How to Maintain a Website: A Practical Guide From a Web Designer

How to Maintain a Website: A Practical Guide From a Web Designer

A website needs regular maintenance after it goes live. For a WordPress website, that means keeping WordPress, plugins and themes updated, checking that forms and links still work, maintaining backups, monitoring security, checking performance and making sure the information on the website remains accurate.

You do not need to work on your website every day. What matters is having a routine. I have learned this from designing, rebuilding and working on websites over the years: many website problems do not appear immediately. A site can look perfectly fine today and still have a broken form, outdated plugin, missing image, slow page or mobile layout problem that nobody notices until a visitor reports it.

Website maintenance is therefore not about constantly redesigning your website. It is about keeping the website you already built working properly.

That distinction is important.

When I build a website, I don’t consider the job finished simply because the homepage looks good and the site has been published. There is still the question of what happens after launch.

Will the contact form still send messages?

Will an update affect the layout?

Will the website remain usable on a phone?

Will old links continue to work?

Will the information on the pages still be correct six months from now?

Those are maintenance questions.

What Does Website Maintenance Actually Mean?

Website maintenance is the regular work of checking, updating, testing and correcting a website after it has been launched.

It includes the small technical jobs that are easy to ignore when everything appears to be working.

For a typical WordPress website, maintenance can involve:

• Updating WordPress
• Updating plugins and themes
• Checking backups
• Testing contact forms
• Checking important links
• Monitoring website security
• Checking page speed
• Testing mobile layouts
• Removing unnecessary plugins
• Reviewing website content
• Checking Google Search Console
• Fixing errors
• Checking SSL and domain renewal
• Reviewing analytics
• Testing important website functions after major changes

The exact maintenance routine depends on the website.

A five-page company website does not require the same attention as an online store, membership website, large publication or web application.

That is one mistake I see in generic website maintenance advice. It often gives everybody the same checklist.

I prefer to start with a simpler question:

What can break on this particular website, and what needs to be checked regularly?

That produces a much more useful maintenance plan.

Why Website Maintenance Matters

One of the easiest mistakes to make after launching a website is to assume that because everything works today, it will continue working indefinitely.

Websites contain moving parts.

WordPress gets updated. Plugins get updated. Themes change. Hosting environments change. External services change. Pages are moved or deleted. Website owners add new content and sometimes install new plugins.

Any of those changes can introduce a problem.

I have seen how a seemingly small change can affect another part of a website. A plugin update may alter the way a form works. A design change can create a mobile spacing problem. Adding images to a page can make it considerably heavier. Installing another plugin can introduce unnecessary scripts.

This is why maintenance is not simply about security.

It is about preserving the functionality of the website you already built.

The Website Maintenance Routine I Recommend

I don’t believe a website owner needs to sit down every morning and start looking for problems.

A better approach is to divide maintenance into regular checks.

For a normal small-business WordPress website, I would use four levels:

• Weekly: quick health checks
• Monthly: technical maintenance and testing
• Quarterly: deeper review
• Yearly: renewal and strategic review

The more important the website is to the business, the more frequently some of these checks should happen.

1. Check That the Website Is Actually Working

This sounds almost too obvious to mention.

It isn’t.

When you own a website, you can become familiar with seeing it online and stop actually testing it.

Open the website.

Click through the main navigation.

Open the important pages.

Try the contact button.

Test the menu on a phone.

Look at the homepage.

Open one or two important service pages.

You are not checking whether the website exists. You are checking whether it still behaves as intended.

I pay particular attention to the parts of a website that generate an action.

For example:

Contact → Form → Email notification → Response

If that chain breaks somewhere, the website may still look perfect while quietly losing enquiries.

That is why a working homepage is not proof that a working website exists.

2. Keep WordPress, Plugins and Themes Updated

If your website uses WordPress, updates are part of normal maintenance.

WordPress, plugins and themes receive updates for different reasons, including security fixes, bug fixes, compatibility changes and new functionality.

But there is something I learned from working with WordPress that is worth mentioning:

Do not treat every update as something you click blindly.

Before updating a website, especially one that is important to a business, know what you are changing.

I prefer to:

1. Check that a recent backup exists.
2. Update the relevant software.
3. Check whether the website still loads correctly.
4. Test the important pages.
5. Test forms and other critical functions.
6. Check the mobile version.

