WordPress maintenance and care plans

Every month

• A full backup before anything changes. The latest stays on your server; copies are kept on my side for at least a year.
• Updates of WordPress or ClassicPress, themes and plugins. With Business, they run on a staging copy of your site first and go live only once the copy passes.
• A check of what your business depends on, such as forms, checkout, bookings and logins, so what worked before still works.
• Anything an update broke gets fixed. If a fix needs more than an hour, I tell you before I go on.

When it's due

• With Business: PHP and the rest of the server software brought up to supported versions, usually once a year. If your host already does this, that part falls away.
• If the site goes down between two runs, I respond within 24 hours, usually sooner, and restore it from the latest backup if that's what it takes.

How it runs

• It starts with a look at the site as it is: what runs on it, what is outdated, what your business depends on.
• Some connections can't be tested on a copy, such as accounting, CRM sync or spam filtering. Those get checked on the live site right after the update.
• The price depends mostly on the size of the site and on how many outside services it is tied into.
• Your hosting, repository and licenses stay in your name. I work in them; I don't own them.
• Quirks and decisions get written down as I go, so the site never depends on my memory alone.

Not included

• Changes you ask for, such as a new form layout, a new page or a new feature. That's development, and I quote it separately.

Prices

Your quote is in your own currency, converted at the day's rate.

Questions

Which plan do I need?

Essential for a site that presents your business. Business for a site that takes orders, bookings or payments, where an update that breaks something costs money before anyone notices.

Is there a minimum term?

The plan runs month to month. To stop it, give one month's notice.

What do you need from me to start?

Usually an administrator login to WordPress, SSH access to the server, and access to the hosting panel if your host manages the server. The exact list depends on the site.

Is the first look at the site included?

Yes. It's part of the monthly price, not a separate fee.

Do you take over sites someone else built?

Yes. Sites built with a page builder I judge case by case: builders tend to break on updates, so they need more care.

What happens if we stop?

Your accounts and your code were always yours. The backups I hold are deleted right away, deleted within a month, or handed over to you, as you prefer.

From 150 CHF (about 190 USD, 170 EUR), per month, per site. You get a fixed quote before any work starts. Write to me.