Website Maintenance vs. SEO Maintenance: What Your Business Actually Needs

Written By Amanda Morehead

(Framed through our Extended Team + Creative Studio packages)

You launched the website. You checked it off your list. You celebrated (as you should).

But keeping a website healthy — and keeping a website growing — are two very different things.

That’s why at Lapido + Co, we offer two distinct ongoing support paths: Extended Team and Creative Studio.

They’re both forms of maintenance, but they serve very different needs — and understanding the difference can completely change how your website performs, grows, and shows up online.

Below, we break down what each package includes, who each is designed for, and how to know which level of support your business actually needs.

Extended Team: Light-Lift Website Maintenance for Peace of Mind

If your internal team just needs someone to handle updates, fix issues, and keep things running smoothly, Extended Team is the perfect fit.

This package is your “maintenance mode” — the behind-the-scenes support that keeps your website healthy, functional, and up to date without changing or expanding your strategy.

Extended Team includes:

  • CMS updates

  • Design + layout tweaks

  • Bug fixes

  • Webflow + plugin updates

  • Light SEO refreshes

  • Site performance checks

This service keeps your website stable and secure so nothing breaks, glitches, or falls out of date. It’s the support that prevents headaches and gives your business consistent upkeep — without adding new content or pushing for growth.

Best for: Brands who want peace of mind and ongoing support, while keeping strategy + content creation in-house.

Investment: $550/mo

Creative Studio: Everything in Extended Team + the SEO Google Actually Requires

Creative Studio is our higher-level maintenance package — and it includes everything in Extended Team.

But then we add the SEO, optimization, and performance updates that Google needs in order to:

  • Understand your website

  • Rank your pages

  • Trust your content

  • Support your paid ads

  • Improve user experience

  • Lower your ad costs

  • Increase conversions

Creative Studio includes:

  • All maintenance + support from Extended Team

  • Keyword research

  • 2–4 blog posts per month

  • On-page SEO optimization

  • Local SEO improvements

  • Internal linking

  • Reporting + strategy updates

If Extended Team keeps your site functioning, Creative Studio makes sure Google can find it, understand it, and elevate it. It’s the difference between a website that exists… and a website that performs.

Best for: Brands prioritizing visibility, performance, and paid advertising — or anyone wanting to ensure Google doesn’t penalize or ignore their site.

Investment: $1,000/mo

Do You Need Both Packages?

No.

Creative Studio includes everything in Extended Team.

Most brands:

1. Start with Extended Team when they simply need upkeep

2. Upgrade into Creative Studio when they need deeper SEO support or plan to run paid ads

It’s not two separate services — it’s a natural progression based on business goals.

Not Sure Which Level of Support You Need?

Extended Team vs. Creative Studio: What’s the Real Difference?

Short answer: Support vs. Strategy.

Extended Team helps your internal team.

Creative Studio becomes your team.

so…which will you actually need?

Choose creative studio Maintenance if:

  • You want to grow your website’s visibility

  • You need consistent, search-optimized content

  • You want to rank higher on Google

  • You target a local audience and need local SEO

  • You want full reporting + strategy guiding every decision

  • You want a done-for-you team handling the heavy lifting

Choose Extended TEam Maintenance if:

  • You need updates but not new content

  • Your team handles strategy, messaging, or SEO internally

  • You want someone to manage upkeep, bugs, and routine tasks

  • You don’t need consistent traffic or visibility growth

  • You’re focused on stability, not expansion

Why Creative Studio Becomes Essential When Running Paid Ads

Paid ads don’t operate in isolation. Google evaluates your entire website when deciding:

  • If your ads qualify

  • How much you pay per click

  • How often your ads show

  • Where they appear

  • How strong your landing page experience is

If your website isn’t SEO-ready, technically optimized, or aligned with Google’s current standards, you’ll pay more for ads — and convert less traffic once people land on your site. That’s why businesses running ads almost always upgrade to Creative Studio.

Because the last thing you want is to invest in traffic that’s being sent to a site that’s:

  • Slow

  • Unoptimized

  • “Bricked”

  • Outdated

  • Confusing for Google to crawl

  • Not conversion-friendly

Ads will drive people to your website — but Creative Studio ensures your website can actually handle and convert that traffic.

If this helped you understand what your website truly needs, share it or send it to someone navigating the same decisions. And when you want a strategic partner who understands both maintenance and growth, contact Lapido + Co today. Let’s make your website work harder for your business.

Amanda Morehead https://lapido.co
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Defining Quality at Lapido + Co