Website maintenance includes software updates, backups with a tested restore, renewals for the domain and certificate, form and link checks, uptime monitoring, and keeping content accurate. A WordPress site needs all of these regularly because it runs code and a database. A static site needs far fewer, because there is nothing on the server to update.
We maintain sites at both ends of the scale. Tamou Law Group runs on WordPress with hundreds of pages, a caching plugin, and a CDN in front. It is our longest-running engagement, and it gets regular attention because it has moving parts. Homes by Jan used to be on WordPress and is now a static build with no database at all.
Those two sites need very different amounts of care. "Maintenance" on a quote can mean almost anything, so here is what the word should cover and how much of it your site really needs.
What does website maintenance include?
Website maintenance includes six kinds of work: updating the software the site runs on, backing it up, renewing the domain and security certificate, checking that forms and links still work, watching for downtime, and keeping the content true. Design changes and new pages are separate work, not maintenance.
That last distinction matters when you compare plans. A maintenance plan keeps the existing site healthy. It does not usually include writing new articles or adding features, and a plan that claims to include everything for a small fee is worth reading closely.
How often should each maintenance task be done?
Each maintenance task has its own rhythm. Updates and backups are frequent, form and link checks are monthly or quarterly, and renewals are yearly. The table below shows a sensible schedule for a typical small business site and the failure that follows when a task is skipped.
| Task | How often | What breaks if skipped |
|---|---|---|
| Update the platform, plugins, and theme | When updates are released, checked at least monthly | Known security holes stay open, and old plugins stop working with newer ones |
| Back up files and database | Daily on a busy site, and before every change | One bad update or deletion and there is nothing to return to |
| Test a restore | A few times a year | You learn the backup was incomplete on the day you need it |
| Renew domain and certificate | Yearly, with auto-renew on | The site and the email address on that domain go offline |
| Submit every form | Monthly | Enquiries disappear silently and nobody notices for weeks |
| Check for broken links and errors | Quarterly | Visitors and search engines hit dead ends |
| Review content for accuracy | Whenever hours, prices, staff, or services change | The site tells customers things that are no longer true |
| Monitor uptime | Continuously, by an automated check | The site is down and you hear about it from a customer |
The frequencies are our working defaults, not a rule. A site that changes daily needs more. A five page site that never changes needs less.
How is WordPress maintenance different from a static site?
WordPress maintenance is different because WordPress is a program that runs on every visit. It has a core, a theme, plugins, a database, and a login page, and each needs updating. A static site is a folder of finished files, so most of those tasks do not exist.
| WordPress site | Static site | |
|---|---|---|
| Software updates | Core, theme, and every plugin | None on the server |
| Backups | Files and database, stored elsewhere | The source in version control is the backup |
| Login page to protect | Yes | No |
| Content edits | Anyone with a login, in a browser | A change to the source, then a rebuild |
| What still applies | Everything in the table above | Domain renewal, form checks, content accuracy, monitoring |
This is not an argument that everyone should leave WordPress. An editor that staff can use without a developer is worth real upkeep. But if nobody on your team logs in to edit, you are paying the maintenance cost without using what it buys. We compare the two fully in WordPress or a static site.
When Homes by Jan moved, the goal was to retire WordPress and its database completely. Every page kept its original address, and there is no longer anything on the server to update. The method is in migrating off WordPress without losing URLs.
What happens if you skip website maintenance?
If you skip website maintenance, nothing happens at first, which is why it gets skipped. The failures arrive later and without warning: an outdated plugin is exploited, a form quietly stops delivering, a certificate expires, or an update that was put off for a year breaks the layout.
The common thread is that these problems are silent. A broken contact form does not show an error to the owner. It simply stops producing enquiries. An expired domain takes email down with it.
Outdated plugins and abandoned themes are a common way WordPress sites get compromised. The WordPress core is rarely the weak point. We go through the real risks in is WordPress secure.
What can you do yourself and what needs a developer?
You can do the checking yourself: submit your own forms, click through the site on your phone, confirm the domain is on auto-renew, and correct outdated text. Updates on a site with many plugins, restores, and anything involving the server are safer with a developer.
A monthly routine an owner can run in fifteen minutes:
- Open the site on your phone and on a computer.
- Submit the contact form and confirm the message reaches you.
- Call the phone number shown on the site.
- Read the home page and one service page for anything out of date.
- Log in to your domain registrar and confirm auto-renew and a valid payment card.
- Ask whoever maintains the site when the last backup and last update were.
Step six is the one that tells you whether maintenance is really happening.
How do you tell if a maintenance plan is worth it?
A maintenance plan is worth it when it names the tasks, says how often each is done, states where backups are stored, and tells you who gets alerted when the site goes down. A plan that only says "maintenance and support" has not committed to anything.
Ask for the list in writing and compare it with the table above. Ask where the backups live and whether you can get a copy. Our guide to backing up a website properly explains what a complete backup contains.
Frequently asked questions
Do static sites need any maintenance at all?
Yes, but little. The domain still renews, forms still need testing, and the content still has to stay accurate. What disappears is the weekly cycle of software updates and the risk that comes with skipping them.
What happens if a plugin update breaks my site?
You restore the most recent backup, then apply the update on a copy of the site to find the conflict. This is why a backup is taken before every update and why restores are tested. Without a backup, the fix is a repair job of unknown length.
Is hosting the same as maintenance?
No. Hosting is the computer your site lives on. Maintenance is the work of keeping the site's own software and content in order. Some hosts include automatic updates or backups, so check exactly which tasks your plan covers.
Should updates be set to install automatically?
Automatic security updates are reasonable for a simple site with few plugins. On a site with many plugins or custom code, apply updates deliberately, after a backup, and check the site afterwards.
How do I know if my website is down?
Use an uptime monitor, a service that requests your site every few minutes and emails or texts you when it fails. Without one, you find out when a customer mentions it.
If you are not sure what your site needs, send us the address. We will tell you which of these tasks apply and which ones you can stop paying for.