WordPress needs attention after launch. Core software, plugins, themes, and hosting requirements change. Keeping up is easier when someone knows the site and checks that the important parts still work.
I help small businesses and marketing agencies with WordPress updates and scoped maintenance work. You can bring a one-time update job or discuss a recurring task list without committing to a required monthly retainer.
More than clicking Update All
- Review the updates available for WordPress, plugins, and themes
- Check relevant compatibility and hosting requirements
- Confirm the backup and recovery options before changing the site
- Use staging for changes that need a separate testing environment
- Apply the agreed updates and investigate resulting issues
- Check relevant pages, navigation, forms, and other customer workflows
The exact checklist depends on your site. A simple information site and an online store do not have the same testing needs, and restoring a backup can affect newer orders or submissions. We discuss those details before starting.
When an update is blocked or breaks something
A failed update can involve an unsupported PHP version, an expired license, a plugin conflict, or custom code that needs attention. We can agree on an initial investigation, then discuss the repair options and estimated work.
For changes to the theme or custom functionality, see WordPress development. For broken layouts and forms, website fixes may be the right starting point.
Choose one-time help or an agreed maintenance routine
One-time update work
Agree on a defined update list, backup and recovery checks, relevant testing, and a handoff. This does not automatically create an ongoing monitoring or support arrangement.
Recurring maintenance
We can agree on the sites covered, update cadence, checks, reporting, budget, and who handles hosting, licenses, and backups. Any monitoring, urgent response, or out-of-hours coverage is specified separately so the responsibilities are clear.
You receive a summary of completed work and anything needing a decision. See the sample repair receipt for the format of a useful handoff.
Scope and pricing
The standard rate is $120/hour USD, billed in 15-minute increments ($30). Updates, investigation, testing, and deployment are billable parts of the agreed scope. Third-party licenses and hosting costs are separate. Read the pricing details.
This is scoped development help. Any continuing schedule, monitoring, or response commitment needs to be agreed separately so everyone knows who is responsible for what.
See this work in practice in The Oncale Firm case study: an urgent hosting migration, form-spam troubleshooting, and continuing monthly WordPress maintenance.
Questions about keeping WordPress current
Can you update a site built by someone else?
Yes. We start by reviewing the site, its components, and the available access. Older custom work or unavailable licenses may need investigation before an estimate is reliable.
Should I leave automatic updates on?
That depends on the site, its recovery options, and the impact of a failed update. We can review the existing setup and decide which approach fits the components you use.
What should be checked afterward?
The workflows your customers rely on: mobile navigation, key pages, forms, bookings, checkout, or account features as applicable. A completed update does not automatically mean those workflows have been tested.
Start with the WordPress update checklist. If forms or performance are part of the problem, read the contact form troubleshooting guide and what to check on a slow WordPress site.
Tell me what needs updating and we can scope a sensible starting point.