The Missing Proposal Plan For Ongoing Website Care

We’ve all seen great proposals templates that can generate up to 10k in revenue. Many people refer to achieving this level of projects as the holy grail. I disagree. For me the holy grail is (and has proven to be) recurring revenue with ongoing website care plans.

Monthly WordPress website care plans account for 50 percent of my total yearly revenue in my web agency business, and thanks to WP Engine, the majority of my care plans are easily managed due to the high level of quality hosting and support WP Engine provides.

Care Plans are the Holy Grail

So how did I do it? When I enrolled in the business program for WordPress agencies and consultants called WP Elevation, I had $0 in recurring revenue. My goal at the time was to secure just one plan at $100 per month.

Through that program and Troy Dean’s tutelage, I discovered actionable strategies that had me reaching out to past clients. Three years later, after starting that program, my monthly ongoing website care plans pay for my staff, all my business expenses, and my mortgage.

Now, as a coach and Customer Success Manager at WP Elevation, I coach our members on how to do what I’ve done. Often I see their biggest hurdle is knowing how to show the value in the service.

For some, it’s a simple conversation. For others, positioning the client is best done through a proposal. I’ve found that for many quality web agency clients, if you don’t communicate the value, lay clear the terms, and make sure all parties are on the same table per the agreement, the proposal for ongoing care could fall flat.

A “One-Page” Quote Won’t Cut It

Many WordPress consultants, developers, and designers think a one-page quote will suffice for quoting ongoing website care plans. However, for the majority of clients, establishing the value from the beginning in a full proposal is the key to retention and a productive, peaceful, and ongoing website care relationship.

The Five Sections of the Care Plan Proposal

Below are the five sections needed to construct your website proposal for ongoing care. Take the time to review and implement these strategies into your own business, tweaking where necessary, so you can secure that recurring revenue in your business.

1. Plan Summary – Outline the purpose of the ongoing relationship:

[Website Name] is a website that is a leader in their field for [Purpose of Website]. In order to continue at optimal performance and security, [Website Name] needs to be on an ongoing website care plan which will provide [benefit], [benefit] and [benefit].

Below are the details of our [Web Company] website care plan, commonly asked questions, and terms of the agreement. This proposal is aimed at providing ongoing care and support to [Website Name] through a partnership with [Web Company] to be their dedicated webmaster for their WordPress website.

2. Business Needs – Detail why this specific client needs this service:

Specifically, the ongoing website care needs to fulfill the following business needs:

• [ongoing care need] e.g. Continual performance with reduced errors and optimal load times
• [ongoing care need] e.g. Monitoring for any issues during WordPress updates, specifically of (name any plugin)
• [ongoing care need] e.g. Communication with the web host on troubleshooting bugs or hosting issues

3. Plan Details – Explain to the client the plan level that is perfect for their needs:

[Plan Level Name] Plan Details:

The monthly plan will consist executing the following services:

• Update WordPress Version
• Update WordPress Plugins
• Backup of Database and Site Files
• Database Optimization
• SPAM & Revisions Cleanup
• Security and Performance Scans
• Performance Optimization
• Detailed Monthly Report
• Monthly Site Backups
• 30 Minutes of Change Requests
• Email Support

Monthly fee: $99

You can view the other options for ongoing plans on our webpage should you need a plan with more services: [Link to plan page]

4. FAQs – Detail the most common questions to address any concerns (these are my FAQs, tweak them to suit your business):

Address why you are different than the web host.

Q: Why do I need an ongoing plan when WP Engine updates my WordPress version?

A: WP Engine is a fantastic web-hosting company that provides excellent features in their hosting. However, WP Engine will not update plugins, and rightfully so. Read more about WP Engine’s update process here.

You see, WordPress plugins are created by multiple authors, and are consistently updated to newer versions to comply with the latest version of WordPress, or to address security issues and bugs. It is not guaranteed that the mandated updates to WordPress will not break the website, nor that plugins will continue to function if not updated.

For this reason, having a trained web specialist on hand to monitor the website is necessary to update plugins, rollback plugins, replace plugins or even adjust the theme to continue optimal performance.

