WordPress maintenance is the difference between a site that quietly works for years and a site that breaks at the worst possible time (often after an update you forgot you ran).
This is a practical checklist you can use monthly — plus what to check after updates.
Monthly WordPress maintenance checklist
1) Updates (but safely)
- Update plugins (start with low-risk ones)
- Update theme (and check WooCommerce overrides if you use them)
- Update WordPress core
✅ Best practice: take a backup first, update in small batches, test key flows after.
2) Backups (verify, don’t assume)
- Confirm daily backups exist
- Confirm you can restore (at least once per quarter)
- Store backups off-server if possible
3) Security basics
- Remove unused plugins/themes
- Check admin users (remove old accounts)
- Enable 2FA for admin accounts (recommended)
- Review login attempts / WAF logs if you have them)
4) Uptime + error monitoring
- Uptime monitor (even a basic one)
- Check for recent 500 errors / “critical error” emails
- Scan WooCommerce logs if you run ecommerce
5) Performance quick checks
- Run a quick Lighthouse test (Home + a key landing page)
- Check image sizes (hero images are common offenders)
- Confirm caching is working (but not caching checkout)
6) Database housekeeping (light touch)
- Remove old post revisions (carefully)
- Clean expired transients
- Check for plugin tables growing unexpectedly
After every update: what to test
Don’t update and walk away. Test the flows that matter:
- Contact form: submit and confirm email arrives
- Checkout (if WooCommerce): add to cart → checkout → payment
- Core pages: Home, Services, Contact (layout + speed)
- Admin: can you edit content without errors?
✅ A 2-minute test now can prevent a week of “why did leads stop?” later.
What UK businesses often forget
- Renewals: domain, SSL, hosting, premium plugins
- Email deliverability: SMTP still working after changes
- Tracking: GA4/GTM still firing after theme/plugin updates
When to get help
If you’re updating and something breaks, the risk is usually:
- plugin conflicts
- theme overrides
- server/PHP version mismatches
- custom code not compatible with updates
If you want maintenance done properly, send me a message ↗. I offer ongoing support/hosting and “keep it stable” maintenance for UK businesses.