Website Maintenance in Lebanon: Who Should Own the Keys and What a Retainer Covers

Most Lebanese business owners plan the website launch carefully and the day after launch not at all. Then something small happens: a plugin update breaks the contact form, the domain is about to expire and nobody remembers who registered it, or the developer who built the site has stopped answering messages. What you own and who looks after the site are not details for later. They decide whether a website you paid for stays yours and stays working.

This guide covers the two questions to settle before you sign off a launch: which accounts you must hold yourself, and what "maintenance" should mean in writing. It is for the owner who pays for the site, not the developer who builds it.

The accounts you must own on launch day

A website is not one thing. It is a handful of accounts and files, and the question is whose name is on each one.

The domain. The domain name (yourbusiness.com) is registered through an account at a registrar. Whoever holds that account can renew it, point it elsewhere or let it lapse. It should be registered in your business name with an email address you control, even if the developer set it up for you.

The hosting. Where the site actually runs. Same rule: the hosting account should be yours, with the developer added as a user if they need access, not the other way round.

The admin login. You need your own administrator account on the site's back end. A single shared login that only the developer knows means you cannot change a price, add a page or lock out a former contractor.

Analytics and search accounts. Google Analytics and Google Search Console should sit under an email address that belongs to the business. If they live in a freelancer's personal account, your traffic history walks out the door with them.

The files and licences. Ask for a copy of the site's files, the theme or template licence (if a paid theme was used) and any paid plugin licences. A licence bought in the developer's name may stop updating the day you part ways.

The ten-minute ownership test

Before you approve the final payment, sit down and log into the domain registrar, the hosting account, the site's admin, and Google Analytics using credentials you set up. If any of those fails, fix it now, while the developer is still being paid and motivated to respond. Trying to recover access from a contractor who has moved on is far slower and more awkward.

What maintenance actually means

"Maintenance" is a word people use without agreeing what it covers. Written down, it usually breaks into these parts:

• Updates. The site's platform, theme and plugins release updates, some of them security fixes. Left alone, a site gradually becomes both fragile and easier to attack.
• Backups, and a restore that has been tested. A backup you have never restored is a hope, not a backup. Ask when the last backup was taken and where it is stored.
• Monitoring. Someone or something notices when the site goes down or the security certificate expires.
• Small content changes. A new price, a changed opening time, a swapped photo.
• Renewals. Domain, hosting and certificate renewals come around annually or monthly, and somebody has to make sure they are paid on time.

What maintenance is not: a new page, a redesign, a new feature, or marketing. Those are new scope and should be quoted as new work. Vague wording like "free support after launch" tends to end in an argument, because the two sides picture different things.

Retainer or pay-per-fix

A site that rarely changes (a brochure site of a few pages) can often do without a retainer. Keep a written list of who to call, keep the backups, and pay per fix. The risk is that nobody is watching the updates, so agree a light check a few times a year.

A site with regular updates or a shop (products, orders, bookings, plugins) is usually better on a monthly retainer, because there is always something to update, and a broken checkout costs you money every hour it is down.

Whichever you choose, put four things in writing: what is included, how quickly the freelancer will respond to a problem, how many hours of changes a month are covered, and what happens to unused hours. Compare quotes on that list, not on the price line.

We do not publish a price benchmark for maintenance here, and be sceptical of anyone who tells you there is a standard figure. It swings with the platform, the number of plugins and how often the site changes. For context on what the build itself costs, see the ranges on the small business website and WordPress developer pages.

Lebanon-specific ways sites go dark

Payment methods that expire or get declined. Domains and hosting are usually paid in dollars by card, often through a foreign provider. A card that expires or a bank that declines an international charge is one of the easiest ways for a site to go offline. Put renewal dates in your calendar, keep a working card on file, and turn on renewal reminders for a second email address.

One person holds everything. If the only person who knows the logins is a freelancer abroad, or your cousin who built it as a favour, one lost phone or one breakup of the working relationship puts the site at risk. Store credentials in a shared password manager, not in a WhatsApp chat.

Currency in the agreement. Agree the retainer in the currency you will actually pay in, and how it will be paid, before the first month starts. Ambiguity there causes more friction than the work does.

Red flags

• The developer registered the domain in their own name and cannot explain why.
• They will not give you hosting or registrar access "for security reasons".
• There is one shared admin login and no separate account for you.
• "Free maintenance" is promised with no list of what it covers.
• Nobody can tell you when the last backup was taken.

Our guides on how to hire a web developer and who owns delivered work go further on ownership, and scope creep and extra revisions helps you draw the line between a fix and a new request. If you are still choosing between a solo developer and a team, read freelance web developer vs agency.

Hiring and paying safely

Write the ownership list and the maintenance scope into the brief before work starts, using our job brief guide, and ask the freelancer to confirm both. If the site is already live and you are not sure what you own, start with the ten-minute test above and hire a developer for a one-off audit before committing to a retainer.

Furrsati removes the risk on payment. You post your project, compare proposals from verified freelancers, fund a milestone, and release payment only once you've approved the work, with milestone funds held by Stripe until you release them. The service fee comes off the freelancer's side, so only standard card processing is added to your bill, and wallet-funded milestones carry none. Freelancers verify their identity before they can withdraw; as a client you need no verification. Payouts reach the freelancer inside Lebanon by OMT, Whish, bank transfer or USDT.

Your next step

Run the ten-minute ownership test on your site today. Then write down what maintenance should include and how fast you need problems fixed, and hire a WordPress developer on Furrsati or a small business website developer to take it on, with the scope agreed before the first milestone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should own my website's domain name?

You should, through an account registered in your business name with an email address you control. A developer can set it up for you, but the registrar account should be yours so that nobody else can let it lapse or move it away.

What does website maintenance include?

Typically platform, theme and plugin updates, tested backups, monitoring for downtime and expiring certificates, small content changes and making sure renewals are paid. New pages, redesigns and new features are separate work and should be quoted separately.

Do I need a monthly maintenance retainer?

It depends on how much the site changes. A small brochure site that rarely changes can often be handled by paying per fix, with a light check a few times a year. A shop or a site with regular updates is usually safer on a retainer, since a broken checkout costs you money every hour.

How much does website maintenance cost in Lebanon?

It varies with the platform, the number of plugins and how often the site changes, so we do not quote a standard figure. Compare quotes on what is included, how fast problems are fixed and how many change hours are covered, not on the monthly price alone.

What if my developer will not give me access to my own website?

Ask in writing for the domain registrar, hosting and admin access. If they refuse, that is a serious red flag. Keep proof of what you paid for, and do not release remaining payment on a project until access is handed over.