WHAT IT INCLUDES
Website maintenance in 8 checks
A website is like a car: it runs fine for a while without care, until the day it stops, usually at the worst moment. This guide explains what we do, how often and why.
1. WordPress, plugin and theme updates
WordPress, plugins and themes get updates almost every week, with security fixes, compatibility changes and new features. Updating everything at once without testing is the most common reason sites "break" overnight.
Our process: full backup, update in a staging environment when the site is critical (online stores, booking sites), checks on the main pages, checkout and forms, and only then the update on the live site. If anything goes wrong, we restore the previous version in minutes.
2. Automatic off-server backups
A backup stored on the same server as the site is useless if the server fails or is attacked. We take daily copies of files and database, stored with an external service, with 30 days or more of retention and regular restore tests.
For online stores with many orders a day, database backups can run several times a day, so no sales are ever lost.
3. Security and attack protection
WordPress security works in layers. No single measure is enough; together they make the site an unattractive target for automated attacks:
- Application firewall and blocking of repeated login attempts.
- Two-factor authentication for administrators.
- Daily malware scans and file change alerts.
- Removal of plugins and users no longer in use.
- A valid SSL certificate with automatic renewal.
4. Speed and Core Web Vitals
Speed affects sales and SEO. Google uses Core Web Vitals (loading time, visual stability and interaction response) as a page experience signal. We optimise images, caching, CSS and JavaScript, the database and hosting, and track real visitor results in Search Console.
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5. 24/7 monitoring: 8 checks
We do not wait for a customer to tell us the site is down. Monitoring systems check the site every few minutes and alert the team when something changes:
- Server uptime and response time.
- Loading speed of the main pages.
- Security threats and changed files.
- Disk space and hosting resources.
- 404 and 500 errors, broken links and SSL certificate validity.
6. Technical support and small changes
Plans include support hours for small content changes, new banners, form tweaks or layout fixes. Instead of waiting days for a freelancer, you have a team that knows your site and answers by email or WhatsApp.
Can I request changes to the site? Yes! Every plan includes a number of monthly changes (text, images, small modifications). More complex changes such as new features are quoted separately.
What is the support response time? On the Essential plan we respond within 24 business hours. On Professional, within 8 hours. On Enterprise we have a 2-hour SLA and 24/7 support for emergencies.
7. WooCommerce online store maintenance
An online store has specific needs: checkout must always work, payment methods (cards, PayPal, MB WAY, Multibanco) must stay up to date and order emails must arrive. We test the purchase process after every update and watch for payment errors.
We also review the database, which in stores with years of orders can grow heavy and slow down the admin panel.
What kind of sites do you manage? We mainly manage WordPress and WooCommerce sites, but we also work with Shopify, Webflow and custom sites. Contact us to confirm compatibility with your platform.
8. Website maintenance and SEO
A well-maintained site is a precondition for SEO. 404 errors, slow pages, redirect chains or an important page wrongly set to "noindex" can cost Google rankings within weeks. Maintenance includes a monthly Search Console check and fixing these issues before they hit traffic.
9. Monthly report
Every month you get a simple report of what was done: updates applied, backups, uptime, speed, threats blocked and support requests resolved. You always know the state of your site without having to ask.
10. What happens to a site without maintenance
Problems rarely appear all at once. First the site gets slower, then an outdated plugin warning shows up, then a form stops sending emails and nobody notices. In the worst case, the site is hacked and used to send spam or show malicious ads, and Google puts a "dangerous site" warning in the search results.
Recovering a hacked site takes days and costs far more than a year of preventive maintenance.
11. Hosting: where your site lives
Many speed and security problems start with hosting. Very cheap shared plans put hundreds of sites on the same server, with limited resources and old PHP versions. As part of maintenance we assess your current hosting and, if needed, recommend and carry out a move to a server suited to the site's traffic, with up-to-date PHP, server caching and independent backups.
The migration happens without downtime: we prepare everything on the new server, test it and only then switch the domain.
Do I need to purchase hosting separately? Our plans do not include hosting, only management. If you need it, we can recommend or migrate your site to a quality hosting provider we partner with.
12. In-house maintenance or an agency?
Some companies hand maintenance to an employee who is "good with computers". It works until the first serious problem: a plugin that breaks checkout on a Friday night, a malware attack or a server migration. A specialist team has processes, monitoring tools and experience with hundreds of similar situations.
With onOrbit Marketing website maintenance, your team keeps managing day-to-day content and we take care of the technical side, security and emergencies.
13. What we do in an emergency
If the site goes down, shows a critical error or is compromised, the priority is to get it working again as fast as possible. We identify the cause (an update, the server, an attack), restore the last stable backup if needed and only then fix the root of the problem calmly. Afterwards you get a summary of what happened and what we changed so it does not happen again. On the Professional plan, emergencies go through priority support, so the site is back online before any deeper investigation begins.
What happens if my site is hacked? We include free malware removal in every plan. If your site is compromised, our team steps in immediately to clean and restore it, and strengthens security to prevent future attacks.
How much website maintenance costs
WordPress website maintenance from onOrbit Marketing starts at €350 a month, with updates, backups, security, speed, 24/7 monitoring and monthly changes included. WooCommerce online stores and critical sites, with real-time backups, a CDN and unlimited changes, have their own plan sized to the store.
If your site needs deeper work before it goes into maintenance (for example, an abandoned theme or incompatible plugins), we run an audit first and quote the cost of the fix.