Review before updating
Check the versions, custom code and paid licences in use. Identify abandoned plugins or known conflicts and agree whether replacement or repair is needed before an update.
WordPress maintenance with a clear owner for the work.
We provide WordPress maintenance and website support for businesses in Belfast and Northern Ireland, including sites built by other teams. We review the site first, then agree updates, backups, monitoring, support responsibilities and any initial repairs.
Website careClear ownershipSupport
UPDATES AND COMPATIBILITY
Keep WordPress current, with checks around the changes.
WordPress, themes and plugins depend on each other. Routine care needs an agreed update process, a way to check important journeys and a decision on changes that need more investigation.
Check what matters
Agree checks for forms, navigation and editing. For WooCommerce, include basket, checkout, payment and stock connections. Use a separate test copy where appropriate, with its suitability and cost agreed.
Handle a failed change
Record what changed and assess whether to reverse the update, restore a backup or fix the conflict. An update that needs extra development should have a clear approval route.
BACKUPS AND RESTORATION
A backup needs an agreed route back to a working site.
Confirm what is backed up, where copies are kept, how long they are retained and who can restore them. The frequency should reflect how often content, enquiries or orders change. These details belong in the proposal, rather than an assumed standard schedule.
Cover files and the database
A typical WordPress restoration needs both website files and the database. Check whether external systems, email and separate storage are covered or need their own arrangements.
Check the restore process
Agree how restoration will be checked and who has the necessary access. A successful backup notice alone does not demonstrate that the full site can be recovered.
Account for newer records
Restoring an earlier copy can remove later changes. Before restoring a live shop, establish what happens to orders, payments and stock recorded since that copy, including records held in other systems.
SUPPORT AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Know who receives a problem and who can resolve it.
The agreement should name the reporting route, support availability, response expectations and included work. Describe the affected page, expected result and what happened instead, so the issue can be assessed. A checkout failure and a content change need different priorities.
Agree the division of work
Set out what Podium handles, what remains with your team and when the host, payment provider or plugin developer must be involved. Access and provider restrictions can affect what can be investigated.
Make monitoring useful
Agree which checks are included, who receives alerts and what happens after an alert. Monitoring can help identify an issue, but it does not mean every fault will be detected or prevented.
Keep the work visible
Agree how completed updates, unresolved issues and recommended changes are reported. Larger features, redesigns and specialist integration work need their own scope and approval.
GETTING STARTED
Review the existing site before recurring care begins.
We take on WordPress websites built by other teams. Review administrative and hosting access, current faults, licences, backups and custom work first. Identify any initial repair separately from ongoing maintenance. If a site may be compromised, agree the investigation and recovery work needed before treating it as routine care.
HOSTING AND OWNERSHIP
Maintenance and hosting need connected responsibilities.
Hosting provides the environment where the website runs; maintenance covers the agreed care of the WordPress site. They can involve different providers. Confirm who manages each part, including domain registration, certificates, email and account renewals. Keep business accounts in your name where possible and document any access or licence restrictions inherited from a previous provider.
SCOPE AND CONTINUITY
Choose care around the way your business uses the site.
A brochure website and a busy WooCommerce shop need different checks. Discuss how often the site changes, which connections it relies on and who uses it each day. Agree included support time, additional work approval, renewal costs and handover arrangements. Maintenance reduces avoidable problems, but it cannot make a website immune to faults or security incidents.
Before we get started
WordPress maintenance questions, answered.
Do you maintain WordPress websites you did not build?
Yes. We review the site, access, licences and existing faults first, then agree any initial repair and the recurring maintenance scope. An inherited restriction or unsupported plugin may need attention before care begins.
What happens if an update breaks the website?
We assess the change and the agreed recovery options. Depending on the fault, that may mean reversing an update, restoring a suitable backup or repairing a conflict. Custom development and replacement software may need a separate scope.
How often will the website be backed up?
The backup frequency, retention and storage arrangements need to be agreed for your site. A store taking regular orders needs its changing records considered. Ask what is included, who checks copies and who can restore them.
Does restoring a backup recover every order?
An earlier backup may not contain newer orders or content. Payment and fulfilment systems may also hold separate records. The recovery plan needs to account for those differences before restoring the live site.
Can you maintain a WooCommerce store?
Yes. Agree checks for products, basket, checkout, payments and connected stock or fulfilment systems alongside WordPress updates. Changes to services from other providers need a named owner and appropriate access.
Does maintenance include hosting and unlimited changes?
The proposal should state whether hosting is included and define the support time and types of work covered. Content edits, a new feature and a redesign are different tasks, so additional work needs an agreed approval process.
How quickly will you respond to a problem?
Support availability, reporting routes and response expectations are agreed in the proposal. Describe the business impact when reporting an issue so it can be prioritised. Do not assume an immediate response or continuous availability unless explicitly included.
What happens if we change support provider?
Agree notice and handover arrangements at the start. Confirm access to business accounts, website files, the database and documentation, and identify licences or services that cannot transfer and will need replacing.
Give the website a team to call its own.
Send us your website address, the current hosting arrangement and the help you need.
Discuss WordPress care