Provide peace of mind with a cancel anytime policy.

Q: Can I cancel anytime?

A: Yes, you can cancel anytime. You are under no obligation to continue the ongoing service. We just ask you give us 30 days notice so we can carry out our last thorough update of the website, supply you with a full backup and remove our administrator credentials.

Layout the process of how they will contact you moving forward, I strongly recommend a support desk.

Q: How do I contact you when I have a problem?

A: We provide a support ticket desk for quick turnaround and tracking of all support requests. You can submit all requests to support@[webcompany] and we will reply within normal business hours.

Reinforce what service you offer and do not offer.

Q: Will you help with SEO, social media, graphics and other requests?

A: Please refer to the options in our client plans at [client plan link]. [Expand on what is included and not included].

5. Agreement – Note the terms of the agreement for your legal protection (these are mine, please consult your lawyer before including this terminology in your proposal)

Specify the permission level you need to proceed.

Authorization:

You are engaging [Web Company], as an independent contractor to perform work as described in the package(s) or service(s) you have purchased. In the event access to your website is necessary, you hereby authorizes [Web Company] access and “write permissions” to all directories and files of your account with any other third party hosting provider, as well as permission to install any necessary WordPress plugins for maintenance and security.

Specify this is a recurring plan you will charge automatically.

Pricing & Payments:

Once a client of [Web Company], you authorize [Web Company] to charge the payment method you submitted for all the invoices generated for the services rendered under this ongoing website care plan.

Specify how they can cancel the plan.

Cancellation:

Cancellation of any monthly recurring service can occur at any time after your first one month (30 days) of service.

In order to cancel your recurring payment or change payment method, simply contact [Web Company] prior to your payment’s due date.

Protect yourself from others with admin access.

Third Party or Client Page Modification:

You acknowledge that you or their staff have access to independently edit or update web pages within WordPress platform.

You also acknowledge that anyone other than [Your Web Company] or its subcontractors who attempt to update the website and damages the design or impairs the ability for the web pages to display or function properly, may result in time to repair the web pages in order to restore the website.

In this event, damages will be assessed at an hourly rate of X per hour with a one-hour minimum. Work to repair the website from third-party modifications is outside of the support time and scope of the on-going website care.

Specify you are not responsible for the software performance or a hack.

Limitation of Liability; Disclaimer of Warranties:

Although there are limitations to the guarantees we can provide, your satisfaction is very important to us. Please read and understand our limits of liability before engaging in our services.

Although we strive for your website’s optimal performance and security, we did not build the WordPress software or plugins used on the website, nor are supplying the hosting platform it runs on.

For this reason, [Web Company] does not represent, guarantee or warrant that the functions contained in these webpages or internet website will be will be uninterrupted, error-free, free from loss, corruption, attack, viruses, interference, hacking, or other security intrusions, and [Web Company] disclaims any liability relating thereto.

To the extent not prohibited by law, in no event will [Web Company] be liable to the client or any third party for any damages, including, but not limited to, any lost profits, lost savings, loss of data, business interruption, or incidental, consequential or special damages arising out of the operation of or inability to operate these webpages or website, however caused, even if [Web Company] has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

6. Next Steps – Lay clear the action they should take:

To proceed with the ongoing website care plan:

1. Sign and agree to the terms below.
2. Navigate to [purchase link] and enter your credit card details for the ongoing monthly charge.

Note: Credit card charges will appear as [MERCHANT INFO] on your statement.

Put these five sections together, adjust for the finer details of your business, run it by your lawyer for good fun, and work it into your proposal library to spin off to clients for ongoing care. In fact, I challenge you to send this puppy off to that long-standing client you’ve yet to convert on to a plan. The value detailed may impress them.

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Kristina Romero is a digital business consultant working with small businesses and entrepreneurs. She began as a website developer with her company KR Media & Designs creating websites for companies that included Coca-Cola Company, Food Network, and Hollywood celebrities. Recently, Kristina is the founder of WP Care Market where she connects small business owners with quality website professionals for ongoing website care. She currently resides outside Washington D.C. and enjoys being a mompreneur, raising her family and growing her businesses.