WordPress Website Maintenance: What Should Be Checked Each Month?

A business website can appear fine on the surface while important problems are building underneath. A form may have stopped sending messages, a plugin update may have created a conflict, a backup may be incomplete, or an old page may still contain information that no longer reflects the business.

That is why WordPress website maintenance should be treated as a regular business task rather than something you only consider when the site breaks. A short monthly review can identify small issues before they affect enquiries, search visibility, security or customer confidence.

The exact checks will depend on your website, hosting arrangement and the systems connected to it. However, the following checklist provides a sensible starting point for most business websites.

1. Check WordPress, theme and plugin updates

Log in to the WordPress dashboard and review available updates for:

• WordPress core
• The active theme
• Plugins
• Any licensed extensions or connected services

Updates can include security fixes, compatibility improvements and performance changes, so leaving everything untouched indefinitely is not a safe maintenance strategy. However, clicking every update immediately without checking the site afterwards can create its own risks.

Before applying significant updates, confirm that a recent backup exists. If the website is commercially important, updates should ideally be tested in a staging environment first. At a minimum, update during a suitable period and check the key customer-facing parts of the website afterwards.

Pay particular attention to plugins that handle:

• Contact forms
• Ecommerce or payments
• Memberships or restricted content
• Website search
• Caching and performance
• Security
• Email notifications
• Analytics and tracking

Remove plugins that are no longer needed rather than leaving inactive extensions in place indefinitely. An unused plugin still adds management overhead and may create an avoidable security concern if it is not maintained.

2. Confirm that backups are working

A backup is only useful if it can be restored. Each month, check that your backup system is:

• Running on the intended schedule
• Completing without errors
• Saving both website files and the database
• Retaining more than one recent backup
• Storing copies separately from the live website
• Providing a practical restoration method

Do not assume that a hosting provider’s general backup is the same as a complete recovery plan for your business. Understand what is included, how long backups are retained and who is responsible for restoring the site if something goes wrong.

For websites that receive regular enquiries, orders or content changes, the database is especially important. A file-only backup may not contain the latest submissions, products, orders or page edits.

If possible, arrange a test restoration periodically. This can reveal problems that a successful-looking backup report will not show, such as missing files, incomplete database data or a restoration process that depends on information nobody can access.

3. Test every important form

Forms are one of the most valuable and vulnerable parts of many business websites. A form can look normal to a visitor while messages are failing to arrive in the correct inbox.

Submit a test enquiry through each important form and check:

• The form can be completed on a mobile device
• Required fields work as expected
• Confirmation messages appear correctly
• The notification reaches the intended recipient
• The sender receives any expected confirmation email
• The message is recorded in the correct system, if applicable
• Spam protection is not blocking genuine submissions
• The wording still matches the current process

Check the inbox and spam folder rather than assuming delivery has succeeded. If your website connects to a customer relationship management system, mailing platform or internal notification tool, confirm that the data is arriving there as well.

This is also a good time to review whether the form still asks for information that helps your team respond. Avoid adding unnecessary fields, but make sure the form gives you enough context to handle the enquiry efficiently.

4. Review performance on key pages

Website performance can change gradually as new images, plugins, embeds and content are added. A site that was fast when it launched may become slower over time.

Review the pages that matter most to customers, such as:

• The homepage
• Main service pages
• Product or catalogue pages
• Contact pages
• Key landing pages
• Blog or insight pages receiving search traffic

Check how they load on both mobile and desktop connections. Look for large images, slow-loading third-party tools, layout movement, broken interactive elements and pages that take noticeably longer than others.

You do not need to treat one performance score as the complete truth. The practical question is whether visitors can understand the page, interact with it and reach the next step without unnecessary delay.

Also check whether recent changes have affected image quality, page layout or mobile usability. Performance improvements should not make content difficult to read or important images unusable.

5. Carry out a basic security review

Monthly security checks should form part of a wider security approach, not replace professional monitoring where your website has higher risks.

Review:

• WordPress and plugin update status
• Administrator and editor accounts
• User permissions
• Failed login or security alerts
• Unexpected files, users or settings
• SSL certificate status
• Security scan results
• Hosting and domain renewal information

Remove accounts belonging to people who no longer need access. Make sure each user has the lowest permission level required for their role and that shared administrator logins are avoided wherever possible.

Use strong, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication where it is available. Keep a record of who has access to hosting, domain management, email delivery and important third-party services.

If you find suspicious changes, repeated warnings or signs of malware, do not simply delete unfamiliar files or install several security plugins. Preserve useful information and ask an experienced WordPress professional or hosting provider to investigate properly.

6. Check links, navigation and important journeys

A monthly review should include a quick walk through the website as a customer would use it. Check the main navigation, footer links, calls to action and any prominent buttons.

Look for:

• Broken internal links
• Links pointing to old pages
• Missing images
• Incorrect redirects
• Empty search results
• Buttons that no longer work
• Pages that are difficult to reach on mobile
• Outdated downloadable documents

Follow at least one complete journey from an entry page to an enquiry or other important action. If the website supports a longer buying process, check more than one route.

This review can uncover issues that automated checks miss. A link may technically work but lead to an irrelevant page, an old PDF or information that no longer supports the customer’s decision.

7. Review content accuracy

Content maintenance is not just a marketing exercise. Incorrect information can lead to missed opportunities and damage trust.

Check whether the following details remain accurate:

• Services and product information
• Contact details
• Telephone numbers and email addresses
• Opening times
• Staff or team information
• Areas served
• Pricing or starting prices
• Accreditations and memberships
• Case studies and project descriptions
• Calls to action
• Legal, privacy and cookie information

Ask someone close to the relevant part of the business to review specialist content. Website administrators may spot spelling errors, but they may not know whether a process, service specification or technical statement is still correct.

Make a note of content that needs a fuller review rather than rushing through complex changes. A monthly checklist is designed to identify actions and keep ownership visible.

8. Record what was checked and what needs action

The final part of monthly maintenance is documentation. Keep a simple record of:

• The date of the review
• The person responsible
• Updates completed
• Backup status
• Forms tested
• Performance observations
• Security concerns
• Content changes required
• Follow-up actions and owners

This creates continuity if someone else takes over the task. It also helps identify recurring problems, such as the same plugin conflict, repeated form delivery failures or content that is regularly left out of date.

A useful maintenance routine should be proportionate. A small brochure-style website may need a short monthly check, while an ecommerce or membership website may require more frequent monitoring and specialist support.

A practical monthly order

If time is limited, use this order:

1. Confirm the backup and restoration position.
2. Review updates and security alerts.
3. Test forms and important customer journeys.
4. Check performance on key pages.
5. Review links and mobile presentation.
6. Check business-critical content.
7. Record actions and assign responsibility.

The aim is not to make the website technically perfect every month. It is to keep the website safe, usable, accurate and capable of supporting the business.

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