold an update back for a while because other people are reporting that it breaks sites. We can't promise an update will never cause a problem. We can promise someone is watching when it goes on.
WordPress lets you into the back end of your site to make your own changes and edits, and that's your right. But if your site breaks because of changes made by you or by anyone you've given access to, that isn't maintenance and isn't covered by your plan. We can still help, by restoring a backup or by fixing the problem at our hourly rate.
Hosting (static sites we build)
If we built your static site, we host it as part of your plan. Hosting is where your site's files live, on a server that's switched on all day, every day. We keep your domain and your security certificate renewed (the certificate is what puts the padlock next to your address), and we save a copy of every version of your site, so we can take it back to how it looked at any earlier point.
If you ever leave, we give you a full copy of your site's files and help you move, and we keep it online for 14 days after your paid period ends so you can finish. Your domain is registered in your name and stays yours.
Backups
You've put time, effort and money into your website. Don't let a computer glitch take all of it away in an instant! Remember the night before an essay was due, when the computer died and you hadn't saved a copy? Now imagine losing a whole website.
The answer is regular backups, and not just of your pages and pictures. We back up the whole site, database and all. Your backups are kept away from the server your site runs on, so if the server fails they don't fail with it. We keep at least a month of backups and clear out older ones as we go.
With a recent backup you're covered against a server crash, and if your site is ever attacked, we can put it back the way it was. We can't promise there'll be no downtime and no lost data, but this is how we keep both as small as possible.
Uptime monitoring
A growing business needs a website that's up 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, because the internet waits for no one. If a possible customer can't get to your site, they'll go to your competitor.
We can't promise your site will never go offline, because sometimes the cause is out of our hands. What we do is watch it all the time, so that if it goes down we know within minutes and can start getting it back up straight away. Any downtime shows up in your monthly report.
Monthly report
Once a month you get a short report on how your site is going: did it stay up, how fast does it load, what did we back up, what did we watch for. If your site has Google Analytics, you'll also see how many people visited and what they looked at.
When the numbers show us something worth doing, like a slow page or a piece of content that's pulling its weight, we'll say so. In a quiet month the report is short, and that's a good month. A summary of your analytics isn't a full analysis of it, and sitting down to go through the data with you isn't part of the plan.
Email support
You didn't come to us to learn how websites work, and you shouldn't have to. If something breaks, or you can't work out how to do something, get in touch by email.
Business hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm, and Saturday 9am to 4pm, Sydney time. Email gives us both a written record of the request and of what we did about it. We'll give you the email address when you sign up.
One thing to be clear about: email support doesn't mean we fix email. We might set up your email accounts when we build your site, but once they're running, problems with them belong to your email provider.
We're glad to be your first point of contact, but we'll pass serious email problems on to the provider, and we can't be held responsible for lost emails, lost passwords or business lost through an email failure. We're not an email service provider.
Footer credit
Essential sites carry a small credit in the footer. It reads "Site by GrongTech Media" if we built the site and "Website care by GrongTech Media" if we took it over, and it links back to our website. Plus and Pro don't carry it.
Plus: a closer look
Plus is for sites that matter more to your business, and for people who want us to catch problems before they do. It includes everything in Essential, without the footer credit, and adds the following.
Security checks
We scan your site for malware, known vulnerabilities and signs of tampering. This goes for static sites as well as WordPress ones. If we find something, we deal with it and tell you in your monthly report.
Nobody can promise a site will never be hacked, and we don't. What we can promise is that we're looking, and that if something does happen we'll be alerted and can put your site back with as little downtime and loss as possible.
Speed monitoring
Speed matters more than most people think. A slow site loses visitors, and Google counts speed when it decides where to rank you. We keep an eye on how fast your site loads, and if it starts to slip we'll tell you in your monthly report and say what we think is behind it.
Work to speed a site up goes beyond monitoring. We'll quote it or charge for it at $80 an hour, or $120 an hour when it involves custom code.
Broken link checks
Links go bad all the time. Links between your own pages can get out of date as you add and change things. Links to other people's sites break more often, because sites close down and pages move.
We check the links on your site regularly and repair or change the ones that have broken, and your monthly report tells you what we found. We rely on automated checks to spot them, so we can't be held responsible for a break we couldn't detect.
One hour of small changes each month
Plus includes one hour a month for small changes to a site that already exists: swapping text, replacing an image, adjusting a form, fixing a layout glitch. You send us the words and images and we put them in. Anything bigger, like a new page, a new feature or a redesign, isn't a small change, and we'll quote it separately.
Your hour resets each month and doesn't roll over. If you need more time, extra work is $80 an hour, or $120 an hour when it involves custom code. If we think a job will take longer than the time you have left, we'll tell you before we start.
Pro: a closer look
Pro is for sites that are central to your business and change often. It includes everything in Plus, and adds the following.
Three hours of small changes each month
The same small changes as Plus, with three hours a month instead of one. The same rules apply: you send the words and images, bigger jobs are quoted, the hours reset each month, and extra time is $80 an hour, or $120 for custom code.
