Why Your Website Needs Ongoing Maintenance
Most business owners think of their website like a printed brochure. You pay to have it designed, it gets printed, and you’re done. Maybe you update it in a few years.
Websites don’t work that way.
Your website is software running on a server connected to the internet. It has dependencies, security vulnerabilities, and moving parts that need attention. Ignore it for too long and things start breaking—or worse, you get hacked.
What Can Go Wrong
Security vulnerabilities. Every website platform—WordPress, Shopify, custom-built—has security updates. These patch holes that hackers actively exploit. An unpatched WordPress site is one of the easiest targets on the internet. Hackers use automated tools that scan thousands of sites looking for known vulnerabilities. If your site hasn’t been updated, it’s on their list.
SSL certificate expiration. That padlock in your browser? It comes from an SSL certificate that expires every year. When it expires, visitors see a scary “Your connection is not private” warning. Most will leave immediately. Google also penalises sites without valid SSL.
Broken functionality. Forms stop working. Payment processors change their APIs. Third-party integrations get deprecated. A contact form that silently fails means leads you’ll never know about.
Performance degradation. Sites slow down over time. Databases accumulate bloat. Images pile up. Plugins conflict with each other. A slow site loses visitors and ranks lower in search results.
Hosting issues. Server software needs updates. PHP versions get deprecated. Your host might change something that breaks your site. Without someone monitoring, you won’t know until a customer tells you—or doesn’t.
The Real Cost of Neglect
Hacked sites. Compromised WordPress sites often get used to redirect visitors to spam or malware. Cleanup is expensive, and the reputational damage is hard to measure.
Lost leads. A contact form that silently fails means enquiries you’ll never know about. By the time you notice, it’s impossible to know how many you’ve missed.
Emergency rebuilds. Sites built on outdated technology eventually stop working entirely. What should have been routine maintenance becomes a major project.
Search ranking drops. Google factors page speed and Core Web Vitals into rankings. A site that was fast three years ago might be slow by today’s standards. Competitors with well-maintained sites climb above you.
What Maintenance Actually Involves
Website maintenance isn’t mysterious. Here’s what needs to happen on a regular basis:
Backups. Automated backups should run regularly, but someone needs to verify they’re actually completing and that restore points are available. Before any major updates, a manual backup adds extra security.
Updates. CMS core, themes, and plugins all need updating—then testing to make sure nothing broke.
Security. Regular security checks and log reviews catch potential issues early.
Broken links and errors. Links break over time. Pages get moved or deleted. A scan for broken links and 404 errors keeps your site professional.
Form testing. Forms fail silently. The only way to know they’re working is to test them and confirm emails are being delivered.
Performance. Clearing caches, checking load times, and looking for optimisation opportunities keeps your site fast.
SSL certificates. Certificates need to stay valid. Usually automated, but worth confirming.
Uptime monitoring. If your site goes down, you want to know before your customers do.
Mobile and browser testing. Devices and browsers change. What looked fine last year might have issues on the latest iPhone or Chrome update.
How Often Does This Need to Happen?
For most business websites:
- Weekly: Security updates, backup verification
- Monthly: Performance check, broken link scan, general health check
- Quarterly: Deeper review—analytics, content accuracy, larger updates
- Annually: SSL renewal, hosting review, major version updates
The exact frequency depends on your platform and how critical the site is to your business. An e-commerce site processing orders daily needs more attention than a simple brochure site.
Can You Do This Yourself?
Honestly? It depends.
If you’re comfortable with technology and have the time, you can handle basic maintenance yourself. WordPress has a dashboard that makes updates fairly straightforward. There are plugins for backups and security monitoring.
But there are risks:
- Updates can break things. A plugin update might conflict with your theme or another plugin. Do you know how to troubleshoot that?
- Security is complex. Do you know the difference between a routine update and a critical security patch?
- Time adds up. What starts as “I’ll just check it once a week” often becomes “I haven’t logged in for six months.”
For most business owners, the cost of professional maintenance is far less than the cost of something going wrong—and far less than the value of your own time.
What to Look for in a Maintenance Plan
If you’re considering professional maintenance, here’s what a good plan should include:
Proactive updates. Security patches applied promptly, not waiting until you ask.
Monitoring. Uptime monitoring and alerts, so problems get caught early.
Backups. Regular automated backups with verification that they work.
Clear scope. What’s included, what’s not. You should know exactly what you’re paying for.
Transparent communication. Regular reports on what was done and any issues found.
Responsive support. When you need something changed or fixed, someone responds promptly.
The Bottom Line
Your website is an asset. Like any asset, it needs care to maintain its value.
The choice isn’t really between paying for maintenance or not paying for maintenance. It’s between paying a manageable monthly amount to keep things running smoothly, or paying much more when something breaks.
Neglected websites don’t stay functional forever. They get hacked, break down, slow down, or simply become an embarrassment that doesn’t reflect your business anymore.
Regular maintenance isn’t an upsell or a nice-to-have. It’s what keeps your website working for your business instead of against it.