Website Care Plans

Emily Journey & Associates offers monthly website care plans for established businesses and nonprofits. As our client, you get direct, dedicated access to your website manager which allows us to understand your website in-depth. We get to know your goals and challenges. We prove our value and, over time, become your trusted website advisors. Your website manager at EJ&A does more than keep your website secure and up-to-date. Our professional and highly skilled website managers have your back. You can count on us to look out for you with our knowledge and expertise–we support you with consultation on SEO, UX/UI (user experience), and conversion optimization.

Sometimes, your website is stuck between a rock and a hard place. We can help you understand your options and equip you to make informed decisions.

Our women led team lives and works locally. We provide website support services and training for businesses all over the United States. As WordPress instructors and developers, we work with you to set up your strategic website care plan. We talk with business leaders from diverse industries about their website problems and goals every day. When a new client shows up on our doorstep, they’ve often been put through the wringer by their most recent website service provider.
A surprising number of people feel held hostage by their website developer–who fell off the face of the earth soon after launching the website.

“I’ll go ahead and say it. Poor communication and lack of professionalism are serious problems in my industry.”

Emily Journey, Founder and CEO

Meet our team of WordPress professionals »

Professional website care

Emily Journey & Associates is the preferred provider of website services if you want direct access to your dedicated website manager. Founded in 2012 by Emily Journey, the EJ&A team has developed a reputation for their high standard of professionalism.
Companies choose us for our consultative approach and our depth of experience with the WordPress platform.

EJ&A clients can count on:

• direct communication with their website manager
• a 24-hour response time during the workweek
• options for WordPress training
• a strong focus on search engine optimization

In terms of pricing, we are among the higher priced agencies for a website care plan. And that’s for a good reason: our experienced website managers are also WordPress instructors and SEO specialists. Their high level of expertise paired with first class customer service makes us the premiere provider of website service companies in the United States.

Our monthly website care plans are:

• Basic Website Maintenance / $199 per month billed monthly
• Premium Website Maintenance / $450 per month billed monthly
• Custom Website Maintenance / Pricing varies

How to tell when your website maintenance company is adding value

Hiring a website maintenance company can be a costly proposition if you make the wrong choice. In fact, we've heard some terrible stories about unprofessional website developers. But, when you hire an experienced professional to help you with your website, then you can get an excellent return on your investment.

The first step in finding the right website maintenance company for your needs is to understand what you need them for. Do you just need someone to edit a few things here and there?  Or, do you want the benefit of consultative support and website strategy advice? If you want ongoing support, you may find that a monthly website care subscription model works better for you than paying by the hour. If you're unsure of the type of website support you need, then you are not alone.

Contact our office to discuss your options.

The best WordPress website managers share the following four characteristics:

1. They are great communicators

The best website managers are great communicators. Communication is a two-way street. You want to work with someone who can speak AND listen: someone who not only hears what your website maintenance needs are, but who can translate them into actionable steps and keep you informed about progress.

You should never be left to wonder what your developer or content manager is up to. If she drops off the planet for weeks at a time, you’re wasting valuable time and money trying to keep track of a lost cause.

2. They under-promise and over-deliver

When it comes to website support, the old adage is true. If it sounds too good to be true…

This can be a hard line to walk, especially if you’re relatively new to working with web content management agencies. You want to work with an ambitious team with big ideas, but you don’t want to be paying month after month for promises that never materialize.

Don't even get me started on so-called SEO services that produce zero results!

At EJ&A, we make a point of under-promising--especially when it comes to timelines and turnaround times. We can't always accurately predict how long a project will take so we're conservative in our time estimates. As a result, it's a pleasant surprise when we can accomplish tasks ahead of schedule.

3. They empower their clients

It’s unethical for your web developer to restrict your access to your own website. At the beginning of your working relationship, make sure it’s clear that you will register your own domain name and expect top level access to your hosting account and WordPress dashboard.

It’s simple: your site is yours. If your web developer, designer, or content manager won’t give you access, don’t work with them!

