WordPress core
Updated on releaseSecurity releases matter most, so we apply them promptly. We apply major versions after a short wait, once plugin authors have caught up.
Website Maintenance
Website maintenance for Scarborough business sites
Website maintenance covers updates, backups, security and form checks, so the site that brings in your leads is still working on Monday morning.
- Updates
- Backups
- Security
- Uptime
- Form checks
Without website maintenance, sites break quietly
A WordPress site is a stack of software from different authors: the core, a theme, a dozen plugins, all updated on their own schedules. Leave it alone for six months and something stops fitting. Usually nothing dramatic happens; instead, the contact form just stops sending, or the booking button does nothing on phones.
The owner finds out weeks later, when someone mentions they tried to get in touch. Website maintenance exists to close that gap: keep everything current, keep copies, and check the parts that earn money.
- 4 layers that need updating
- 0 error messages when a form dies
- 1 working backup you can restore
Search demand
Website maintenance searches, and what they reveal
In Canadian suggestion data the planned searches are about cost, while the rest are things going wrong.
Search term
Intent
Why it matters
website maintenance cost
Research
Wants a number before committing.
website maintenance cost per month
Research
Thinking of it as a running cost, correctly.
why do i need website maintenance
Research
Not convinced yet, which is a fair position.
wordpress maintenance services
High
Ready to hand it to someone, especially after a scare.
contact form not sending email wordpress
Urgent
The business is losing leads right now.
wordpress update broke my site
Urgent
An update went wrong with no backup to hand.
wordpress site hacked how to fix
Urgent
The worst version of the problem.
website down checker
Urgent
Checking whether the site is really down or if it is just them.
Half of these website maintenance searches come too late
A broken form, a failed update, a hacked site, an outage: people make each of those searches after the damage. Yet all four are cheaper to prevent than to repair. That is the whole case for maintenance, and it is why the cost questions at the top of the list are the right ones to be asking.
What actually goes wrong
Five failures website maintenance catches on local business sites
None of these show an error on the home page, which is why they last so long.
-
01
The form submits but nothing arrives
The page says “thank you” and the email never reaches you, usually because the host’s mail is being rejected as spam. The fix is sending through a proper mail service, and then testing it regularly.
-
02
An update breaks the layout
A plugin update changes something the theme relied on. So on a managed site we take a backup first, apply the updates, and then check the key pages afterwards.
-
03
The SSL certificate expires
Browsers then show a full-screen security warning, so visitors leave at once and rankings follow. For that reason, renewal should be automatic and monitored.
-
04
The site is quietly compromised
An out-of-date plugin lets someone add spam pages or redirects that only show to search visitors. You see a normal site, while Google sees something else and may flag it.
-
05
The domain lapses
The renewal notice went to an old email address or a former web designer. Then everything goes offline, including your email. That is why we check who holds the domain and when it renews.
What needs looking after
The four layers website maintenance covers on a WordPress site
Each has its own updates and also its own ways to fail.
Plugins and theme
Updated after a backupThe most common source of both security holes and breakages. We remove unused plugins altogether, because code that is not installed cannot be attacked.
Hosting and PHP
Reviewed with youThe server software also ages. Running a PHP version below the versions WordPress recommends is slower and less safe, and hosts eventually force the change whether the site is ready or not.
Domain, DNS and SSL
MonitoredSmall, rarely touched and catastrophic when they lapse. Therefore we keep a note of where each is held and when it expires.
The work
What website maintenance includes
Updates
WordPress core, theme and plugins kept current, with a backup taken before each round and the main pages checked after.
Backups
Regular copies of files and database stored away from the hosting account, so a problem at the host does not take the backup with it.
Security
Malware scanning, login protection, removal of unused plugins and accounts, and prompt patching when a vulnerability is announced.
Uptime monitoring
The site is checked around the clock and an alert goes to a person when it stops responding.
Form and booking checks
Test submissions through your contact forms to confirm the message actually arrives in your inbox.
Small changes
New hours, a staff change, a holiday notice or a swapped photo: send them over and they are done.
Done carefully
How we handle access during website maintenance
These are the limits we work inside by default, whether or not anyone asks.
We look after your website, but we do not take custody of it.
You remain the owner of the hosting account, the domain and an administrator login. Meanwhile, we work through our own account, which you can remove at any time. If we find a problem we cannot fix within the plan, you hear what it is and what it would cost before we do anything.
Ask us about your business
- No changing passwords or ownership on accounts that are yours.
- No updates until a fresh backup exists.
- No surprise invoices for work you did not approve.
- No pirated or “nulled” plugins, which are a leading cause of hacked sites.
How we work
From hard to find to hard to miss
Four steps, in order. You always know which one we are on and what it is for.
-
01
Audit
We check your site, your Google Business Profile and where you rank from several points across Scarborough, then show you the gaps.
-
02
Keyword map
We choose the searches worth winning in your neighbourhoods and assign each one to a single page, so no two pages compete.
-
03
Build & optimize
Profile work, technical fixes, content and citations, done in order of impact so the biggest gains land first.
-
04
Report & adjust
A monthly report on rankings, traffic, calls and forms, with next month’s plan written in plain English.
Questions
Website maintenance questions
What does website maintenance cost?
It depends on the size of the site and how it was built. For example, a small WordPress site on a clean theme needs much less than a large one with thirty plugins. We quote a flat monthly figure in Canadian dollars after looking at it.
Do I really need it?
If the site brings you customers, yes, in the same way a van needs servicing. If it is a one-page placeholder nobody visits, an annual check may be enough, and we will say so.
My site was built by someone else. Can you maintain it?
Usually. We start with a review to see what it runs on and whether anything is already out of date or unsafe.
My site has been hacked. Can you help?
Yes. Cleanup is a separate one-time job: remove the malicious code, close the hole it came through, and ask Google to re-review the site if it was flagged. Afterwards, regular maintenance keeps it from recurring.
Is hosting included?
Hosting is a separate service paid to your host. We can recommend one and manage the account with you, but it stays in your name.
Can I just turn on automatic updates?
You can, and for security releases it is sensible. However, the risk is an automatic update breaking the site while nobody is watching, which is the situation maintenance is meant to prevent.
Works best alongside
Six services that work better together
Local SEO, Google Maps, Google Ads, web design, maintenance and speed. Each one also makes the others more effective.
See all servicesFurther reading
From the blog
Practical guides on the same subject, written for Scarborough business owners.
Related services
Each one is a separate piece of work. Most clients start with one.
Industries we do this for
Every trade searches differently, so each page is researched on its own.
Find out where you stand in Scarborough
A free audit shows where you rank across the neighbourhoods you serve, who is ahead of you, and what to fix first.
Get your free SEO audit