Bath, UKhello@buildnl.co.uk

Services→Ongoing Support

A developer on call,
month to month.

Updates · Fixes · Improvements · Peace of mind

A retained developer who knows your site, responds quickly, and keeps things running smoothly — without the overhead of hiring in-house or the friction of raising a ticket every time something needs doing.

Most websites don't come with anyone responsible for them after launch. The developer moves on. The agency is busy with the next project. Small things pile up, get ignored, or become expensive emergencies.

A retainer changes that. One person, who knows your site, available when something needs doing — without the overhead of a full-time hire or the friction of raising a project every time you need something fixed.

—Something breaks and you don't know who to call

—Your developer moved on and left no documentation

—Small updates take weeks because nobody's available

—You're nervous to make changes in case something goes wrong

—Dependencies are out of date and you don't know what that means

—You're paying an agency retainer but can't get anyone on the phone

— What's covered

Everything your site needs
to keep running well.

Scope is agreed per retainer — but this is the kind of work a typical engagement covers.

FIXES

Bug fixes & issues

Something breaks, I fix it. No support tickets, no queue — just a direct line and a quick resolution.

UPDATES

Content & copy updates

New team members, updated services, revised copy — handled quickly without you needing access to the codebase.

PLATFORM

CMS & dependency updates

Umbraco version patches, software updates, security releases — kept on top of so they don't become emergencies.

PERFORMANCE

Performance monitoring

Page speed and load times kept in check — flagged before they become visible problems.

FEATURES

Small feature additions

New form fields, additional pages, minor layout changes — within the agreed scope, no separate quote needed.

SEO

SEO maintenance

Metadata updates, structured data, redirect management, and Search Console monitoring as part of the retainer.

HOSTING

Hosting & infrastructure

SSL renewals, uptime monitoring, and hosting configuration — the unglamorous work that matters when it goes wrong.

ADVICE

Technical advice on tap

Questions answered, options explained, decisions informed. A developer who knows your site and can give you a straight answer.

Simple by design.

— How it works

01

Onboarding

I review your codebase, hosting setup, and any existing documentation. I get up to speed on how everything works before we start — so the first request doesn't take longer than it should.

02

Agreed scope

We agree on a monthly time allocation and what's in scope. Most clients start with a small retainer and adjust as they get a feel for the volume of work.

03

Ongoing work

You contact me directly — by email or however we agree. I respond within one working day, get on with the work, and let you know when it's done. No tickets, no overhead.

04

Monthly review

At the end of each month I send a brief summary of what was done. If the scope isn't right — too much or too little — we adjust. No awkward conversations, just a sensible ongoing arrangement.

— Best for

Is this the right fit?

A retainer only makes sense for sites that genuinely need regular attention. If yours doesn't, I'll say so — a one-off fix is often the right answer.

A good fit if...

—You have a site that needs regular attention but not a full-time developer

—You want one person who knows your site, not a rotating helpdesk

—You've just launched a new site and want continued support

—You inherited a site from a previous developer and need someone to take it over

—You want fixes handled quickly without raising a formal project every time

Might not be the right choice if...

—You need a major rebuild or new feature — that's a separate project

—You need 24/7 guaranteed uptime monitoring with SLA commitments

—You want a full dev team, not a solo developer

View all services →

— FAQ

Common questions.

No. Support is month-to-month with no long-term commitment. You can pause or cancel with one month's notice. I'd rather earn your continued business by being useful than lock you in.

Anything within reasonable scope for the time agreed — content updates, bug fixes, small feature additions, plugin or dependency updates, performance tweaks, copy changes, image swaps. Larger pieces of work (new sections, integrations, significant new features) are scoped and quoted separately.

Within one working day for most requests. For urgent issues — site down, broken checkout, critical error — I aim to respond within a few hours. Response time expectations are agreed upfront based on your retainer level.

No — I take on support for existing sites built by other developers, as long as the codebase is something I can work with (Next.js, Umbraco, or standard .NET/React stacks). I'll need to review the codebase before agreeing terms.

Unused time doesn't roll over, but if you need more in a particular month I'll let you know before it becomes an issue. Additional time can be added at an agreed day rate. I'll never do work beyond scope without flagging it first.

SEO-related development work — structured data, performance fixes, metadata updates — yes. Content strategy and copywriting are outside scope, but I can advise on what to write and where.

One month's notice, no penalty. I'll hand over a full summary of everything worked on, confirm all credentials are up to date, and make sure whoever takes over (or your own team) has everything they need.

Get in touch

Let's talk about
your site.

Tell me about your site, your platform, and what kind of support you're looking for. I'll come back with an honest view on whether a retainer makes sense and what it would look like.

hello@buildnl.co.uk