WordPress Maintenance Service: What to Get in Writing

Signing up for website maintenance without reading the scope is a lot like buying insurance without checking what it covers. Two offers with the same name can include very different things, so what counts is what is written down.

This page is a buyer's checklist for any WordPress maintenance service, ours or anyone else's. If you want the details of what we offer, see our WordPress maintenance page.

Five points to clarify in writing

Before accepting a maintenance service, ask the provider to spell out the following.

• What is done, and how often. "Monthly maintenance" is not a description. You should know whether it includes updates, backups, a security review and checks that forms and payments work.
• What is left out. Many offers exclude fixing what breaks after an update, or cleaning a site that is already infected. If it is not stated, it gets argued about when it is already urgent.
• How long they take to respond, and through which channel. A site that goes down over a weekend does not have the same urgency for you as it does for the supplier.
• Who holds the access. Having the website, hosting and domain in your own name protects you. It is not a sign of distrust towards anyone.
• What you receive as proof. A short summary of what was done each period lets you know the work exists and what was touched, in case something breaks.

Why the SEO angle matters

It also matters whether the team maintaining your website understands how it affects search rankings. A change that looks harmless, such as a setting or a new plugin, can alter what search engines see without anyone noticing on screen. Maintenance and SEO are separate services, but the people doing the first should know what could damage the second. If you want search visibility handled as well, look at our SEO services and our SEO audit.

Good maintenance is boring

A good maintenance service is dull: there are no surprises. If the service you are looking at promises plenty of novelty, it may be selling something else.

Questions to put to any provider

1. Can I see the list of tasks, with the frequency of each, in the contract or proposal?
2. What happens if an update breaks the site: is the repair included or billed separately?
3. What is the response time, and who answers at weekends?
4. Will the domain, hosting and admin accounts remain in my name?
5. Will I get a periodic report of what was done?

If the answers are vague, the scope is vague, and you will find out when something fails.

Related reading: our WordPress maintenance service page and our blog. If you would like to talk through what your site needs, contact us.