What Is Included in a Website Subscription - and What Is Not
Table of contents 5 sections
Why 'all-inclusive' needs a clear definition
'All-inclusive' is a promise that is easy to make and hard to keep. In the web design industry, 'everything' means something different for every provider - sometimes hosting is included, sometimes not. Sometimes copywriting and images are included, sometimes not. Sometimes support is unlimited, sometimes it comes with an hours quota. Anyone evaluating a website subscription is, in practice, often comparing packages that cover completely different services - and only gains clarity about the real limits after signing the contract.
So that you have that clarity beforehand, this article is a complete list. What is included in each of our three packages. Where the packages differ. And - at least as importantly - which services are deliberately not part of the monthly fee and are instead offered transparently as separate items.
A second clarification up front: the model is a service package with a minimum term of 24 months, a setup fee of 390 euros and an optional takeover after 24 months for a one-time 690 euros. If you would like to know more about the legal and economic classification, you will find it in the article on the model comparison between subscription and one-time purchase.
What is included in every package
Six services are included identically in all three packages, regardless of whether you choose Starter, Business or Professional.
Web design to brief. Concept, layout, image selection, typography - the design substance of your website is developed on the basis of a structured brief that we work out together.
Hosting on servers within the EU. Operation in professional data centres with daily backups. No separate hosting contract, no separate invoice.
SSL certificate. HTTPS encryption with Let's Encrypt, renewed automatically. Without SSL, your site would be shown as 'not secure' in the browser - that is no longer an option today and therefore belongs in every package.
Technical maintenance. We keep the website technically up to date and operationally secure - security updates, availability monitoring, upkeep of forms and integrations. What ongoing maintenance covers in detail and why it pays off is explained in the article The five most important maintenance tasks in detail.
Support by email. A reply within two working days, and within one working day on the Professional package. Questions about usage, clarification on content, help with problems on the site.
Ongoing content changes. Swapping out text, replacing images, adding dates, updating job offers - within the scope specific to each package and without a separate invoice.
Package differentiation - Starter, Business, Professional
The three packages differ across four dimensions: page scope, copywriting, SEO depth and response time. Those who need more substance choose higher; those who need less stay lower. You will find a detailed package overview with all the specific conditions on the Package selection: Starter, Business, Professional page.
| Service | Starter (€99) | Business (€149) | Professional (€249) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page scope | Onepage Plus, 3 pages | Multi-page, up to 15 pages | Up to 25 pages + landing pages |
| Copywriting | Brief, you provide the text | All text written by us | All text plus bilingual DE+EN |
| SEO | Basic setup | Advanced SEO, FAQ schema, structured data | Advanced plus ongoing keyword optimisation |
| Support response time | 2 working days | 2 working days | 1 working day (priority handling) |
| Minimum term | 24 months | 24 months | 24 months |
| Takeover after 24 months | €690 | €690 | €690 |
The packages are cut so that most SMEs are well served with Business. Starter suits sole traders, small practices without a careers page, and local service providers with manageable content needs. Professional suits businesses with multilingual clientele, regular landing-page campaigns or a high need for updates.
What is not included - and how it is handled
Three items are deliberately not part of the monthly fee because they are project-specific and one-off. We name them transparently in advance so that you know what to budget for.
First, a professional photo shoot. A photo session with a photographer from our network costs between 800 and 2,500 euros depending on scope. The result is images that carry your website for years - team, premises, atmosphere, honest impressions instead of interchangeable stock photos. Anyone bringing their own images saves this item.
Second, external copy editing. On the Business and Professional packages, we write your text. If you would like additional external editing by a specialist editor in your industry - for example legally reviewed text for a law firm or medically edited content for a practice - we are happy to arrange it, with the fee running directly with the editor. Order of magnitude: 80 to 200 euros per page, depending on depth.
Third, paid third-party licences or stock material. Some features require licences from external providers - for instance a professional booking system with payment integration, a CRM with an interface, or premium stock photography for very specific subjects. These licences are itemised separately and transparently, often on an annual basis.
What is likewise not part of the monthly fee but is often asked about: a complete relaunch after three years with a new concept and a new photo world. This is a new project with its own setup fee, not a routine maintenance service. If you are wondering whether you are facing a maintenance case or a relaunch, you will find an honest diagnosis in the article When a website subscription is not the right fit.
Conclusion - which package works for whom
A pragmatic sorting.
Starter is the right choice if, as a sole trader or small business, you need a lean, clearly structured website that you want to supply with content yourself. Three main pages, a consistent presence, everything essential - no more is needed, and no less is intended.
Business is by far the most common contract. A multi-page site with all standard features, copywriting by us, advanced SEO with structured data and a monthly report that shows you how the site is performing. For most SMEs - trades, practices, law firms, hospitality without a multilingual requirement - the right fit.
Professional suits businesses with bilingual clientele (DE/EN), regular landing-page campaigns, a larger page scope or higher demands on response speed. It also suits businesses that use their website strategically as an ongoing sales tool and value close day-to-day support.
Which package structurally fits your business is something we clarify transparently in an initial conversation. It is not in our interest to sell you an oversized package that you do not use - you would look more critically at it in the second contract year, and that would be the worse relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do 'ongoing content changes' actually mean?
Adding or rewriting text, replacing images, adding new team members, switching job adverts on and off, building in new events, updating dates. On the Business and Professional packages, smaller structural adjustments are added, such as new sections on existing pages.
Do I receive a monthly invoice for the maintenance tasks?
On the Business and Professional packages you receive a monthly report documenting the maintenance carried out, the updates applied and - where applicable - any performance changes. On the Starter package you do not receive this report, but the maintenance still runs.
What does switching between packages cost?
You can move up at any time during the term, and the monthly cost adjusts from the following month. Moving down is possible after the first twelve months, with three months' notice.
Are design adjustments included in the subscription?
Smaller adjustments - colour corrections, font sizes, new buttons - yes. Larger redesigns of the layout count as project work and are discussed separately, with a clear fee framework.
What happens if I need more pages than the package provides?
We discuss the additional pages and build them in. If the extra need is structural, we recommend moving up to the next larger package. If it is a one-off peak in demand (for example a temporary campaign), it runs as a project-based add-on.
Which services are added most often as extras?
A photo shoot when the site is first created, occasionally external editing for legally sensitive content, and sometimes a specialised third-party licence for booking or shop features. Everything else is usually covered within the chosen package.
