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Website maintenance report: what it should contain

Last updated: 9 November 2026

A client who pays for maintenance every month and receives nothing ends up wondering why they pay. The monthly report answers that question before it is asked.

The trap is trying to say everything. Nobody reads a twelve-page report. A clear one-pager gets read.

The five things the client wants to see

  • The month’s uptime, as a percentage. One big figure, at the top of the page.
  • Incidents: when, for how long, why, what you did. Even when there are none, write “no incidents”.
  • The SSL certificate status: valid until when. It is what prevents the red padlock on a Monday morning.
  • What you did: updates, verified backups, security fix. This is the part that justifies the invoice.
  • The previous month for comparison, to see whether things are getting better or worse.

What is better avoided

CPU and memory charts of a server mean nothing to a baker. Keep them for yourself, or for a technical client who asks.

Also avoid unexplained jargon. “p95 latency” says nothing. “The site responds in 280 ms on average, which is fast” is understood.

The real problem: producing it every month

Writing a report by hand takes twenty to forty minutes per client. With fifteen clients, that is a whole day every month, so it gets done late, or stops being done.

Two solutions: a template you fill in (our template is here), or a tool that collects the figures itself. StatOps generates each client’s PDF at the end of the month, with your logo and colours, and sends it if you wish.

When to send it

Within the first three days of the following month, always on the same date. Regularity matters more than content: a client who receives their report on the 2nd of every month ends up waiting for it.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a report for every client?

Yes, even for small contracts. It is precisely the client who pays little and sees nothing who is likely to cancel.

How long should a maintenance report be?

One page, two at most. The figures at the top, the incidents and actions below.

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