A little regular maintenance prevents big problems later. Here's a practical checklist you can follow monthly. Neglecting your site leads to security breaches, slow performance, and broken links that frustrate visitors and hurt your search rankings. Block out 30–60 minutes each month and work through this list.
Security and updates:
- Update your CMS, plugins, and themes (or have your developer do it)
- Change passwords if you haven't in a while
- Check that your SSL certificate is valid (padlock in the browser)
Outdated software is the number one cause of hacked websites. WordPress, plugins, and themes release security patches regularly—apply them. Use strong, unique passwords for your hosting, CMS, and admin accounts. If you use shared hosting, consider switching to a provider with automatic backups and malware scanning.
Performance:
- Run a quick speed test (e.g. PageSpeed Insights)
- Remove or replace broken links
- Compress or remove unused images if uploads have grown
Slow sites lose visitors and rank lower in search. Use Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to check performance. Fix broken links (use a tool like Broken Link Checker). Large images slow pages down—compress them before uploading and remove any that are no longer used.
Content and backups:
- Backup your site (database + files) and store a copy off-server
- Review key pages: are phone numbers, addresses, and hours still correct?
- Check contact forms and lead capture tools to ensure they still work
Backups are your safety net. If something goes wrong, you can restore. Store backups off your hosting server—use a service like UpdraftPlus or your host's backup feature. Scan your main pages for outdated info: hours, phone numbers, addresses, team bios. Test your contact form and any lead magnets to confirm they're working.
Optional:
- Review analytics for odd traffic or errors
- Check that your domain and hosting renewals are set and paid
Schedule 30–60 minutes each month. If you don't have time, consider a maintenance retainer with your web team. They'll handle updates, backups, and monitoring so you can focus on running your business.