A response to The Critical Unasked Question: Support (May 2024)
In May 2024 I made a point in my Answering the RFP series that I still consider one of the most important things a client can hear before signing a website contract. The RFP usually asks about the project. It rarely asks what happens after launch.
“Unlike other projects you may engage in, a website project is never completely done.”
I compared a website to a printed brochure. Once the brochure is delivered, the job is done. A website keeps living in an environment that changes underneath it. Server software changes. Database versions change. Security requirements change. Even a site whose words never change still has to adapt.
Every word of that is still true. If anything, the agentic revolution makes it more true, because the pace of change around websites has picked up.
Support is still the question
Some people assume that if AI agents can build a website, the website will somehow take care of itself. It won’t. Agents don’t decide when a plugin update is safe to apply. They don’t notice when a form stops sending. They don’t call you to talk through whether a new tool fits your marketing plan. Someone experienced still has to watch the site, direct the work, and stand behind it.
I also said in 2024 that the website is often the hub for other marketing and customer service programs:
“So implementing integrations, connecting third party platforms, setting up marketing forms, and structuring automations will require ongoing service.”
That hasn’t changed either. Integrations and automations still need care after launch.
What gets easier
What has changed is how much of the site there is to maintain, and how quickly we can work on it.
When we rebuild a site on our own theme, we remove the page builder layer and a lot of the plugins that came with it. Fewer layers means fewer updates, fewer conflicts, and fewer things that can break. Routine maintenance on a lean site is simply less work than routine maintenance on a site carrying a builder, its add-ons, and dozens of plugins.
And when a client does need a change, a new section, a new feature, a fix, the agents can make it in custom code quickly, with my team reviewing the work. Requests that used to mean a programmer digging back into old code, or fighting a builder’s limitations, are now often small jobs.
Where I’ve changed my mind
I have to be honest about one part of that 2024 video. I argued for pay-as-you-go support over retainers. I compared bundled support to an insurance company looking for reasons to deny claims, and I said hourly billing kept everyone’s incentives aligned.
The concern behind that was right. I didn’t want clients paying for support they never used, or a provider narrowing what counts as covered. But the economics have moved. Because work on a lean, custom site now goes so much faster, a retainer can cover far more than it used to. So today our base support retainer starts at $149 a month, with hosting included, and clients who want it can add an optional unlimited content update retainer.
That is the same trade off story I keep telling in this series. In 2024 I had to choose between the flexibility of hourly billing and the predictability of a flat fee. Now the cost of the work has dropped enough that clients can have a predictable monthly number and still get the help they need without watching the clock.
Still the critical question
I closed that video by saying a good support partner helps clients keep up with technology that moves too fast to track on their own. That is even more important now. The pace of change in AI tools alone is hard for any business to follow.
So if you are evaluating web partners, ask the question the RFP probably left out. Who will take care of this site after launch? What does that cost? What is included? You can see how we answer it on our support terms page.
¡Viva la Revolución!