This is particularly important when several plugins work together.

A website can be perfectly fine before an update and develop a problem immediately afterwards.

That does not mean you should avoid updates.

It means you should update and test.

3. Remove Plugins You No Longer Need

One of the easiest ways to make a WordPress website unnecessarily complicated is to keep installing plugins without removing old ones.

You might install a plugin to solve a problem.

Months later, you no longer use the feature.

The plugin remains.

Then another plugin is installed to perform a similar job.

Eventually, nobody remembers why half of the plugins are there.

During maintenance, I look at the plugins and ask:

Is this still doing something the website needs?

If the answer is no, I don’t see much reason to keep unnecessary software sitting on the website.

This isn’t about trying to reduce the plugin count simply to have a small number.

A useful plugin is useful.

The problem is unnecessary functionality.

The same principle applies to themes. If a theme is no longer needed, don’t leave a collection of unused themes sitting around without a reason.

4. Check Your Backups Before You Need Them

A backup becomes valuable when something goes wrong.

That means the time to discover that your backup system isn’t working is before you need to restore the website.

I consider backups part of basic website maintenance, not an optional extra.

At minimum, you should know:

• Where your backups are stored
• How frequently they are created
• How long they are retained
• Whether both website files and database information are included
• How you would restore the website if something went wrong

There is another important lesson here.

A backup that has never been tested gives you confidence, but not necessarily recovery.

For an important website, periodically verify that the backup can actually be used.

Before making significant changes to a live WordPress website, I also want a recent backup available.

This becomes especially important before:

• Major WordPress updates
• Theme changes
• Plugin changes
• Database work
• Significant design changes
• Performance optimisation
• Website migrations

If something goes wrong, you want a way back.

For a broader look at protecting a WordPress installation, I have also written about how to secure a WordPress website against common security problems.

5. Test Your Contact Forms

This is one of the maintenance checks I would never skip on a business website.

A contact form can stop working without the homepage showing any obvious problem.

The form may still appear.

The button may still say “Submit.”

The visitor may even receive a confirmation message.

But the business owner may never receive the enquiry.

That is a serious problem.

I recommend periodically submitting a test message through every important form.

Check:

• Does the form submit?
• Does the confirmation message appear?
• Does the email arrive?
• Does it arrive at the correct address?
• Does the sender receive the expected confirmation?
• Does the form work on mobile?

Don’t assume that because you installed the form correctly during development, it will work forever.

Email configurations change. Plugins change. Hosting configurations change.

Test it.

6. Check Your Website on a Phone

This is one of the practical checks I learned to take seriously when building websites.

A website can look excellent on a desktop monitor and still be uncomfortable to use on a phone.

That is why I don’t judge a website only from my computer.

When I work on a website, I want to see what the visitor sees.

Check the mobile version for:

• Navigation
• Font size
• Buttons
• Images
• Columns
• Spacing
• Forms
• Headings
• Pop-ups
• Horizontal scrolling
• Broken sections
• Text that is difficult to read

Pay particular attention after making changes to an Elementor layout.

A section that looks balanced on desktop can become unnecessarily tall on mobile. Two columns may stack awkwardly. A button may become too small. An image may create excessive spacing.

These are not theoretical problems.

They are the sort of things you discover by actually opening the website on a phone and using it.

7. Check Website Speed Without Obsessing Over Scores

Website speed should be part of maintenance because websites can become heavier over time.

You may add:

• New images
• Videos
• Plugins
• Tracking scripts
• Pop-ups
• Forms
• Social widgets
• Animations
• Additional sections

Each addition can affect performance.

One thing I have changed in my own approach to website optimisation is that I don’t immediately install another optimisation plugin because a speed-testing tool gives me a poor score.

First, I want to understand what is causing the problem.

Is the image too large?

Is the hosting slow?

Is a plugin loading unnecessary JavaScript?

Is the page builder producing an unnecessarily complicated layout?

Are third-party scripts affecting the page?

Is caching configured properly?

That diagnosis is more useful than randomly switching optimisation settings.

I also recommend checking your important pages rather than obsessing over one number on a testing tool.

If you need to work through the actual causes of a slow WordPress website, see my practical guide on how to speed up a WordPress website without blindly adding more optimisation tools.

