website management costs

How Much Should You Pay Someone to Run Your Website?

authorSoh 26 Dec 2025

One of the most common questions business owners ask is: “How much should I actually be paying someone to manage my website?”

The short answer? It depends on what your website does, how complex it is, and what level of support you expect.

Website management costs can range from RM50 per month for very basic sites to RM20,000+ per month for high-traffic or complex eCommerce platforms. Let’s break it down so you know what is reasonable, and what is a red flag.

Typical Monthly Website Management Costs

1. Personal or Hobby Websites

RM50 – RM700 / month

Suitable for blogs, portfolios, or informational sites with low traffic.

Usually includes:

  • Basic software or CMS updates
  • Security patches
  • Occasional content or image changes
  • Uptime monitoring

This is mostly “keep the site alive” work, not growth-focused.

2. Small Business Informational Websites

RM100 – RM1,800 / month

Ideal for service-based businesses (law firms, clinics, contractors, consultants).

Typically includes:

  • Content updates (text, images, pages)
  • Security monitoring
  • Minor bug fixes
  • Performance checks
  • Basic SEO hygiene (meta tags, indexing issues)

This level ensures your website stays professional, functional and trustworthy.

3. Small Business eCommerce Websites

RM300 – RM4,500+ / month

Online stores require more hands-on management due to revenue risk.

Usually includes:

  • Product uploads and updates
  • Payment gateway monitoring
  • Security hardening
  • Backup and recovery
  • Performance optimization
  • Bug fixes related to checkout or inventory

If your website makes money, cutting corners here is dangerous.

4. Corporate or High-Traffic Websites

RM2,000 – RM20,000+ / month

Used by companies with large audiences, integrations or complex systems.

Often includes:

  • Dedicated technical support
  • Advanced performance optimization
  • SEO and analytics reporting
  • Custom feature development
  • Load testing and uptime SLAs
  • Marketing and CRO collaboration

At this level, website management is a strategic investment, not a cost.

What Affects Website Management Cost?

1. Scope of Work

The more responsibilities you offload, the higher the cost:

  • Content updates
  • SEO improvements
  • Security monitoring
  • Speed optimization
  • eCommerce operations
  • Custom features (booking systems, portals, forms)

“Just keep it running” is cheap. “Help it grow and convert” is not.

2. Who You Hire

Freelancers

RM70 – RM450+ per hour

Pros:

  • Lower cost
  • Flexible for small tasks

Cons:

  • Limited availability
  • No backup if they disappear
  • Usually no strategic input

Best for simple websites with low risk.

Agencies

Monthly retainers from RM3,000 to RM50,000+

Pros:

  • Team-based support
  • Better documentation
  • Strategy, design, dev and SEO under one roof

Cons:

  • Higher cost
  • Overkill for very small sites

Best for growing businesses or revenue-critical websites.

3. Website Complexity

Costs increase when your site has:

  • Custom-coded features
  • Booking systems
  • Membership logins
  • Multi-language support
  • Heavy traffic or integrations

More moving parts = more maintenance.

How to Decide What You Should Pay

1. Define Your Needs Clearly

Ask yourself:

  • Do I only need technical maintenance?
  • Do I need content updates and SEO too?
  • Is this site generating revenue or just credibility?

The clearer your needs, the fairer the quote.

2. Look at Your Competitors

If competitors in your niche have:

  • Faster sites
  • Better content
  • Strong SEO presence

They are almost certainly investing more than RM100/month.

3. Start Small, Scale Smart

  • Basic site → freelancer or small retainer
  • Growing business → professional agency with clear deliverables

Avoid locking into large retainers without understanding what you are paying for.

4. Always Ask for Itemized Quotes

A good provider should explain:

  • What is included monthly
  • What is excluded
  • Response time
  • Ownership of code and content

If it is vague, that is a warning sign.

Final Thoughts

Paying someone to “run your website” is not about finding the cheapest option, it is about matching cost to business impact.

  • If your website does nothing → pay little
  • If your website brings leads → invest properly
  • If your website makes money → underpaying will cost you more later

A well-managed website saves time, builds trust and grows revenue. A poorly managed one quietly kills conversions.

Choose wisely.