4. They work efficiently

I can’t count the number of times clients have approached me feeling utterly defeated by an unresponsive, almost comically slow web developer. The key word, though, is almost—it’s never funny when your website goes offline or your registration form breaks on the last day of sign-ups for your webinar.

An experienced WordPress expert knows how to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, manage projects, and solve problems quickly.

What else can you do with a monthly Website care plan?

1. Improve the look of your site

Your website is an important part of your business, but it’s not the only thing that matters. You need a strong brand identity, which means having a visual style that represents who you are and what you do. If you don’t have one yet, we can create a logo or design your entire site from scratch. We also make sure that your site looks great on all devices so customers can find you no matter where they go.

2. Create content that converts visitors into leads

If you want people to visit your site, then you need to provide them with something interesting to read. But if you just throw up any old blog post, chances are it won’t convert well. That’s why our team works closely with you to develop high-quality content that attracts readers and encourages them to take action. Whether you need fresh blog posts written, social media updates created, or video scripts produced, we’ll work with you to ensure that your content gets seen by your target audience.

3. Grow your email list and build relationships

Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to reach potential clients and customers. However, many small businesses fall short when it comes to their email strategy because they don’t know what to say in their email or don’t have enough contacts to send them. Our team has years of experience creating engaging newsletters and other types of email communications that grow your list and keep your customers coming back for more.

Website Care Providers Since 2012

It is our mission to become essential, trusted advisors to our clients by cultivating relationships characterized by compassionate, no B.S. communication. If you want exceptional website support and development services, we have you covered.

Whether you need a basic website care plan or a more extensive website support plan, we are here as a valuable resource to help your business flourish.

Website maintenance is necessary to ensure your site is accurate, secure, and engaging your prospects. Your dedicated, professional website manager will save you time and effort so you can focus on your other important responsibilities. With a regular website care plan, you will have the support you need to ensure your website is healthy and attracting your prospects.

We offer responsive website care plans that will enhance user experience and security. But most importantly, we customize your plan based on your vision and goals.

We are ready to design a website service plan that will exceed your expectations.

Types of Website Care Plans

There are three types of website care plans out there: outsourced, in-house, and sitting duck. It's important to understand the difference between these plans before you choose the one that works best for your business. Outsourcing website care is a great way to save money on hiring costs, but it also means that you're not in complete control of the timing of your change requests. On the other hand, in-house website support means that you have more control, but it can be expensive and unnecessary to hire a website expert to do every aspect of the job in-house. The third option, sitting duck, is the most cost effective in the short-term, but it comes with its own set of challenges.

Outsourced Website Care Plans

The first type of plan is called "outsourced" because you outsource the work to someone else who does it for you. This could be an agency or freelancer who specializes in this kind of thing. You pay them a monthly fee to maintain your site. They might charge by the hour or per project depending on what you want done. Some companies will offer both hourly rates and fixed price contracts so that you can see how much you'll spend without committing yourself.

Pros of Outsourced Website Care Plans

There are benefits to outsourcing. Most importantly, you get to focus on revenue producing activities while someone else takes care of the website details. You're busy managing your day-to-day business operations. With a professional website manager, you won't need to worry about keeping up with changes in technology or making sure your site looks professional.

You also avoid having to deal with problems that arise when something goes wrong. When you outsource the work, you give up any responsibility for errors. If you don't know how to fix a problem, you call your web developer and they take over. That frees up time for you to focus on other things.

You can save time and money by going through a reputable company. There are lots of freelancers out there who claim to be experts at building websites. However, they often lack experience and professionalism.

At Emily Journey & Associates, we've been helping people with their websites since 2012.

Contact us and we'll talk about your options for monthly website support.

Cons of Outsourced Website Care Plans

One major drawback to outsourcing is that you lose complete control over the timing of edits to your site. While you may trust the person who manages your site, you might wonder where your requests fit in their larger list of priorities.

It's true. There's a lack of professionalism in the website design and development industry. Unprofessional, overpriced web developers are the reality for so many businesses. But it doesn’t have to be your reality!