Priority response
When a Pro site has a problem, we deal with it ahead of everyone else's. We don't promise a set response time, but you're first in the queue.
Database cleaning and optimisation (WordPress sites)
Your WordPress site's database holds the information, media and files your site needs. When a site has had a lot of changes over time, the database can get cluttered and sometimes corrupted. Regular cleaning and optimisation makes that much less likely, and it speeds your site up too.
If you've got a large site with lots of files, or a shop with lots of products, a good database clean-out is worth having. We can't promise a database will never fail, but with regular maintenance and backups we can restore it, and your site, with as little delay as possible. Static sites don't have a database, so this part doesn't apply to them.
Sites we didn't build
We look after WordPress sites and static sites, including ones we didn't build. Before we take one on we look at it first, to make sure we can look after it properly. Taking over a site starts with a one-time setup fee of $200. It covers the first look, getting monitoring and backups running, and your first report. If the site needs fixing before we can care for it, we'll tell you what and quote it separately. If it's not a site we can take on, we'll tell you before you pay anything. We don't take on sites built on other website builders or content management systems.
Paying and cancelling
Plans are billed monthly in advance. You can pay by direct debit or by card, or we can send you an invoice each month. There are no contracts. Cancel whenever you like and your plan runs to the end of the month you've paid for. We don't give pro rata refunds. If you cancel a hosted static site, we give you a full copy of your files and keep your site online for 14 days after your paid period ends so you can finish moving.
The small print: terms and conditions
Everything above is a summary of what the plans include. Where it differs from the terms below, the terms apply.
1. Standard terms and conditions
These are the standard terms and conditions for Website Care as provided by GrongTech Media. They apply to all website care plans and all work we do under them. By signing up for a plan, you agree to these terms.
2. Website care plans
We offer three website care plans: Essential, Plus and Pro. What each plan includes, and its price, is set out on our website at grongtech.com.au/website-care/ and in this document. If the two ever disagree, the website version is the one that applies.
3. What the plans include, and their limits
3.1 Sites we look after
We look after WordPress sites and static sites. We don't take on sites built on other website builders or content management systems. A static site we built, or one set up the same way as ours, can be hosted by us as part of your plan.
Before we take on a site we didn't build, we look at it first to make sure we can look after it properly. Taking over a site starts with a one-time setup fee of $200. It covers the first look, getting monitoring and backups running, and your first report. If the site needs fixing before we can care for it, we'll tell you what and quote it separately at our hourly rate. We may decline a site, and if we do we'll tell you before you pay anything.
3.2 Updates (WordPress sites)
We apply updates from WordPress and from the plugins and themes on your site in a timely manner. We check the site before and after each update. When or whether to install a particular update is up to us, and we may hold one back if there are reports of it breaking sites. If our maintenance work, including an update we install, breaks your site, we fix it as part of your plan. If your site breaks because of changes made by you or by anyone you've given access to, for example in the WordPress dashboard, that isn't maintenance and isn't covered by your plan. We can still help, by restoring a backup or by fixing the problem at our hourly rate.
We don't guarantee that an update won't break your site or a function on it. If one does, we'll work to fix it as part of your plan. If you or someone else has updated WordPress, a plugin or a theme and that has caused a problem, fixing it isn't part of your plan and is charged at our hourly rate.
3.3 Backups
We back up your site regularly, on a schedule that suits how often it changes. Backups are stored away from the server your site runs on, so a server failure can't take your backups with it. For static sites, every version of the site is saved. We keep at least a month of backups and delete older ones regularly.
We'll do what we can to restore your site if something goes wrong, but we can't guarantee there will be no downtime or no loss of data.
3.4 Hosting static sites
If we host your static site, hosting is included in your plan. If your plan ends, the site stays online until the end of the period you've paid for. We'll give you a full copy of your site's files and help you move it to other hosting. Your domain is registered in your name and stays yours. Once the paid period ends we keep the site online for a further 14 days so you can finish moving it, and then we take it down.
3.5 Monitoring: uptime, speed and security
All plans include uptime monitoring. If your site goes offline, we're alerted automatically and we'll work to get it back up as soon as possible. Monitoring doesn't guarantee uptime. It tells us quickly when something is wrong. Downtime is included in your monthly report.
Plus and Pro also include speed monitoring and security checks. If the site slows down, we'll tell you in the report. Work to speed a site up goes beyond monitoring, and we'll quote it or charge for it at our hourly rate. Security checks scan your site for malware, known vulnerabilities and signs of tampering. We don't guarantee that your site won't be hacked or broken into, and we aren't liable for the results of a breach. If it happens we'll be alerted and will work to restore your site with as little downtime and data loss as we can (see 3.3).
3.6 Broken links (Plus and Pro)
We check the internal and external links on your site regularly and repair or change them. This is reported in your monthly report. We rely on automated checks to find broken links, and we aren't responsible for breaks we couldn't detect.
