WordPress Maintenance: DIY, Freelancer, or Managed Webhosting? Complete guide !

WordPress is a great CMS for creating websites, but it requires some maintenance to keep it running smoothly. The question is whether you should do this maintenance yourself or hire a professional.

Both options have pros and cons. Doing the maintenance yourself can be cheaper, but it takes time and effort to learn how to do it correctly. Hiring a professional may be more expensive, but they will already know how to do the job right and can often do it faster.

Ultimately, the decision depends on your skills and preferences. If you feel comfortable doing the maintenance yourself, then go for it! But if you’d rather leave this task to someone else, it’s probably best to hire a professional.

Let’s look at all the important questions to ask before starting your first WordPress maintenance.

💡 Summary of the most important points to know about WordPress maintenance:

Questions about WordPress Maintenance	Description of the Situation
What is WordPress maintenance?	Maintaining your WordPress website is very important to ensure it works well and stays secure. The cost for this can change depending on your website’s size and the work needed. Handing this task to a professional can improve your website’s performance and security, while saving you time and money in the long run.
What happens if you don’t do WordPress maintenance?	If you have neglected your website’s maintenance for a long time, it’s essential to act quickly to avoid potential problems.
Can you do your own WordPress maintenance?	Doing your website’s maintenance yourself is possible, as long as you are careful with updates and make a backup before any changes.
Who can help you with WordPress maintenance?	Some hosts offer maintenance services; however, it is better to hire a professional for complete maintenance.
How do you put your WordPress website in maintenance mode?	You can put your WordPress website in maintenance mode using a plugin or by adding code manually. For creating a custom maintenance page, many plugins are available, such as WP Maintenance Mode, Coming Soon Page by SeedProd, or Under Construction Page by WebFactory Ltd.
How do you back up your website before performing WordPress maintenance?	To back up your website before maintenance, plugins like UpdraftPlus are available, or you can do it manually using an FTP client or your hosting control panel.
How do you perform WordPress maintenance safely?	Finally, for safe maintenance, it is recommended to make a backup, update WordPress, themes, and plugins, test changes on a testing website, and hire a professional if needed.

Does the WordPress CMS need maintenance and why?

Like any self-hosted website, your WordPress website needs maintenance to keep it running well and secure. Depending on your level of expertise, you can do it yourself or hire a professional.

Here is what you need to know about WordPress maintenance…

1. Keep your WordPress installation up to date

One of the most important parts of WordPress maintenance is updating your CMS. Whenever a new version of WordPress is released, it includes security improvements and bug fixes that can help protect your website from malicious activity. It is important to update as soon as possible after a new version is released, but you should always back up your website in case something goes wrong during the update process.

2. Back up your WordPress website regularly

Another important part of WordPress maintenance is backing up your website regularly. This will ensure you have a copy of your website that you can restore if something goes wrong. There are many plugins that can help automate this process, or you can do it manually by exporting your database and copying your files to a safe place.

3. Keep your themes and plugins up to date

In addition to keeping WordPress up to date, you also need to keep your themes and plugins updated. Just like WordPress, new versions of these add-ons come with security improvements and bug fixes. Outdated themes and plugins can make your website more vulnerable to attacks, so it’s important to update them as soon as possible. You can usually update your themes and plugins from the WordPress admin dashboard. Be sure to choose a good WordPress theme that is well-maintained by its development team.

4. Perform security scans

Security should be a top priority when it comes to WordPress maintenance. There are many ways to secure your website, but one of the best is to perform regular security scans. These scans can help you identify potential vulnerabilities so you can take steps to fix them before they are exploited by hackers. There are many WordPress security plugins that can automate this process for you.

5. Optimize your database

Over time, your WordPress database can get cluttered with data that is no longer needed. This can slow down your website and make it harder to manage. To keep your database running smoothly, you should optimize it from time to time by removing unused data and following these other tips.

6. Check for broken links

Broken links can cause problems for both your visitors and search engines. If a visitor clicks on a broken link, they will be taken to a page that doesn’t exist, which can be frustrating. Search engines may also penalize you if they find too many broken links on your website. To avoid these problems, you should regularly check for broken links and fix them as soon as possible.

7. Monitor your site’s traffic

Monitoring your website’s traffic can help you identify problems that you may not be aware of. For example, if you see a sudden drop in traffic, it may indicate that your website is down or that there is a security issue. By monitoring your traffic, you can take action to fix these problems before they cause significant damage.

8. Keep an eye on your comments

Comments can be a great way to interact with your visitors and build a community around your website. However, they can also be used to spam your website or leave malicious links. To avoid these problems, you should moderate your comments and remove any that are inappropriate.

