Answer
How to prove a website maintenance retainer to clients
Prove a website maintenance retainer by writing the month as an outcome the client can repeat, and by putting the checks beside it so the outcome is not a slogan. A quiet month is still a fact if uptime and the certificate date are on the same page.
A plugin changelog does not do this. The client already assumes you updated plugins. They ask what they paid for when nothing visible broke. Answer that question in the first screen of the report, every period, on the same URL.
The blank structure is the website maintenance report template. The WordPress sections, with the public sample, are the WordPress maintenance report. The renewal version of the same idea is making the work visible.
The comparison
| Weak month | Month that holds up at renewal | |
|---|---|---|
| First line | Updated plugins. General maintenance. | Restored reliable email delivery. |
| The technical bit | A list of version numbers | One line under the outcome. SPF, the form, the page. Not fourteen rows |
| Uptime | 100% in a footer | The miss named, with the day, or one sentence if the bar was clean |
| What they remember | You were busy | The result, and that the site was watched |
When the short email is enough
A three-line email is enough when there is one client and you will paste the same shape every month without drifting. Say what changed, say whether the site was up, say when the certificate expires. Stop. Do not attach a second story.
When to put it on a page
Use a page when the roster is more than a couple of sites, or when you are tired of retyping the checks. RetainerProof keeps the work under “Work this period” and fills in the homepage probes, the certificate, the domain, and a Lighthouse snapshot. You still write the outcome. Nothing on their server is filling that sentence in.
Open the last few months on the same link when the retainer comes up. There is no annual recap button. If the lines are empty, the renewal is a feeling again.
Plans are Starter at $9/month for up to 5 sites, Studio at $29/month for up to 25 sites, and Agency at $79/month for up to 100 sites. Studio is the plan marked recommended when it is for sale. Starter, including a trial, keeps a small Powered by RetainerProof link on the client digest and the public status page. Studio and Agency remove that link. Prices are on the pricing page.
FAQ
What if nothing broke?
Say it was a quiet month and show the checks. Do not invent chores. A padded log is how a real month stops being believed.
Should uptime lead the page?
No. Uptime supports the work. A public status page is even thinner: current state, no work at all. Useful on a Sunday. Useless as the retainer.
Do clients need an account?
No. They open the link you send. Alerts about downtime still come to you first. You can also mail the scheduled report to up to five client addresses.
Other comparisons
- RetainerProof compared with the tools you already run
- RetainerProof vs ManageWP
- RetainerProof vs MainWP
- RetainerProof vs WP Umbrella
- WP Umbrella alternative
- RetainerProof vs Modular DS
- Modular DS alternative
- AgencyAnalytics alternative
- Better Stack status page alternative
- Uptime Kuma alternative
- What to include in a website maintenance report
Also see pricing and a sample client digest.
Monthly agency tip
One tip a month.
One practical tip a month on proving your retainer is worth it. No spam.
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