WordPress is the world’s most popular content management system, and it keeps evolving. New versions fix bugs, add features and close security holes. But popularity has a price: WordPress sites are what the bots scan most.
Here’s the checklist I use to maintain clients’ sites. Use it as a health check for yours.
Every month (or more often)
- Update WordPress core, plugins and theme. Backup before, check after.
- Test after updates. Contact form, cart, login, the menu on a phone. Everything that brings in money or enquiries.
- Check the backups. Are they being made, are they off the server, can they be restored?
- Review the security log. Blocked logins, changed files, new admins you don’t recognise.
- Track speed. Measure Core Web Vitals and PageSpeed Insights. If the score dropped, find out why.
- Monitor uptime. Monitoring that alerts you the moment the site is down, not when a client calls.
Every quarter
- Clean the database. Old revisions, spam comments, expired temporary data. Then optimise the tables.
- Check the PHP version. Old PHP is slower and less secure. Upgrade with a compatibility test.
- Review caching. Are pages cached, and are dynamic parts (cart, account) excluded?
- Find broken links and 404s. Fix or redirect them.
- Make small SEO fixes. Missing meta descriptions, image alt text, heading structure.
- Review the plugin list. What’s no longer used? Delete it, don’t just deactivate it.
What maintenance gives you
- Security: known holes are closed before a bot finds them.
- Speed: a clean database, current PHP and proper caching make the site noticeably faster.
- Better visibility: Google favours fast, reliable sites.
- Longer lifespan: a maintained site doesn’t need rebuilding every three years.
- Peace of mind: problems are found before clients find them.
Can I do this myself?
Some of it, certainly. Updates and backup checks can be learned. It gets tricky when an update breaks something: plugins conflict, the new PHP doesn’t suit an old theme, or the shop stops taking payments. That’s when you need someone who knows where to look.
If you want this list done every month without your time, see the website maintenance plans. If your site is already slow, start with speeding it up.
Read next: What website maintenance actually includes and who needs it.