9. Take advantage of caching

Caching can help improve your website’s performance by storing frequently accessed data so that it doesn’t have to be loaded from the database every time a page is requested. There are many caching plugins available for WordPress. You can also set up caching manually.

10. Follow best practices for WordPress Security

In addition to the tips above, you should also follow general WordPress security best practices. This includes using strong passwords, keeping your WordPress version up to date, and using a security plugin like Wordfence or Sucuri Security. Following these tips can help you secure your website and improve its performance.

What is the average cost of WordPress maintenance from a professional freelancer?

When it comes to WordPress maintenance, you have two options: do it yourself or hire specialists in WordPress maintenance. If you are comfortable managing your own website, then doing it yourself can be a great option. However, if you are not confident in your abilities, or if you don’t have the time to devote to maintaining your website, hiring a professional is the best solution.

There are many web agencies and freelancers who offer WordPress maintenance services. The prices for these services vary depending on the size of your website and the amount of work required.

The cost of WordPress maintenance varies depending on the scope of work and the size of the website. For small websites, it can range from $50 to $100 per month. For larger websites, the cost can be as high as $500 or more per month. The best way to get an accurate estimate is to contact a WordPress maintenance provider for a quote.

If you are considering hiring a professional for WordPress maintenance, be sure to get the following information:

• The name, address, and contact information of the provider
• An estimate of the cost of services
• A list of the services to be provided
• A timeline for completion of the services
• A contract outlining the terms of the service

By getting this information in writing, you can be sure that you understand what you are paying for and that you are getting the services you need.

Why entrust WordPress maintenance to a professional?

There are many reasons why it is important to entrust the maintenance of your WordPress website to a professional.

First, professionals have the experience and knowledge to keep your website running smoothly. They can identify and fix problems quickly, before they cause significant damage.

Second, professionals can help you improve the performance and security of your website. By keeping your website up-to-date and secure, you can avoid costly repairs or downtime.

Finally, hiring a professional can save you time and money in the long run. By taking care of all the small details, professionals can help you focus on running your business.

I have forgotten to do WordPress maintenance for a long time (2 years), what now?

If you have neglected your WordPress maintenance for a long time, it is important to act as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more likely it is that your website will suffer from problems that could have been avoided with proper maintenance.

Here are some of the problems that can occur if you neglect WordPress maintenance:

• Security vulnerabilities: If you don’t keep your WordPress installation up to date, it can become vulnerable to attack. Outdated plugins and themes are especially prone to security issues.
• Broken links: Over time, the links on your website can become broken or outdated. This can frustrate visitors and prevent them from finding the information they need.
• Slow loading speed: An outdated WordPress installation can run slowly, especially if it has not been optimized for performance. This can cause problems for visitors and lead to a poor user experience.
• Compatibility issues: If you don’t keep your WordPress installation up to date, it can become incompatible with new versions of plugins and themes. This can cause errors on your website and prevent you from using the latest features.

Updating your WordPress installation and all of your plugins and themes is a good first step. You should also consider hiring a professional WordPress maintenance provider to help you get your website back on track.

Can I perform maintenance on my WordPress website myself (do WordPress, theme, and plugin updates) without breaking the website?

Yes, you can do your own WordPress maintenance without breaking the website. However, it is important to be careful when updating WordPress, plugins, and themes. Always create a backup of your website before performing any updates. This way, if something goes wrong, you can restore your website from the backup.

It is also a good idea to test updates on a staging website before applying them to your live website. This will allow you to make sure that the updates do not break anything on your website. If you do not have a staging website, you can install WordPress locally on your computer.

It is important to perform regular WordPress maintenance to keep your website secure and running smoothly. However, if you are not comfortable doing it yourself, you can hire a professional WordPress maintenance provider to do it for you.

Can my host do the maintenance of my WordPress website for me?

Some hosting providers offer WordPress maintenance services as part of their hosting plans. However, these services are often rare and limited and do not necessarily include all of the tasks that are necessary for proper WordPress maintenance. For example, most hosting providers do not offer security monitoring or backups as part of their WordPress maintenance services.

If you really want to ensure your WordPress website is running smoothly, it is best to hire a professional WordPress maintenance provider. They will make sure that all of the necessary tasks are performed on a regular basis, and that your website is always backed up and secure.

On the other hand, you can use a host like EasyHoster that can provide a lot of advanced assistance: giving instructions, offering easy-to-restore backups, troubleshooting the website in case of a WordPress error, etc.

How to put a WordPress website in “Maintenance mode” and then disable it?

There are two ways to put a WordPress website in Maintenance mode:

1. Use a plugin: There are several plugins that can help you put your WordPress website in Maintenance mode. One of the most popular is the WP Maintenance Mode or Coming Soon Page by SeedProd plugin. Simply install and activate the plugin, then follow the instructions on the settings page to configure it.