3.7 Monthly report
Every month we send you a report on how your site is doing, covering what we monitored and what we found. If your site has Google Analytics installed, the report includes a summary of your visitors. The report may also include recommendations based on what we see. A summary isn't analysis of your analytics data, and working through that data with you isn't included.
3.8 Support
You can reach us by email during business hours, and we'll give you the email address when you sign up. Email keeps a written record, so that problems can be documented and followed through. Business hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, and Saturday, 9am to 4pm, Sydney time.
Email support doesn't mean we're responsible for fixing email problems. We may set up email accounts when we build your site. Once they're running, further problems become the responsibility of your email provider. We're happy to be a first point of contact, but serious email problems or configuration issues will be referred to your provider. We can't be held responsible for email service failures, lost emails, lost passwords or business lost as a result. We aren't an email service provider.
3.9 Small changes (Plus and Pro)
Plus includes one hour a month of small changes and Pro includes three hours a month. Small changes are changes to content or settings on a site that already exists: swapping text, replacing an image, adjusting a form, fixing a layout glitch. You supply the words and images and we put them in.
New pages, new features, redesigns and anything bigger aren't small changes. We'll quote those separately. Included hours reset each month and don't roll over. If you need more time than your plan includes, extra work is charged at $80 an hour, or $120 an hour when it involves custom code. If we think a request will take more than your remaining hours, we'll tell you and quote before starting. We work through requests in the order we receive them.
3.10 Priority response (Pro)
When a Pro site has a problem, we deal with it ahead of requests from other plans. We don't promise a specific response time.
3.11 Database cleaning and optimisation (Pro, WordPress sites)
We clean and optimise your site's database regularly to improve performance and reduce the chance of it becoming corrupted. We don't guarantee that your database won't be corrupted or fail. Regular maintenance and backups mean that if it happens, we can restore your database and site with as little delay and data loss as we can.
3.12 Footer credit (Essential)
On the Essential plan, a small credit stays in your site's footer. It reads "Site by GrongTech Media" on sites we built and "Website care by GrongTech Media" on sites we took over, and the words "GrongTech Media" link to grongtech.com.au. The credit isn't required on Plus and Pro. If the credit is removed from an Essential site, we may ask you to put it back or move you to Plus.
4. Cancel anytime
There are no contracts. Website care plans are billed monthly and you can cancel whenever you like. Tell us by email before your next payment is due, and the plan ends on the last day of the period you've paid for. We don't give pro rata refunds for cancelled plans.
5. Payments
Payment is due in advance for the period covered. Payment cycles run from the 15th to the 15th of the following month, or the 1st to the 1st of the following month.
5.1 Payment options
You can pay by direct debit or by card, or we can send you an invoice each month.
If a payment fails, or an invoice is still unpaid 14 days after its due date, we may pause the services under your plan until it's settled. A hosted static site stays online while a plan is paused. If the amount is still unpaid 30 days after that, we'll treat the plan as cancelled and section 3.4 applies.
5.2 Prices
All prices are in Australian dollars.
5.3 Payment after a website build
Once a website we've built is complete and launched, you have a 30 day guarantee period in which bugs can be ironed out and content adjusted at no extra charge. If you start on a website care plan, you'll be billed from the month after this 30 day period.
6. Pricing and services
We review our services and pricing twice a year. If we decide a change is needed, we'll give you written notice at least one month before it takes effect, and you can cancel before it does (see section 4).
7. Access to your site
To look after your site we need access to it, and, where relevant, to your hosting and domain. We'll keep your login details secure and only use them for your plan. You keep ownership of your domain, accounts and content. If your site is hosted elsewhere, keeping your hosting and domain renewed and paid is your responsibility, although we'll tell you when a renewal is coming up.
8. Subcontracting
We reserve the right to subcontract any of the services we've agreed to provide, as we see fit.
9. Confidentiality
We, and anyone we subcontract to, will not disclose your confidential information to any third party.
10. Modified content
We aren't liable for any loss of data or function resulting from changes you or anyone else makes to your site, including its structure, pages, posts or projects. Repairs to changes that have gone wrong are charged at our hourly rate. Included hours may be used for this in some cases, but only at our discretion.
11. Changes to these terms
If we change these terms, we'll post the new version on our website. If there's any confusion or discrepancy, the website version overrides all other versions.
12. Disclaimer
To the full extent permitted by law, all terms, conditions, warranties, undertakings, inducements and representations, whether express, implied, statutory or otherwise (other than the express provisions of these terms), relating in any way to the services we provide are excluded. Without limiting that, to the extent permitted by law, any liability of GrongTech Media under any term, condition, warranty or representation that can't be excluded by law is limited, at our option, to replacing, repairing or re-supplying the services or paying the cost of the services we were contracted to perform.
13. Governing law
These terms, and any proposal, are governed by the laws of New South Wales. You and GrongTech Media submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales in relation to any dispute under these terms or any services we perform for you.