Why we don't charge monthly retainers (and never will)

The retainer model explained

Most web agencies in Halifax and across the UK operate on a retainer model. You pay a monthly fee, typically £30 to £150, and in return, the agency hosts your website, makes minor updates, and keeps it “maintained”.

On the surface, it sounds reasonable. £50 a month? That's less than a gym membership. But let's look at what you're actually paying.

The real cost of retainers

£50/month doesn't sound like much. But over a standard 2-year contract, that's £1,200. Over 3 years, £1,800. Over 5 years, £3,000. And at the end of it, many agencies don't give you ownership of the site. Stop paying and it disappears.

Some agencies charge a setup fee on top ofthe monthly retainer. So you're paying £500 upfront plus £60/month. After two years you've spent £1,940 for a WordPress site you don't own, built with a template that cost the agency £59.

Compare that to a one-time payment of £450-£850 for a custom-built site that you own forever. The maths isn't close.

What does the retainer actually cover?

This is where it gets uncomfortable for agencies. A typical “maintenance package” includes:

• Hosting: costs the agency £5-15/month
• WordPress updates: clicking “update” on plugins, 5 minutes per month
• SSL certificate: free with most hosting
• Minor text changes: typically limited to 30 minutes per month
• Backups: automated, costs nothing

The actual cost to the agency? £10-20/month. But they're charging you £50-150. The rest is pure margin, and the contract ensures you keep paying indefinitely.

The incentive problem

Here's the deeper issue with retainers: they create a misaligned incentive. The agency benefits from keeping you on the retainer as long as possible. That means building on platforms you can't easily take elsewhere (proprietary CMS, custom hosting), and not teaching you how to make your own updates.

With one-time pricing, the incentive is different. We need to build something good enough that you'll recommend us to others. We need to deliver genuine value, because we don't have a recurring revenue safety net. That pressure makes us better.

How our model works

At Webvise, you pay once and own your website forever. Here's what that looks like:

• One-time fee agreed upfront (from £450)
• You own the code, design, and domain
• First year of hosting included
• After year one, hosting is available at cost (£5-10/month) or you can host it yourself
• No contract, no lock-in, no exit fees

If you want ongoing support, updates, or SEO work, we offer that on a pay-as-you-go basis. Need a page added? We'll quote it. Want monthly SEO? We'll propose a scope. But you're never locked in.

When retainers make sense

To be fair, there are situations where a retainer model makes sense: large businesses with ongoing development needs, e-commerce sites that need constant updates, or companies that need a dedicated team on call. If you're spending £2,000+/month on a retainer with a serious agency doing continuous development work, that's a different conversation.

But for a tradesperson who needs a 5-page brochure site? For a small business that updates their website twice a year? A £50/month retainer is unnecessary overhead that adds up to thousands over time.

The bottom line

Monthly retainers exist because they're profitable for agencies, not because they're the best deal for clients. If someone tells you that you “need” to pay monthly for a brochure website, they're selling you a subscription you don't need.

Pay once. Own your site. Move on. If you want a website built on that principle, get in touch.