Why WordPress is different
WordPress breaks in layers.
So we maintain it in layers.
A WordPress site is core, a theme and however many plugins it runs, each written by a different author, updated on its own schedule, and each able to break one of the others. That's why WordPress web maintenance is its own discipline, not a generic "keep it updated" checklist.
| Layer | What goes wrong | What we do about it |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress core | Security releases ship on their own schedule. Sitting on an old version is one of the most common ways WordPress sites get compromised. | Applied on staging first, verified, then pushed live and logged. |
| Plugins | The most common failure: two plugins updated independently that stop working together, or a plugin abandoned by its author. | Updated one at a time with a functional check between each. Abandoned plugins flagged with a replacement. |
| Theme & page builder | A theme or builder update silently changes layout, or wipes customisations made directly in the theme files. | Key pages checked visually after every theme or builder update. Direct edits moved into a child theme. |
| PHP version | Hosts retire old PHP versions. A site left behind eventually breaks outright, or keeps running on an unsupported version. | Compatibility checked on staging, and the upgrade planned before the host forces it. |
| Database | Years of revisions, spam, expired transients and leftover plugin tables slow down every query. | Cleanup and optimisation as part of the plan, not a one-off speed-audit upsell. |
| Users & access | Old admin accounts, shared logins and weak passwords are how many "mystery" hacks begin. | Admin accounts reviewed, unused ones removed, login protection enabled. |
Our WordPress update process
Backup, staging, one change
at a time. Then the report.
"Will an update break my site?" is the fear behind most searches for website maintenance on WordPress. This is the process that answers it, and it's the part a generic maintenance checklist usually skips.
Full backup, then staging
A fresh off-site backup is taken, then a staging copy gets every update first. Nothing is updated on the live site untested.
One change at a time
Core, then each plugin individually, then the theme. Never a bulk update where one failure could point at three possible causes.
Verified, then reported
Key pages, forms and checkout checked on the live site, and every change logged in your monthly report with what was updated and what was held back.
What's included
WordPress maintenance and support
services, in one plan.
Our WordPress website maintenance service combines the scheduled work with WordPress support services for the "can you just…" requests, so you're not juggling a maintenance plugin, a security plugin and a freelancer.
What it costs: both plans are published per site per month, with WordPress and WooCommerce as the default. See the website maintenance cost guide and our rates →
Support vs maintenance
Three kinds of WordPress help,
and how each one is handled.
Common WordPress problems
The WordPress errors
we fix most often.
Almost every one of these traces back to an untested update, an old PHP version or a missing backup, which is what regular maintenance prevents.
Your kind of WordPress site
Which kind of WordPress
site do you have?
The core process above applies to every WordPress site. What changes is what gets tested before an update is allowed near the live site.
Your options
WordPress maintenance options,
compared honestly.
There are cheaper ways to keep WordPress updated. The question is what happens on the day an update goes wrong.
| Auto-updates only | Maintenance plugin, DIY | Freelancer | PixelGravitas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Updates tested before going live | No | If you set up staging yourself | Depends on the person | Always, on staging |
| Plugin conflicts caught | After customers see them | When you notice | Usually | Before the live site changes |
| Off-site backups, restore tested | Host backups only | If configured | Sometimes | Daily, restores tested |
| Hack cleanup | Not included | Not included | Extra, when available | Emergency response on Care + Secure |
| Someone to ask | Your host's support desk | Plugin forums | One person, when free | The engineer who knows your site |
Who you're dealing with
The engineer who looks
after your WordPress site.
You're handing someone the keys to your website. You should know who they are.
Naveen Kumar
Founder & lead engineer · Based in Chennai, India, working with clients across the US, UK, Europe and Australia
I built and ran WordPress, WooCommerce and custom-coded sites for clients directly for years before starting PixelGravitas — writing the code, managing the servers, staying on call when something broke. If your site goes down, you're talking to the person who fixes it, not a support queue. My day-to-day stack is WordPress, WooCommerce, Elementor Pro and PHP, down to the server: Linux, Apache, Redis, OPcache and Cloudflare. More about how I work →
Questions, answered
WordPress maintenance:
common questions.
What do WordPress website maintenance services include?
WordPress web maintenance covers core, theme and plugin updates tested on a staging copy first, daily off-site backups, uptime and SSL monitoring, malware scanning and hardening, PHP and database health checks, and a monthly written report. Care + Secure adds a monthly allowance of support hours and emergency response.
How much does WordPress maintenance cost?
Both of our published plans are built around WordPress and WooCommerce, priced per site per month with no contract. The website maintenance cost guide shows our rates next to typical market ranges, so you can compare before you talk to anyone.
Why does WordPress need more maintenance than Wix or Squarespace?
Hosted builders update themselves centrally: one vendor, one release schedule, no plugin ecosystem. WordPress's flexibility comes from an open ecosystem of themes and plugins written by different authors and updated on different schedules, which is exactly what needs ongoing, hands-on testing.
Is WordPress support different from WordPress maintenance?
Maintenance is the scheduled half: updates, backups, scans and database cleanup. Support is reactive: you ask for a change or report a problem and we respond. Care + Secure includes both, with support hours each month and a stated emergency response time.
What happens if a plugin update breaks my site?
Updates go to a staging copy first, so most breaks are caught before they reach your live site. Because updates are applied one at a time, a failure points at one cause, not three. If something does slip through, the pre-update backup is the rollback point, restored before anything else is attempted.
Do you turn on WordPress auto-updates?
Not for plugins and themes on business sites. Auto-updates apply changes to the live site untested, which is how most update-related breakages happen. Minor core security releases are the exception worth discussing; we'll tell you what we recommend for your site in the assessment.
Can you fix a hacked WordPress site?
Yes. Malware cleanup, removing injected users and code, closing the entry point and getting search-engine or host warnings lifted. Care + Secure includes emergency response; on Care, or without a plan, hack recovery is quoted as a fixed fee before we start.
Do you work with Elementor, Divi and other page builders?
Yes. Page-builder sites need extra care on updates because the builder, its add-ons and the theme all change layout output. We check key pages visually after builder updates rather than assuming nothing moved.
Do you manage my WordPress hosting as well?
No. We're not a hosting reseller, so you keep your own hosting account and we work inside it. We will tell you plainly if your current host is the real cause of a speed or reliability problem, and help you move if you decide to.
Can you take over a WordPress site another developer built?
Yes. The free assessment starts with the state of the site: WordPress and PHP versions, plugin backlog, abandoned or duplicate plugins, backups and any security issues, so you know what needs fixing before regular maintenance begins.
Do you offer WordPress website management services too?
Yes, as an add-on to maintenance. WordPress website management covers the day-to-day running of the site on top of the technical upkeep: publishing content, adding pages, managing users and plugins, and keeping SEO settings tidy. It's handled from support hours on Care + Secure, ad-hoc hours, or a growth retainer for larger monthly workloads.
Do you maintain WordPress multisite networks?
Tell us in the assessment. Multisite needs network-wide updates tested against every site before rollout, so we scope it per network rather than offer it as a standard plan.