Running a WordPress site isn’t a “set it and forget it” situation. Skip maintenance for too long and things start to break quietly. Forms stop sending. Plugins fall behind. Security gaps open up. Performance slips.
The good news is you don’t need to babysit your site every day. But your website is more like a puppy than a microwave, it needs needs regular website maintenance. A simple monthly maintenance routine goes a long way.
Table of Contents
Here’s a practical checklist you can follow each month to keep your site healthy, stable, and doing its job.
Test Every Form on Your Site
Forms are how people contact you, request quotes, sign up, or buy. If a form breaks, you usually don’t find out until weeks later when leads dry up.
Each month, submit a test entry on every form. Make sure notifications are sending, confirmations show up, and nothing looks off.
If your business depends on forms, this step matters more than you think.
Create a Full Website Backup
Backups are your safety net. If an update fails, a plugin causes issues, or something gets hacked, a clean backup can save hours of damage control.
At minimum, you want one recent backup that includes both files and the database. It should be stored somewhere off your hosting server so it’s still available if things go wrong.
Automated backups make this easier, but it’s still smart to confirm they’re actually running.
Update WordPress Core, Themes, and Plugins
Updates aren’t just about new features. They fix bugs, close security holes, and keep everything compatible.
Once a month, log in and update WordPress core, followed by your active theme, then your plugins. After updates, quickly browse the site to make sure nothing broke.
If updates make you nervous, you’re not alone. They’re one of the most common reasons sites go down when handled carelessly.
Check Security and Site Health
Security issues don’t usually announce themselves. They quietly sit in the background until something goes wrong.
Review login activity, scan for malware, and check your site health status inside WordPress. Look for warnings related to outdated PHP versions, inactive plugins, or configuration issues.
Catching small problems early is far easier than cleaning up a mess later.
Clean and Optimize the Database
Over time, WordPress stores revisions, spam comments, and leftover data from old plugins. This clutter can slow down your site and make backups larger than necessary.
Monthly database cleanup keeps things lean and improves performance, especially on older sites with lots of content.
Run Performance and Speed Checks
A slow site hurts conversions and search rankings. It also frustrates visitors.
Once a month, run a speed test and look for red flags like large images, slow load times, or script warnings. If performance has dipped, it’s usually a sign something needs attention.
Fix Broken Links and 404 Errors
Broken links create a bad user experience and send negative signals to search engines.
Use a link checker or your analytics data to find 404 errors and dead links. Update them, remove them, or redirect them to relevant pages.
This is especially important if your site has been around for a while or recently went through a redesign.
Optional but Smart Monthly Checks
These don’t need to happen every month, but they’re worth reviewing regularly.
Refresh outdated content that no longer reflects your business
Review user accounts and remove old access
Check uptime reports
Revisit basic SEO settings on key pages
Don’t Want to Do Any of This Yourself?
Let’s be honest. Most of us business owners don’t want to spend our time updating plugins, testing forms, or worrying about backups. We just want our site to work.
That’s exactly what our WordPress maintenance service is for.
We handle updates, backups, security checks, performance monitoring, and ongoing site care so you don’t have to think about it.
If you’d rather focus on running your business instead of maintaining your website, take a look at our website maintenance services or get in touch and we’ll take it from here.
Final Thoughts
Monthly WordPress maintenance isn’t glamorous, but it’s what keeps your site secure, fast, and reliable. You can absolutely DIY it using this checklist.
Or you can let professionals handle it and never worry about it again.