Launching a website feels like the finish line, but it is really the starting point. Software needs updating, security threats change, content goes out of date and small problems quietly build up. A website maintenance plan is how you make sure your website stays safe, fast and working without you having to think about it.
Website maintenance plans vary enormously in what they include, so here is what we believe a good one should cover.
Software updates, tested properly
Platforms such as WordPress, along with themes and plugins, release updates regularly. Many fix security vulnerabilities, so leaving them for months is risky. But updating blindly can occasionally break things.
A good maintenance plan applies updates regularly, checks the site afterwards and ideally tests significant updates on a staging copy of the site before they go live. Ask whether updates are applied automatically or reviewed by a person.
Do not forget the server itself. Older versions of PHP, the language WordPress runs on, stop receiving security fixes, so a good plan includes checking the version your host uses and upgrading it safely when needed.
Backups you can actually restore
Backups should be automatic, frequent and stored somewhere separate from your website’s server. Just as importantly, someone should test restoring them occasionally. A backup that has never been restored is a hope rather than a plan. Ask how often backups run, how long they are kept and how quickly the site can be restored if needed.
Security monitoring
- A firewall to block common attacks.
- Malware scanning and alerts.
- Protection against brute-force login attempts.
- An SSL certificate that renews automatically.
- Removal of old user accounts and unused plugins.
- A clear process if the site is ever compromised, including clean-up and restoration.
Photo by Joshua Woroniecki on Unsplash
Uptime and performance monitoring
Your maintenance provider should know your site is down before your customers tell you. Uptime monitoring checks the site every few minutes and raises an alert if it stops responding. Periodic performance checks, such as running key pages through PageSpeed Insights, catch slowdowns caused by large images, new plugins or hosting problems before they affect visitors and rankings.
Small content changes
Many website maintenance plans include a set amount of time each month for minor edits: updating prices, adding a new team member, swapping images or changing opening hours. This is useful if you do not want to make changes yourself. Check whether unused time rolls over and what the rate is for larger pieces of work.
Checks that are easy to forget
- Testing contact forms to make sure enquiries are still arriving.
- Checking for broken links and missing images.
- Making sure the domain name and hosting are renewed on time.
- Reviewing Google Search Console for crawl errors or security warnings.
Reporting on your website maintenance
A short monthly report showing what was updated, backed up and checked gives you confidence that the work is happening. It also builds a useful history if something does go wrong.
Ask to see an example report before you sign up. It should be short and readable, and it should make clear whether the website maintenance plan covers the checks described above or only the basics.
Questions to ask before signing up to a website maintenance plan
- What exactly is included, and what costs extra?
- How quickly will you respond if the site goes down?
- Who owns the website, hosting and domain?
- Can I leave, and will you hand everything over if I do?
Websites that are looked after regularly are cheaper to run in the long term than ones that are left alone until something breaks. If you would like to talk about a website maintenance plan that keeps your site in good shape, get in touch with our team.
