Your website is live. I’m still in your corner.
Launching the website is a big moment, but it is not the point where I disappear into the mist.
For six months after launch, I stay familiar with the website and help with the small agreed adjustments that naturally come up once it is out in the world.
A sentence might need tightening. A button might make more sense somewhere else. Something may feel slightly awkward once real people start using the site.
That is exactly what aftercare is for.
A website rarely needs absolutely nothing after launch.
Once the site is live, you start seeing it differently.
You may notice a little bit of copy you want to tweak, realise a page needs a small adjustment, or have a question about something you have not touched before.
You should not have to wonder whether it is safe to change, whether you are about to break something, or whether the person who built the website has now vanished forever.
For those first six months, you still have someone in your corner who already knows the website, the business and why things were built the way they were.
What aftercare can help with
Small agreed content updates.
Minor layout adjustments.
Clarifying how to make routine website changes yourself.
Checking something that does not appear to be behaving as expected.
Small refinements that become obvious once the website is being used.
Guidance around analytics, Search Console, Microsoft Clarity or other tools set up as part of the project.
A second pair of eyes when you are not quite sure what the sensible next step is.
No need to write a formal support ticket with a six-paragraph incident report.
A message explaining what you have spotted is usually a perfectly good place to start.
Helpful support. Not unlimited maintenance.
Aftercare is there for the smaller things that help the website settle in properly.
It is not intended to become an unlimited maintenance plan or six months of ongoing redesign.
Things such as substantial new pages, major layout changes, new functionality, large copy rewrites or bigger strategic work sit outside the included aftercare.
If something falls outside the agreed support, I will simply tell you before anything happens and we can decide whether it is something you would like me to help with separately.
No surprises. No mystery invoice appearing afterwards.
How it works
Something crops up.
Send me a message and tell me what you have noticed.
I take a look.
I’ll check what’s needed and let you know how long I expect it to take.
We sort it.
I’ll make the adjustment and let you know when it’s done. If it turns out to be a bigger piece of work, I’ll explain that before going any further.
Nice and uncomplicated.
And then?
Six months is usually enough time for the website to settle in, for you to become more confident using it and for any early niggles to show themselves.
After that, you are not suddenly cast adrift.
If you need help with the website later, you can still come back to me for focused updates, a Designer for the Day session or whatever level of support makes sense at the time.
The point is not to keep you dependent on me.
It is to make sure you feel confident with the website and know where to turn if you need help.
Your website should feel supported after launch too.
A good website project should not end with a handover email and a cheerful wave from a safe distance.
You have put time, thought and money into getting the website right. It deserves a little settling-in period — and you deserve to know someone familiar with it is still around.