Website Maintenance: Manage, Protect & Enhance Your WP Site

Website Maintenance

Why it’s needed

Modern websites have evolved from the set & forget philosophy and ongoing maintenance is needed for optimal performance. It’s like a car in a way and needs regular servicing to keep everything running smoothly.

My WordPress Website Maintenance plans are designed to take care of the complicated tech stuff, ensuring you’re getting the most out of your website by keeping it performing at its best. You can relax knowing that your site is in capable hands, and have more time to spend on the things that are important to you.

Benefits for your website:

Increased protection from possible hacking attempts

Optimal website speed & performance

Assurance of a positive experience for site visitors

Always using the latest technology & features

Back-ups on hand to restore your site if ever needed

Benefits for you:

Peace of mind knowing the tech stuff is sorted

Get access to up to $1500 worth of premium plugins

No long-term contracts, switch or cancel anytime

Payments are fully automated, simply set & forget

More time to spend on the things that are important to you

Compare Plans

No matter the size or complexity of your website, I’ve got you covered. To get started, simply choose a plan below and you will be taken to the cart page to checkout. You will then be directed to next-step instructions so I can carry out the work… Easy!

$ 75

/month

24/7 uptime monitoring
Daily security & malware scanning
Monthly software updates
Monthly database optimisation
Monthly full website backup
~~Extra database backups~~
For sites with 20 plugins or less
Access to up to $300 of premium plugins

$ 95

/month

24/7 uptime monitoring
Daily security & malware scanning
Monthly software updates
Monthly database optimisation
Monthly full website backup
Extra fortnightly database backups
For sites with 25 plugins or less
Access to up to $800 of premium plugins

$ 125

/month

24/7 uptime monitoring
Daily security & malware scanning
Monthly software updates
Monthly database optimisation
Monthly full website backup
Extra weekly database backups
For sites with 20 plugins or less
Access to up to $1500 of premium plugins

All pricing is in Australian Dollars and is inclusive of GST.
No long-term contracts, switch or cancel your plan anytime.

I also provide a one-off service if your website needs a tune-up but you aren’t looking for an ongoing service yet.

Website Maintenance FAQs

Why does WordPress need maintenance?

The code that creates WordPress is constantly evolving. So, regular updates and maintenance are required to resolve bug fixes, help to minimise security vulnerabilities and optimise performance. Think of it like your car. Would you not bother to ever get your car serviced, and leave the keys lying around for anyone to take? Of course not! Because you would be significantly increasing your chances of a breakdown or your car being stolen. Website maintenance is similar in that it is a preventative service. People often underestimate the cost of a website going down. For example, say your website is hacked, user privacy is breached, or inappropriate content is placed over yours:

What will the cost be to repair or completely rebuild your website?
What will your loss of income be while the site is down?
And more importantly, what will the damage to your reputation cost you?

If you skip maintenance for a little while, things might be fine. But if they do go pear-shaped, it’s almost always at the worst possible time and can cause immeasurable damage to your business.

Can I do the maintenance myself?

Yes! Of course, you can. Keep in mind though:

Would you be confident to perform the service?
Do you have the time to learn how to do it properly? and;
Do you think you will be able to handle any unforeseen problems?

Knowing that your site is being professionally updated & maintained is a small price to pay for peace of mind. Plus, wouldn’t you rather invest your time with your clients, your business, or… yourself!?

What happens if my website is hacked?

One of the main purposes of this service is to prevent this from happening. In the unlikely event that malware is detected on your website though, I will make this a priority fix and get your website back in tip-top shape ASAP.

Often I will know about the issue before you do, and if possible have it all sorted before you even notice!

While I cannot 100% guarantee your website will not be hacked, I can promise to sort the mess out with the highest priority; including restoration of your site thanks to one of the backups.

When is the work carried out & how will I know?

Plans are paid for upfront and the work is performed within 1-4 business days after your subscription payment has been successfully processed.

When the work is complete, I will email you a maintenance report detailing the work carried out.

When necessary I will also include any notes for anything of importance.

What does access to up to $1500 worth of premium plugins involve?

Many of the plugins available in WordPress are free, but there is a number of premium plugins that come at a cost as they offer more functionality & features. Payments for them are generally on a recurring annual subscription or sometimes just a once-off.

