Most of the sites I’m asked to fix weren’t badly built. They just went a year or two without updates. Here’s what proper maintenance includes and how to judge whether you need it.
What happens to a site nobody maintains
- Plugins fall behind and outdated plugins are the most common way WordPress sites get hacked.
- Something breaks quietly, like a contact form that stopped sending emails three months ago.
- An update finally gets run after a long gap, conflicts with something, and the site goes down.
- The site slows down as images, plugins and database clutter pile up.
- There’s no recent backup when something goes wrong.
What a good maintenance plan includes
Updates, done safely
WordPress core, plugins and theme updated regularly, ideally tested on a staging copy first, and checked afterwards so nothing visible broke.
Backups you can actually restore
Daily or weekly backups stored somewhere other than your hosting account, kept for at least 30 days. A backup is only useful if someone has checked it restores.
Security and uptime monitoring
A firewall and malware scanning, login protection, and an alert if the site goes down, so problems are fixed before customers notice.
Form and tracking checks
Test submissions on your contact and quote forms, and a check that your analytics and Meta Pixel are still recording leads. This is the check most plans skip, and it’s the one that costs the most when it fails.
Speed and housekeeping
Caching, image compression, database clean-up and removing plugins you no longer use.
Small edits
An hour or two each month for text changes, new photos, an updated price list or a new team member. This is often what makes a plan worth it, because you don’t need a new quote every time something changes.
A short monthly report
What was updated, any issues found, and basic traffic and lead numbers.
Typical price ranges
- Around $50 to $100 a month: updates, backups and monitoring, with little or no editing time.
- Around $100 to $300 a month: the above plus form and tracking checks, speed work, a monthly report and a set amount of editing time.
- More than that: usually includes ongoing SEO, content or ads management.
Compare what’s included, not just the number. A cheap plan that only clicks “update all” can cause more problems than it prevents.
Do you need a plan or can you do it yourself?
You can manage it yourself if you’re comfortable logging in every week or two, updating carefully, keeping backups and fixing small conflicts. A plan makes more sense if:
- Your site brings in leads or sales, so downtime costs you money.
- You run ads to the site.
- You use several plugins, a page builder or WooCommerce.
- You’d rather send a quick message than spend an evening editing the site.
Questions to ask before you sign up
- Are updates tested before they go live?
- Where are backups stored, and how fast can you restore one?
- Do you check my forms are working?
- How much editing time is included, and what happens if I need more?
- Can I cancel any time, and do I keep full access to my site?
Common mistakes
- Turning on automatic updates for everything with no backup or checks.
- Keeping backups only on the same hosting account as the site.
- Never testing the contact form.
- Leaving old, unused plugins installed.
A well-maintained site also loads faster, which matters for leads. See why your landing page isn’t converting for more on that.
If you’d like someone to look after your WordPress site each month, get in touch. I’ll check your current setup and tell you what it needs.