Website Maintenance & Support
Website maintenance and support for the site you already have
We look after websites built on WordPress, Shopify, other CMS platforms and custom code, including ones we did not build. Updates, security, backups, speed and fixes are handled on a plan that fits the size of your site.
Website Development
What is website maintenance and support?
Website maintenance and support is the regular care of a live website: applying software updates, monitoring uptime and security, keeping backups, fixing bugs, tuning performance and making small content or design changes. It keeps a site safe, fast and working as the platform, plugins and browsers around it keep changing.
A website is never finished once it launches. Core software, plugins, hosting and browsers all change, and a site that is ignored for a year becomes slower, less secure and more fragile with every missed update. Most hacked or broken sites share one story: nobody was responsible for looking after them.
We take that responsibility, whatever the site runs on. We start with a health check covering software versions, security, backups, speed, uptime and search errors, then agree a plan: a small monthly retainer for routine care, a pool of hours for changes, or a one-off clean-up to bring the site back to a healthy state.
You get a single contact, a clear list of what is covered and plain monthly reports showing what was updated, what was found and what we recommend. If you ever want to move to another team, you receive full documentation and access.
Challenges
The problems we are usually brought in to solve
Updates nobody applies
Outdated core software and plugins are the most common route for attackers, but updating blindly can break the site.
No working backup
Many sites have backups that were never tested or sit on the same server, so a failure or hack becomes a crisis.
Slow creep in performance
New plugins, larger images and extra scripts slowly erode speed until visitors and search engines notice.
Bugs after browser or PHP changes
A site that worked last year can break when hosting upgrades PHP or a browser changes behaviour.
Nobody to call
When something breaks on a Friday, the original agency is unreachable and the freelancer has moved on.
Uptime problems found by customers
Without monitoring, outages, expired SSL certificates and failed forms are reported by customers instead of by alerts.
Capabilities
What the service covers
Health check and clean-up
A review of versions, plugins, security, backups, speed and search errors, followed by a prioritised fix list.
Updates on staging first
Core, theme and plugin updates tested on a copy, then applied to the live site with a rollback ready.
Security monitoring and hardening
Malware scans, firewall rules, login protection, role reviews and rapid clean-up if a site is compromised.
Backups and restore tests
Scheduled off-site backups with periodic restores, so recovery is proven rather than assumed.
Uptime and error monitoring
Alerts for downtime, SSL expiry, form failures and server errors, with a named person responding.
Speed and Core Web Vitals care
Image, caching and script maintenance that keeps pages quick as content grows.
Content and design changes
Small edits, new landing pages, banners and layout tweaks handled from a pool of agreed hours.
Hosting management
Server configuration, PHP upgrades, SSL, DNS and email checks, on your hosting or ours.
Our process
How an engagement runs
Every engagement has a named lead, a written scope and working software to review every one to two weeks.
- 01
Health check
We review code, hosting, security, backups, speed, uptime and search data and report what we find in plain language.
- 02
Stabilise the site
We fix the highest risks first, such as outdated software, missing backups and security gaps, on a staging copy.
- 03
Agree a care plan
You choose a retainer, a block of hours or a one-off project, with a written list of what is covered and response times.
- 04
Maintain and monitor
Updates, backups and monitoring run on a schedule, and we respond to alerts and requests through one channel.
- 05
Report and improve
Each month you receive a short report of work done and a list of recommended improvements to approve or skip.
Technology
Technology we use
Chosen per project for fit, maintainability and your team's ability to own it.
CMS and commerce
- WordPress
- WooCommerce
- Shopify
- Drupal
- Joomla
- Magento
- Webflow
Backend and data
- PHP
- Laravel
- Node.js
- MySQL
Hosting and delivery
- Linux
- Nginx
- AWS
- Docker
- GitHub Actions
Growth and analytics
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics
- Schema markup
Use cases
Where it makes the biggest difference
A site left unmaintained for years
A health check, safe updates on staging and a hardened setup that brings an ageing site back under control.
Monthly care for a business website
Updates, backups, monitoring and a small pool of hours for content changes, with a monthly report.
Recovering from a hack
Malware removal, credential reset, closing the entry point and a clean, monitored setup afterwards.
Taking over from a former agency
Access, documentation and a stabilisation pass, so your site has a reliable owner again.
Keeping a busy shop stable
Monitoring of checkout and payment flows, with quick fixes for issues that cost orders.
Preparing for a PHP or platform upgrade
Compatibility checks and staged upgrades that keep the live site working throughout.
Industries
Industries we apply this to
Why Softweb Planet
Why teams choose us for this work
We support sites we did not build
Taking over unfamiliar WordPress, Shopify and custom sites is routine, and we document before we change.
Staging before live
Every update and fix is tested on a copy first, and a rollback is ready before anything touches your live site.
Named people, plain reports
You deal with a named contact and receive readable monthly reports instead of a ticket black hole.
Engineers, not just administrators
Our DevOps and QA specialists handle hosting, monitoring and testing, so problems are fixed at the cause.
What you can expect
- Software kept up to date without breaking the site
- Backups that have been restored in a test, not just stored
- Alerts that reach a real person when something fails
- A monthly report that shows what was done and what is next
Case studies
Related work
Delivered projects connected to this service.
Website Maintenance & Support FAQ
Frequently asked questions
A typical plan covers software and plugin updates, backups, security scanning, uptime monitoring, small bug fixes and a monthly report. Many plans also include a few hours for content or design changes. We list what is covered in writing, so you know what you are paying for and what counts as extra.
Price depends on the platform, the size and complexity of the site, whether it takes payments and how quickly you need responses. A small brochure site costs far less to maintain than a busy shop. After a health check we propose a plan with a fixed monthly fee and clear limits.
Yes. We start with a health check, take full backups and document the setup before changing anything. This works for WordPress, Shopify, other CMS platforms and custom code, whoever built them. If we find serious problems, we explain them and the cost of fixing them first.
Core software, themes and plugins receive security and compatibility fixes, and attackers target sites that fall behind. Hosting and browsers also change, which can break older code. Regular, tested updates are cheaper than recovering from a hacked or broken site.
It depends on how often content changes. A brochure site might be backed up daily, while an active shop should be backed up several times a day or continuously. We keep copies off the server and test restores periodically, because an untested backup is only a hope.
Yes. We take the site offline or into maintenance mode if needed, remove malware and spam pages, replace compromised files, reset all credentials, find and close the entry point, and request review if search engines flagged the site. Then we harden and monitor it.
Common causes are new plugins, large images, a failing database, a hosting change or an attack. We measure the site, find what changed and fix the biggest cost first. Often the answer is image optimisation, caching, script clean-up or a hosting upgrade, and we show you before-and-after results.
We can arrange extended response for critical sites, such as shops, with agreed hours and escalation contacts. Because we work from the UK and Pakistan, there is wider daily coverage than a single office gives. We state the response times for each plan clearly in the agreement.
Yes. We can manage a server or plan you already have, or host the site for you. We handle PHP and software upgrades, SSL, DNS, email checks and monitoring. Your domain and accounts stay in your name, so you can always move if you wish.
You can leave at any time under the notice terms in your agreement. We hand over documentation, credentials and backups, and we do not hold your domain, hosting or content hostage. We would rather earn the renewal each month by doing the work well.
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