Monthly website maintenance keeps small problems from becoming urgent problems. The goal is to check the parts of your site that affect customers, leads, security, performance, and recovery.
You do not need to rebuild the site every month. You need a repeatable routine.
Look for broken layouts, missing images, warnings, old promotions, broken buttons, and pages that take too long to load.
Test Forms and Calls to Action
Forms can break quietly.
Test:
Contact form
Quote request form
Booking form
Newsletter signup
Checkout form
File upload form
Any form tied to leads or customer service
Confirm the notification email arrives in the right inbox. Then reply to the test message if that is part of your workflow.
Review Backups
Check that backups are running and restorable.
Confirm:
Last successful backup date
Files are included
Database is included
Backups are stored away from the live site
More than one restore point exists
Someone knows how to restore the site
If you are about to update WordPress, plugins, themes, or PHP, take an extra backup first.
Update Software Carefully
For WordPress, review:
WordPress core updates
Plugin updates
Theme updates
PHP version notices
Security notices
Do not update everything blindly on a business-critical site. Take a backup first, update in a lower-risk window, and test the main workflows afterward.
If the site has ecommerce, bookings, memberships, or custom code, consider testing updates on staging first.
Review Security
Check:
Unknown admin users
Old staff accounts
Weak passwords
Multi-factor authentication
Security plugin alerts
Malware scan results
Strange redirects
Unexpected new pages or files
Login attempts, if your tool reports them
Remove accounts that no longer need access. Give each person their own account instead of sharing one login.
Check SSL and HTTPS
Open the website and confirm:
The address starts with https://
The browser does not show “Not Secure”
The certificate is not expired
www and non-www behave as expected
Forms and checkout pages use HTTPS
If the site recently moved or DNS changed, check SSL again after the change.
Check Speed and Core Pages
Review the pages that matter most to the business.
Check:
Homepage
Top service pages
Product pages
Contact page
Landing pages
Checkout or booking flow
Watch for oversized images, broken scripts, slow-loading embeds, layout shifts, and unnecessary popups.
Tech Help Canada’s guide to common web design mistakes can help you review user experience, mobile layout, and site slowness during maintenance.
Review Content Accuracy
Check whether the site still reflects the business.
Look at:
Hours
Phone number
Email address
Address
Services
Pricing language
Staff bios
Promotions
Portfolio items
Testimonials
Policy pages
Outdated information can create customer confusion even when the site is technically working.
Check Links and Redirects
Review:
Navigation links
Footer links
Buttons
Social links
Download links
Redirects from old pages
Links in top blog posts or service pages
If you recently renamed or removed pages, make sure visitors are not landing on avoidable 404 errors.
Review Tools Connected to the Site
Your website may depend on tools outside WordPress or hosting.
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