Your website is live, so what are you actually paying for from here? After launch, four things keep running: hosting (the server your site sits on), your domain renewal, updates to keep the site current, and support when something needs attention. On a TechTribe general website, Year 1 already includes hosting, your .co.zw domain and up to five business email accounts, and after that one flat $75 a year keeps everything running, with no monthly subscription.
This is for the owner who has just launched, or is about to, and wants the real running cost and a clear sense of who does what next. Below is the first-year-versus-after picture, what the renewal covers, and a maintenance checklist to keep the site earning its place.
The short version
After a general business website goes live, four things continue: hosting, the domain, business email and support. On a TechTribe site, all of that is included in Year 1. From Year 2, a single $75 a year covers hosting, domain, email and basic upkeep. There is no monthly fee. New pages, new features and redesigns are separate work you quote when you need them.
TL;DR
- What continues after launch: hosting, domain renewal, updates and support. Four things, not a mystery monthly bill.
- Year 1: on a TechTribe website, hosting, your
.co.zwdomain and up to five business email accounts are already included in the build. - After Year 1: renewal is $75 per year, covering hosting, domain, email and basic upkeep. No monthly subscription on general websites.
- Updates: basic upkeep keeps the site running. Content changes, new pages and new features are separate work to scope and quote.
- Two things this guide does not cover: who owns those accounts, and who manages them day to day. Both are linked below.
What actually keeps running after launch
A website is not a one-off purchase that then sits still. A handful of things run continuously in the background, and each one has a cost attached, whether you see it as a separate line or bundled into a single renewal.
- Hosting is the server space where your site files live. Without it, the site has nowhere to load from.
- The domain is your address, such as
yourbusiness.co.zw. It has to be renewed to stay yours. - Business email on your domain, like
[email protected], keeps working only while the mailboxes and domain are active. - Updates and support cover keeping the site working over time and getting help when something breaks or needs changing.
The thing that trips people up is how those costs are packaged. Some arrangements bill hosting, domain and email separately, so you get several invoices a year from different places and the total is hard to predict. On a TechTribe general website they are bundled, so the picture is simpler.
| What keeps running | Year 1 (included in your build) | After Year 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting (server space) | Included | Part of $75 per year |
.co.zw domain | Included | Part of $75 per year |
| Business email (up to 5 accounts) | Included | Part of $75 per year |
| Basic upkeep (keeping the site running) | Included | Part of $75 per year |
| New pages, features or a redesign | Scoped in your original build | Quoted as separate work |
| Monthly subscription | None | None |
What the $75 a year covers, and what it does not
After Year 1, the renewal is $75 per year, and it covers hosting, your domain, business email and basic upkeep. In plain terms, that is what keeps everything running: the site stays online, the address stays yours, and email keeps flowing. One flat amount, once a year.
What it is not is a redesign or a steady stream of new content. "Basic upkeep" means the site stays working, not that anyone is rewriting your pages every month or adding a shop. That distinction matters for your budget, because it is where surprise bills usually come from when the boundary was never agreed.
For an owner-led business watching cash flow, the reassurance is the shape of the cost, not just the number. There is no monthly debit order to forget about and no per-feature subscription creeping upward. You pay once for the build, then a predictable amount each year.
Updates: basic upkeep versus new work
It helps to split "updates" into two piles, because they are charged differently.
Basic upkeep is keeping the site online and working: hosting running, email flowing, the site loading on a phone the way it should. On a TechTribe site that sits inside the renewal.
New work is anything that changes what the site does or says in a meaningful way: adding pages, launching a small shop, a seasonal campaign, new features, or a redesign. That is a separate job to scope and quote, not something to assume is free.
Where the line sits partly depends on how your site was built. A Standard website includes editable content where sensible, so small text changes, a new price here, an updated phone number there, may be things you can do yourself. Bigger structural changes are still a developer job. The practical move is to agree before launch which changes you will handle and which you will send over, so nobody is surprised later.
Support: what to expect, and what to confirm
Because general business websites are once-off rather than a monthly retainer, support is not something you are locked into paying for every month. That is good for your budget, and it also means the support arrangement is worth pinning down in writing rather than assuming.
Before you launch, get clear answers to a few plain questions, whoever builds your site:
- How do I report a problem, and to whom?
- What is covered under the annual renewal, and what is billed as extra?
- Who handles the technical side if the site goes down?
- What can I change myself, and what do I send to you?
Be wary of anyone promising a specific guaranteed response time for a standard business website unless they will put it in writing. The honest answer for most general websites is that support is handled as needed, and the useful thing is to know the channel and the expectation up front, not a number invented to sound impressive.
Your post-launch maintenance checklist
Run through this once the site is live, then revisit it a couple of times a year.
- Diarise the renewal date so hosting, domain and email never lapse
- Confirm the renewal amount and what it covers (on a TechTribe general site: $75 a year for hosting, domain, email and basic upkeep)
- Know who to contact when something breaks, and how
- Keep your business email tidy: who holds which mailbox, and who has admin rights
- Review content quarterly: prices, contact details, services and opening hours
- Test the contact form and WhatsApp button from a phone every few months
- Note which changes you can make yourself and which need the developer
- Keep a copy of your logins somewhere safe, and know whose name each account is under
What this guide does not cover
Two related questions sit right next to this one and deserve their own answer.
First, who actually owns the hosting, domain and email accounts that keep running. Paying the renewal keeps them active, but that is not the same as being the registered owner with the logins in your hands. Our guide on who owns your website covers the handover pack to collect before final payment.
Second, who is responsible for what day to day, you or your developer. Who updates content, who manages the mailboxes, who actually clicks renew. That split is covered in how domain, email and hosting responsibility is shared. This article is about the running picture and its cost; those two cover the ownership and the responsibilities that sit alongside it.
How this works with a TechTribe website
TechTribe general business websites are once-off, not a monthly subscription. Starter is $350, Standard is $550, and Premium starts from $800 with a custom quote after scope. You can see what each package includes before committing.
Year 1 includes hosting, a .co.zw domain and up to five business email accounts. After Year 1, renewal is $75 per year, which covers hosting, domain, email and basic upkeep. That is the whole ongoing picture on a standard site: one build fee, then one flat annual amount, with new pages or features quoted only when you actually want them.
Your next step
The running cost of a website should never be a surprise. After launch, four things continue, hosting, domain, updates and support, and on a once-off site they come down to a single flat renewal rather than a monthly drip. Agree what the renewal covers, diarise the date, and settle up front which changes you handle and which you send over.
If you want a website where the pricing is once-off and the ongoing cost is a clear $75 a year, request a quote and we will spell out what you pay now and what you pay later.
Author: Simon Updated: April 2026
Know your running costs before you commit
TechTribe builds once-off websites with Year 1 hosting, your .co.zw domain and business email included, then a flat $75 a year. Request a quote and we will spell out what you pay now and later.
About the author
Simon
Simon writes about websites, lead capture, and digital growth for real estate agencies in Zimbabwe.
