Maintenance
Maintenance for websites on
WordPress
A WordPress website without regular updates usually breaks down gradually. We take care of updates, backups, monitoring and fixing failures, and every month we send you a report on what we have done.
Why a website left to itself starts causing trouble
A WordPress website consists of the core, a theme and usually a dozen or more plugins from different authors. Each of these is updated independently, so without maintenance they may stop working together over time.
Then there is security: outdated plugins are a common way in for attackers. Publicly documented vulnerabilities are exploited by automated scanners that do not choose sites by popularity, so even a small brochure website is at risk.
The effects are not always visible at first glance. The site still opens, but someone has added pages with links to other sites in the code, and Google starts flagging it with a warning. Removing the infection alone does not lift the warning: the site still has to be submitted for review.
What exactly we do as part of the subscription
Maintenance is a fixed list of tasks carried out on a regular schedule. Every month you receive an email report on what we have done.
- Updates to the core, theme and plugins, always on a test copy first
- Daily backup of files and database, stored off the server
- Uptime monitoring every five minutes with failure alerts
- Scanning for modified and suspicious files
- Monthly review of performance and loading time
- Cleaning the database of unused entries and abandoned data
- Checking the SSL certificate and domain renewal dates
- A pool of hours for small changes to content and layout (depending on the plan)
Working on a test copy takes more time, but it means an error after an update is caught by our test before your customer sees it.
Backups verified by restoring them
A backup kept on the same server as the website disappears with it when the server fails. That is why our backups are stored somewhere other than the site they belong to.
The second thing is checking that a backup can actually be restored. Once a quarter we restore a randomly chosen backup on a test environment and check that the whole site works, including the database, images and settings.
We keep thirty days of history, so you can roll back even if a problem was noticed late. After an infection or deleted content, the backup from the day before often already contains the problem and an earlier one is needed.
Ask whoever looks after your website now to restore the version from two weeks ago to a test address. If it turns out that this is not possible, your current backups cannot be trusted and the way they are made needs to change.
Website speed as part of maintenance
A WordPress website usually slows down over time. Saved draft revisions pile up in the database, the image folder grows, and each new plugin adds its own files to every page load.
As part of maintenance we check the key indicators once a month: time to first content, layout stability while loading and page weight on mobile. When something gets worse, we look for the cause before visitors notice it.
The most common findings are photos uploaded at the original camera size, plugins that load on every page although they are used on one, and forgotten third-party scripts once added for a one-off campaign.
What we do when the website stops working
Monitoring checks the site every five minutes from an external server. When the site stops responding, we get an alert, often before you notice it yourself. First we establish whether the problem lies in the site itself, the hosting, the domain or the certificate, because to a visitor each of these failures looks the same.
If the cause is a failed update or a broken plugin, we restore the state from before the change using a backup so that the site works again, and only then look for the cause. During working hours we usually respond to a failure within 2 hours.
Failures caused by our work are fixed within the subscription at no extra charge. If the cause lies elsewhere, for example with a hosting provider we do not manage, we help you contact them and prepare a description of the problem that speeds up the support request.
Access stays with you
To do the work we need an administrator account in the dashboard and access to the hosting. We do not transfer the domain or any accounts to ourselves, so ending the cooperation does not mean losing anything.
If you currently have no access to your own website because it stayed with the previous provider, we help you recover it through the hosting provider and the domain registrar, who can confirm the owner based on the company's details.
When we take over websites, we usually find the same kinds of neglect:
- No contact with anyone who knows the website
- Dashboard and hosting access in the hands of a former provider
- Backups only on the same server
- Plugins not updated for several years
- SSL certificate without automatic renewal
What the cost of website maintenance depends on
The cost depends mainly on the size of the website, whether it is a shop and the pool of hours for small changes. We price every maintenance plan individually. The plans below show how the scope differs.
| Option | Who it is for | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Brochure website | Updates, backups, monitoring |
| Business | Website with a blog and many subpages | Basic scope, pool of hours for changes, performance report |
| Shop | WooCommerce with orders | Business scope, basket and payment tests, larger pool of hours |
Short questions by email or phone are part of the cooperation and we do not charge for them separately. If you also need a server, see hosting, where some of these items are already included in the subscription.
Who it makes sense for, and who can manage alone
Maintenance makes sense for companies whose website brings in enquiries, orders or bookings. Every hour of downtime then means lost contacts, and keeping track of updates yourself takes time from someone who has other tasks.
If the website is a brochure site with little traffic and someone in the company wants to take care of it, maintenance can be done in-house. You then need to watch three things: regular updates, backups off the server and whether the contact form still delivers messages.
A form can stop sending emails after a hosting change or an update. It is easy to miss, because a lack of enquiries looks like a slow month.
They always find a solution. Professional approach and fast help, I highly recommend them!
Working together
How we work together, step by step
Initial review
We check versions, plugins, backups, security and performance. You get a report.
Clean-up
Overdue updates, removal of unnecessary plugins, backup and monitoring setup.
Regular work
Updates on a test copy, performance review, monthly report.
Incident response
Monitoring alert, diagnosis, restoring service, then the cause.
Small changes
Changes to content, images and sections within the hours of your chosen plan.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
No. We maintain websites on any server. We only suggest moving when the current hosting clearly limits performance or does not give the access needed to work safely. The decision is yours.
That is why we do them on a test copy first. If something still stops working on the live site, we restore the previous state from a backup and look for the cause without time pressure. We do not charge extra for this.
Yes, including ones we did not look after before. We remove the infection, find out how the attacker got in and secure that point. We also submit the site for review in Google if it has already been flagged.
It depends on the plan. Basic covers updates, backups and monitoring, while the Business and Shop plans include a pool of hours for small changes, such as replacing text, adding a page or swapping images. We price larger work separately and always before we start.
Yes, once a month, by email. It includes a list of updates, monitoring results, information on backups and the hours used.
Yes, with one month's notice. We do not use annual contracts with penalties for early termination. When you leave, we hand over all access and the latest backup.
Related services
What else may be useful
Your city
WordPress maintenance in your city
For each of these cities we have a separate page describing the local market and how we work with companies there.
We will take over the maintenance of your website
Give us your website address and we will carry out a free initial review and tell you what state it is in and what needs urgent attention. No obligation to continue working with us.