For a more specific performance problem, I also explain how I troubleshoot Google PageSpeed and Core Web Vitals problems on WordPress.

8. Check for Broken Links and Missing Pages

Websites change.

You may delete an old article.

You may change a URL.

You may move a service page.

An external website you linked to may remove its page.

Over time, this can leave your website with broken links and 404 errors.

During maintenance, check important internal links.

Pay attention to:

• Main navigation
• Buttons
• Service pages
• Blog links
• Download links
• Contact links
• Important external references
• Old URLs that may have been changed

If you deliberately move a page to a new URL, don’t simply delete the old address and forget about it.

Consider whether an appropriate redirect is needed.

This is particularly important on an established website because old URLs may already have links pointing to them or may have been indexed by search engines.

9. Review Your Website Content

Maintenance is not only technical.

Your website can be technically perfect and still contain information that is no longer true.

Businesses change.

Services change.

Prices change.

Email addresses change.

Team members change.

Old promotions expire.

Screenshots become outdated.

A website maintenance review is a good opportunity to look at the information visitors actually rely on.

For example, if your homepage says you provide five services but you stopped offering one of them, remove or change it.

If a contact email has changed, update it everywhere.

If a service has changed substantially, don’t leave an old description online simply because the page still loads.

This is one reason I prefer websites that are easy for their owners to edit. A website should not require a developer every time you need to correct a phone number or update a service description.

If you are still at the building stage, my guide on creating a professional business website without coding explains how I approach structure, content and maintainability before a site is launched.

10. Review Google Search Console

If organic search matters to your website, Google Search Console should be part of your maintenance routine.

You don’t have to stare at it every day.

But periodically check for meaningful changes.

Look at:

• Search performance
• Indexing issues
• Pages that are not indexed
• Core Web Vitals
• Security issues
• Search queries
• Sudden traffic changes

The important thing is not to react to every small fluctuation.

I am more interested in identifying a pattern or a technical problem.

For example, if an important page suddenly disappears from search or a group of pages starts showing indexing problems, that deserves investigation.

Search Console is therefore useful not simply as an SEO reporting tool, but as part of website maintenance.

11. Keep Your Website Secure

Security should be treated as routine maintenance rather than something you think about only after a website has been hacked.

For WordPress websites, basic security maintenance includes:

• Keeping WordPress updated
• Updating plugins and themes
• Using strong passwords
• Limiting unnecessary administrator access
• Removing unused accounts
• Using HTTPS
• Monitoring suspicious activity
• Maintaining backups
• Removing unnecessary plugins and themes

I also recommend reviewing who has administrator access.

If someone worked on the website six months ago and no longer needs access, there is little reason to leave an unused administrator account sitting there.

The same principle applies to old users and unused integrations.

12. Check SSL, Domain and Hosting

Sometimes website maintenance has nothing to do with WordPress.

Your domain and hosting are part of the website infrastructure too.

Check that:

• Your domain is renewed
• Your hosting account is active
• Your SSL certificate is working
• Your website is loading over HTTPS
• Your hosting storage is not becoming a problem
• Your email services connected to the domain are still working

I have seen people spend time troubleshooting a website only to discover that the underlying problem was somewhere outside the WordPress dashboard.

Know where your domain is registered.

Know where the website is hosted.

Know who controls the important accounts.

And keep those credentials secure.

If you are still deciding what type of hosting fits your website, I have also documented the practical differences in shared hosting, VPS and cloud hosting.

13. Don’t Make Too Many Changes at Once

This is one of the most useful lessons I can give anyone maintaining a WordPress website.

Suppose your website is slow.

You install a caching plugin.

Then another optimisation plugin.

Then you change image settings.

Then you enable JavaScript optimisation.

Then you change the theme settings.

Then you modify Elementor.

Suddenly the website behaves differently.

What caused the problem?

You don’t know.

When troubleshooting, I prefer controlled changes.

Change one major thing. Test it. Observe the result. Then continue.

This is especially important with performance optimisation.

A setting that improves one part of the website can sometimes affect another part.

14. Keep a Simple Maintenance Record

You don’t need complicated project-management software.

A simple document or spreadsheet can be enough.