As a WordPress developer, I often use premium plugins and therefore have my own developer licences for them. So instead of purchasing these yourself, you can simply access them through me.

Depending on the setup of your site, this could potentially save you hundreds of dollars. Here are just a few examples to demonstrate how quickly the cost of premium plugins can add up:

Online forms: Gravity Forms + Basic Add-ons – Valued at $59US/year
Page Builder: WPBakery Page Builder for WordPress – Valued at $64US/year
eCommerce extension: WooCommerce Subscriptions – Valued at $199US/year

Updates for these plugins will be performed whilst you remain on a plan. Should you cancel your plan, the plugins will remain on your site, but you won’t be able to update them anymore unless you purchase your own licence.

Please explain all the plan inclusions:

24/7 uptime monitoring:

We keep an eye on your site and are notified within minutes if it ever goes down. Occasionally this happens due to server issues (nothing to do with the website, this is a hosting issue) and it’s often temporary. Should it last longer though due to other reasons that require attention, I will be aware and onto it ASAP to minimise downtime as much as possible.

Security & malware scanning

I check your website for any malware (software created for malicious purposes) and make sure facilities are in place to reduce vulnerabilities & help prevent issues. Should I happen to find any issues, you will be notified immediately to discuss and resolve them.

Software updates

This includes updating your WordPress core, plugins & themes when new releases become available as well as a compatibility check. Please Note:

We will only update plugins that are compatible with your installed version of WordPress
We will only perform theme updates if a child theme is in place
As mentioned we will do a compatibility check but it is your responsibility to inform us if you notice that your website is not working properly after updates are performed. Should this occur we will restore your website to how it was before the update (no extra charge).

Database optimisation

Over time, your database (where all your site information & settings are stored) can build up a collection of unneeded data. So optimising your database means faster backups, easier restorations, and improved speed & performance. Essentially it’s like giving your website a spring clean.

Full website backup

We ensure facilities are in place to automatically back up your site at regular intervals, giving you peace of mind that your site and content are fully protected. Back-ups are stored on our remote storage so as not to take up valuable space on your server (website hosting). We store 3 sets of backups at a time. Please note: While all precautions are taken to safeguard these back-ups sets we do not guarantee their safety and therefore strongly urge all customers to download and store them periodically.

Extra database backups

The database is where all your settings and information are stored. So, for sites that have frequent activity, this provides additional protection against loss of data should your site ever need to be restored from a backup.

Sites with ? plugins or less

Generally, the more plugins, the more complex the site and the time required to perform updates. Thus this contributes to the difference in prices between plans.

What if I need support for something not included in my plan?

That’s no problem, I’m happy to help with that too. Simply submit a support ticket with details about what you need help with and we can go from there.

Any work that can be completed within 2hrs I will get onto ASAP and invoice on completion. If it will take longer than that, I will provide a quote first before any work commences.

Find full details about my tech support service here.

Please explain billing and plan changes:

Payment Processing: The first payment will be processed upon checkout. The following payment dates will be on the same date each month.

Failed payments: Should any payments fail (lack of funds, tech issues etc.) the subscription will re-commence from whatever date the renewal is successfully processed.

Failed payments will be retried automatically 5 times over 7 days. At this point, if your payment has still failed to process unfortunately your maintenance plan will be cancelled and no further work will be performed.

Plan switching: If you upgrade or downgrade your subscription plan, you will need to check out again as you did the first time. Payment will be adjusted in the subsequent renewals.

Managing your plan: just log in to your My Account area, and within the “My Subscriptions” tab you can switch or cancel your plan. Or, feel free to contact me and I can take care of it for you.

Can I really cancel at any time?

Obviously, I would hate to see you go, but I only want you to stick with the plan if you’re truly benefiting from the service. Therefore, yes. You can cancel at any time.

If you do so before your subscription renews then your subscription will cease and no further work on your website will be carried out. There are no refunds if you cancel after your subscription has already been renewed.

Can I still buy a maintenance plan if you didn't build my website?

Of course! If you’re looking to partner up with me to manage ongoing care for your website, you are more than welcome.

Initially, some changes/updates might have to be made to the backend of your site so I can perform the service adequately, but this will be discussed with you in full.

WordPress Website Maintenance