If you're looking for experienced professionals to help keep your site updated and secure, then a website maintenance service plan with Emily Journey & Associates may be just what you need.

Meet our team of website consultants »

In-House Website Care

In-house website maintenance is either you manage the website yourself, or you hire an employee to manage the company website.

Pros of In-House Website Care

When you use an in-house team, you gain full control over the timing of edits to your site. You can set whatever policies you want and decide when to update your site. You also get access to all of the tools and resources needed to make your site run smoothly.

Cons of In-House Website Care

The biggest disadvantage of using an in-house employee is cost. Depending on the size of your business, you may end up spending hundreds or thousands of dollars each year to keep your site running.

Whenever I see an employment ad for for a full-time website manager, I wonder, "why?"

The expense of hiring a full-time website manager is  daunting for most companies. I'll take it a step further by saying it's an unnecessary hire most of time.

The Sitting Duck Plan

A third option is to go without any kind of website support plan. If you don't have the budget to pay for regular maintenance, you'll probably have to wait until there's a problem before getting any attention from a web maintenance firm.

This approach isn't sustainable because eventually, your site will start breaking down. And, you'll find yourself stuck trying to figure out how to fix everything yourself. Or, you'll pay a premium to get a professional to look at your website quickly when there's a crisis.

At my agency, whenever we get a call about our monthly website care plans, we always want to know Is the website in crisis? Before we decide on our next steps.

How Much Does Website Maintenance Cost?

Whether you choose to outsource or maintain your own site, remember that you should only consider these options after you've researched the different types of WordPress maintenance plans available. The cost of WordPress maintenance depends on the following factors:

• how much effort you personally put into maintaining your site
• whether you have an ecommerce website, a membership website, or other advanced functionality
• the quality of the foundation or theme
• the quality of the plugins in use
• the backup and restore process
• the quality of the hosting platform
• the amount of traffic your site receives
• the frequency of updates

Managing a WordPress website is different from managing other types of sites because of its unique structure and security concerns.

If you’re thinking about managing for your own website, here are some things you need to think about before you begin.

Are You Ready For The Responsibility That Comes With Running A Website?

Once you know which type of website you want, consider whether you’ll be able to handle the responsibilities that come with running a website.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself before you start:

Do I Have Enough Time And Energy To Manage My Own Website?

If you're not available to commit the time and energy required to manage your own website, then you don't have to. We help people everyday who have this same problem.

Hire someone else to do the work.

Do I Know How To Use WordPress?

You may have read somewhere, "WordPress is easy!" The truth? WordPress is only easy if you know how to use it. Anyone who has ever built a website knows how to use WordPress. But if you‘ve never done any web design before, you might feel overwhelmed when you try to set up a WordPress website.

It’s okay if you don’t know everything there is to know about WordPress. We teach people just like you how to manage and update their own WordPress websites.

Do I Have The Technical Skills Required To Build & Maintain My Own Web Presence?

If you‘re planning to generate traffic to your website through blogging, you probably already have an idea of what you want to write about. But if you don’t know where to start,  then you’ll need to learn how to write compelling posts.

Writing is just one part of creating a successful website. You also need to know how to troubleshoot plugins, diagnose problems, and keep the website secure.

These skills aren’t difficult to learn, but they’re definitely beyond the scope of most business owners. If you’re unsure about your technical skills, talk with us about your options. We can get you started with your website and stick with you through the process of growing your business.

Your Next Step

Whether you need a basic website care plan or more extensive website support services each month, we are here as a valuable resource to help your business flourish.

Website maintenance is necessary to ensure your site is accurate, secure, and engaging your prospects. Your dedicated, professional website manager will save you time and effort so you can focus on your other important responsibilities. With a regular website care plan, you will have the support you need to ensure your website is healthy and attracting your prospects.

We offer responsive website care plans that will enhance your prospect's experience and website security. And, importantly, we customize your plan based on your vision and goals.

We are ready to design a website care plan that will exceed your expectations. Whatever your company website needs are, let’s talk about them!