# Website hosting and maintenance: what each covers

> Understand the difference between hosting and website maintenance, and the questions to ask about updates, backups, restores and recurring charges.

Source owner: https://staging.prescottwebdesign.com/resources/website-maintenance-vs-hosting/

Prepared content snapshot: 2026-11-01. Staging content-sync update; endpoint verification follows installation.

Practical website guidance

Hosting provides the server environment that makes a website available. Maintenance is the agreed work to keep the website and its software in a suitable condition. A plan may bundle them, but the names alone do not tell you what is included.

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01 / THE DETAILS

## Separate the main services

| Service | Question to resolve |
| --- | --- |
| Domain | Who controls the registration and pays the renewal? |
| Hosting | Who manages the server account and what support is included? |
| Website updates | Which software is covered and on what schedule? |
| Backups | What is copied, how often and for how long? |
| Restoration | Who performs a restore and what does it cost? |
| Content changes | Is there an allowance and how is extra work billed? |
| New development | Which changes require a separate project? |

02 / THE DETAILS

## Compare schedules explicitly

A monthly invoice can pay for tasks performed on another schedule. Read the stated update and backup frequencies. Ask what happens between scheduled visits if an issue appears, and who is responsible for responding.

Sites with frequent new content or transactions may need a different backup arrangement from a largely static informational website. Agree the required recovery expectations with the responsible provider.

03 / THE DETAILS

## How PWD’s published care schedules differ

Prescott Web Design’s published plans are billed monthly, while maintenance and backups occur three times per year on Minimum, four times on Silver, six times on Gold, and monthly on Platinum. Content-change and support allowances also differ.

[The care-plan comparison](https://staging.prescottwebdesign.com/service-plans/) is the main source for prices, frequencies and included time. Choose an arrangement based on the way your website changes and the level of support you need.

04 / THE DETAILS

## Check the restore process

A file copy is useful only if it contains the necessary information and can be used when needed. Ask whether the database is included, where copies are held, how restoration is requested and whether the process has been checked. Confirm the treatment of any data added after the latest backup.

05 / THE DETAILS

## Document renewals and the end of a plan

List the domain, hosting, email and software subscriptions and who owns each account. Ask which licenses stop working or stop receiving updates when a service ends. Confirm the handover process and what happens to backups and access.

06 / THE DETAILS

## Choose an agreed scope

[Compare website care options](https://staging.prescottwebdesign.com/service-plans/) and use the [hosting customer route](https://hosting.prescottwebdesign.com/) for the existing hosting service. If the responsibilities are unclear, [send the website address and your questions](https://staging.prescottwebdesign.com/contact/).

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## Your next website starts here.

See a homepage design preview for your business, then decide whether to move forward with the full website.

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