For most agencies, the launch is the milestone everyone works towards. For the client, it is the moment their website starts its real life — and the requests begin. A new page, a form that stopped working, an integration after a software change.
Handled ad hoc, those requests interrupt project work and rarely get billed properly. Handled deliberately, they become a steady part of the client relationship. Here is how to set that up.
Decide what “support” means for each client.
Start by separating the work into three kinds, because they need different agreements:
- Routine maintenance — the recurring checks and updates that keep the site working.
- Development — agreed changes and improvements, usually from a monthly allowance or estimated per request.
- Initial repairs — problems found when a site is taken on, quoted once, before regular care starts.
When these are mixed in one vague retainer, the client expects everything and the agency absorbs the cost. When they are separate, both sides know what the monthly fee covers.
Agree who talks to whom.
Support fails most often on communication, not on technical skill. Before the first request, agree:
- Who at the client can send requests, and through which channel.
- Who approves estimates and extra work — the account manager, the client, or both.
- Support hours, response expectations and what counts as urgent.
- Where the record of changes, open issues and decisions is kept.
Keep the work in-house or bring in a partner.
Some agencies keep support entirely in-house. Others work with a technical partner, either behind the scenes or alongside their team. Both can work well; the right choice depends on how much post-launch work you have and whether it competes with new projects.
- Behind the scenes (white label). The agency keeps the client relationship. The partner works through the agency’s nominated contact, under agreed branding and confidentiality rules.
- Alongside the team. The partner is introduced to the client and can handle routine requests directly, while the agency keeps approvals and larger decisions.
Plan for a mixed portfolio.
Few agencies have every client on the same stack. There may be a couple of CMS builds, a static site, something built with an AI tool and a store on its own platform. Don’t assume one support arrangement fits all of them. Review each site for access, deployment, integrations and known limitations before agreeing to support it.
That review may show that some sites need initial repairs, some can only be partly supported because the vendor controls the rest, and some are better handled by a specialist. Knowing that before you sell the care plan protects the relationship.
Start with one pilot site.
Pick a representative client website and a small backlog of real requests. Run the arrangement for a month or two. Look at how requests flowed, how long they took and whether the client noticed a difference. Then decide whether to add more sites and on what terms.
Where SiteComfy fits.
SiteComfy works with agencies as a technical partner for ongoing care and development across different platforms. See how we work with agencies, or tell us about your portfolio. If your client sites are mostly WordPress, our sister service has a guide to white-label WordPress maintenance.