2. Manually add code to your website: You can also add code to your WordPress files to put your website in maintenance mode. First, create a file named “maintenance.php” and add the following code to it:

Next, upload the “maintenance.php” file to your WordPress directory (usually “/wp-content/”). When you visit your website, you should see a message that the website is down for maintenance. To disable maintenance mode, simply delete the “maintenance.php” file from your WordPress directory.

It is important to note that if you are not comfortable editing code, you should not try to manually put your WordPress website in Maintenance mode. You could unintentionally break something on your website if you make a mistake. It is always best to hire a professional WordPress developer to help you with this task.

What plugin should I use to create a custom WordPress maintenance page?

There are a few different plugins that you can use to create a custom WordPress maintenance page. One of the most popular is the WP Maintenance Mode or Coming Soon Page by SeedProd plugin. This plugin allows you to easily create a maintenance page with a customizable design, a countdown timer, and a progress bar.

Another great option is the Under Construction Page plugin from WebFactory Ltd. This plugin also allows you to create a custom maintenance page, but it includes even more features like email capture, Google Analytics integration, and social media links.

If you are not sure which plugin to use, we recommend trying a few of them before settling on one. Most of the best plugins are available for free, so you can try them out without spending any money.

How do I create backups of my WordPress website before maintenance?

There are several ways to create backups of your WordPress website. One of the easiest is to use a plugin like UpdraftPlus. This plugin automatically creates backups of your WordPress website and stores them securely off-site.

Another option is to manually create backups of your WordPress files and database. You can do this by using an FTP client like Filezilla or through your hosting control panel (File Manager in cPanel). Once you have a backup, you can store it on your computer or on a separate storage device like an external hard drive.

If you are not comfortable creating backups yourself, you can always hire a professional WordPress developer to do it for you. They will make sure that your website is properly backed up before any maintenance is performed.

Otherwise, also check that your current WordPress host has backups of your data that you can restore if you make a mistake.

How do I perform maintenance on my WordPress website (update theme, plugins, etc.) safely?

There are a few different ways to maintain your WordPress website safely. The first is to use a plugin like WP Staging. This plugin allows you to create a staging environment for your WordPress website. This environment is a copy of your live website that you can use to test changes before making them on your live website.

Another option is to manually create backups of your WordPress files and database before making any changes. This way, if something goes wrong, you can restore your website from the backup.

If you are not comfortable making changes yourself, you can always hire a professional WordPress developer to do it for you. They will make sure that your website is properly backed up before any maintenance is performed.

Here are the steps to follow for safe WordPress maintenance:

• Create a backup of your WordPress website
• Update WordPress to the latest version
• Update all themes and plugins
• Test the changes on a staging website before making them on your live website
• Hire a professional WordPress developer to help you with maintenance tasks if needed.

How to efficiently optimize my WordPress website during maintenance work?

One of the most important things you can do during maintenance is to optimize the speed and performance of your WordPress website. You can do this by caching your pages, compressing your images, and using a content delivery network (CDN). A CDN helps deliver your content to visitors faster by storing copies of it on servers around the world.

Caching helps improve website speed by storing static copies of your pages and serving them to visitors instead of loading the entire page every time it is requested.

Compressing your images helps reduce their file size without reducing their quality, which can help speed up page load times.

There are many WordPress plugins that can help you with these tasks, like W3 Total Cache and CloudFlare. You can check out our article on how to speed up WordPress for more ideas.

• Make sure the website you are using is fast by using tools like GTmetrix or PageSpeed Insights.
• Delete plugins that you no longer use and that are outdated and no longer maintained by their developers.
• Check the files and database to see if there is anything that is taking up a lot of space. You can use the “find -size” command in Linux to help you find what you are looking for.
• Install security plugins on your website, such as Sucuri, WordFence or check the WordPress Toolkit dashboard from your cPanel host’s control panel. WordPress Toolkit is a tool that allows you to better secure and maintain your WordPress website.
• You can also set up a monitoring service such as Uptime Robot if your host does not have one.
• You can use the Broken Link Checker tool on your website to find and fix broken links.
• You can also hire a professional WordPress developer to help you optimize your website during maintenance. They will have the knowledge and experience to make sure your website is running as fast as possible.

How to know if your WordPress website maintenance went well?

To test the website, you should check the contact forms, the e-commerce order form, and other features. Make sure everything works well on mobile devices as well.

You should also test the website speed and performance using tools like GTmetrix or PageSpeed Insights.

If everything looks good, then your WordPress maintenance was a success!

This post is also available in: Français (French)