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.
If you would rather not manage this yourself, my website maintenance service is designed to keep WordPress sites stable, updated and easier to support.
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
Related reading and useful resources
- Website maintenance
- Website speed optimisation
- Website maintenance cost UK
- WooCommerce checkout not working
- WordPress update guidance
- WordPress security guidance
If you want maintenance done properly, send me a message ↗. I offer ongoing support/hosting and “keep it stable” maintenance for UK businesses.