Record things such as:

Maintenance item	Last checked	What I found	Action taken
WordPress update	Date	Version checked	Updated
Plugins	Date	2 updates available	Updated and tested
Backup	Date	Backup successful	Verified
Contact form	Date	Working	Test email received
Mobile layout	Date	Minor spacing issue	Corrected
Broken links	Date	2 broken links	Fixed
Website speed	Date	Image too large	Replaced image
Security	Date	No issue found	Monitoring continues

The advantage is simple.

You don’t have to rely on memory.

If something goes wrong later, you can look back and know what changed.

My Practical Website Maintenance Schedule

If you maintain a small WordPress business website yourself, this is the routine I would use.

Every Week

Spend a few minutes checking:

• Is the website loading?
• Are important pages working?
• Are there obvious errors?
• Are contact forms functioning?
• Are there unusual security notifications?
• Is the website backup running?

You don’t necessarily need to make changes every week.

The purpose is to catch obvious problems early.

Every Month

Do a more deliberate check:

• Update WordPress
• Update plugins
• Update the theme
• Confirm backups
• Test important forms
• Check important links
• Check mobile layouts
• Review website speed
• Review Search Console
• Check security
• Remove unnecessary plugins or users
• Review important website information

Every Three Months

Go deeper.

Look at:

• Website structure
• Old content
• Plugin usage
• User accounts
• Website performance
• Mobile experience
• Broken links
• Search performance
• Backup recovery
• Pages that are no longer useful

This is also a good time to look at whether the website still reflects the business.

A website can remain technically functional while becoming commercially outdated.

Once a Year

Review the bigger picture:

• Domain renewal
• Hosting
• SSL
• Website design
• Branding
• Services
• Important pages
• Privacy and legal information
• Analytics
• Search performance
• Technology choices

Not every website needs a redesign every year.

Sometimes the right decision is simply to maintain what is working.

Other times the website has outgrown its original structure and needs a proper rebuild.

What I Would Check First If I Took Over an Old Website

This is different from maintaining a website I already know.

When I inherit an old website, I don’t immediately start changing the design.

First, I want to understand what I am dealing with.

I would check:

1. What platform is it using?

WordPress? Another CMS? Custom code?

2. What is installed?

Themes, plugins, integrations and other software.

3. Who has access?

Administrators, developers and other users.

4. Is there a working backup?

I want to know this before making significant changes.

5. What is actually important to the business?

Forms, bookings, payments, service pages, lead generation and other critical functions.

6. What is broken?

Links, images, forms, mobile layouts, speed or other functionality.

7. What should not be changed?

This is often overlooked.

Not every old part of a website needs replacing simply because it isn’t new.

Maintenance should solve problems, not create unnecessary ones.

Website Maintenance Mistakes I Would Avoid

Waiting Until Something Breaks

Maintenance is cheaper and easier when you catch problems early.

Updating Without a Backup

Don’t make significant changes to a website and only think about recovery afterwards.

Keeping Every Plugin

If you don’t need it, question why it is still installed.

Testing Only on Desktop

Your website visitors don’t all use your computer.

Assuming the Contact Form Works

Submit a test message.

Installing Plugins to Fix Every Problem

First understand the problem.

Then choose the appropriate solution.

Changing Everything at Once

You lose the ability to identify what caused a new problem.

Ignoring Old Content

An outdated website can still technically function while giving visitors inaccurate information.

Treating Website Speed as a Number

A speed score can help identify problems. It shouldn’t replace actual diagnosis and user testing.

After spending years designing and building websites, one thing has become clear to me:

Website maintenance is not about constantly changing your website.

It is about paying attention to it.

You notice when something has changed.

You test the things that matter.

You update software before it becomes a problem.

You keep a usable backup.

You check your forms.

You look at the website on a phone.

You remove things you no longer need.

You investigate speed problems instead of blindly installing optimisation tools.

You correct outdated information.

And when you make a significant change, you test the website afterwards.

That is the difference between simply owning a website and actually looking after one.

A website does not stop being your responsibility because the designer has finished building it.

The launch is where the next stage begins.

If you are preparing to publish a new site, use my website launch checklist before publishing your website so that problems are caught before the site goes live.

And if you are considering getting professional help with a website, you can see the practical WordPress and business website design services I provide.

A well-maintained website does not have to be constantly redesigned.

It simply needs to keep doing its job.

Olayinka Joseph