WordPress Maintenance Plans: What Agencies Should Offer
Last updated . Every WordPress rule on this page was checked October 1, 2026.
A WordPress maintenance plan should keep WordPress core, plugins and themes up to date, back up the site before every update, watch security and uptime, and keep the site fast. WordPress.org says to always update to the latest version and to back up first. A plan doesn't cover new work like redesigns, new features or copywriting. Run it yourself if you have the time and skills; otherwise buy a plan, or resell one under your agency's brand.
What's in a WordPress maintenance plan?
The upkeep WordPress itself says to do, plus checks that catch problems early. Every plan should cover:
- Updates to WordPress core, plugins and themes. WordPress.org says to always update to the latest version and to keep plugins up to date for security and speed. Older versions don't get security updates. Since WordPress 3.7, most sites apply minor and security updates on their own, so a plan covers the major ones and checks the site after each round.
- Backups. WordPress.org says to back up the database regularly, and always before an upgrade.
- Security monitoring, uptime monitoring and speed work, so problems are caught before the client finds them.
Check for updates at least monthly. DeskTeam360's maintenance, as one example, runs WordPress core, plugin and theme updates monthly, with daily or weekly backups. For the full schedule, see how often each WordPress task runs.
Should you do WordPress maintenance yourself or buy a plan?
Do it yourself if you have the time, the skills, and a way to undo a bad update. Buy a plan if you don't, or if you look after many sites.
| Do it yourself if... | Buy a plan if... |
|---|---|
| You manage one or two sites | You look after many client sites |
| You or your team can fix a broken update | A broken update would sit until someone has time |
| You'll check for updates every month | Updates tend to slip when you're busy |
| You have a backup you've tested restoring | You're not sure your backups work |
| Your time costs less than a plan | Your time is better spent selling and serving clients |
For an agency, there's a third choice: buy the upkeep from a partner and resell it as your own plan. The last section covers that. For what to charge your clients, see website maintenance packages.
A plan like this is a list of small, repeat jobs. The Ultimate Task Delegation Template helps you decide which ones to hand off. You get the template plus a video walkthrough.
Get the Task Delegation Template
The button opens the template page on DeskTeam360's site.
What isn't covered by a WordPress maintenance plan?
New work. A plan keeps the current site healthy. It doesn't change what the site is. Leave these out of the plan, or price them separately:
- Redesigns and new page templates
- New features, forms tied to other tools, or a new store
- New pages and new content
- Copywriting. DeskTeam360, for one, doesn't write sales copy
- Hosting and domain bills, unless the plan says it includes them
- Fixing damage caused by someone else's changes
Say in writing how out-of-scope work is handled: a quote per job, an hourly rate, or a monthly bank of hours, so the client knows before they ask.
Can you white label WordPress maintenance?
Yes. A white label partner does the updates, backups and checks, and your client only sees your agency. DeskTeam360 works under the agency's brand, and everything it delivers is unbranded, so the agency's clients never see DeskTeam360. White-label delivery is on every plan, and website maintenance is included.
Set up two things first:
- Logins in the client's name. The hosting, domain and WordPress admin stay with your client. The partner gets its own access. The step-by-step guide explains how to keep the hosting, domain and logins in the client's name.
- A clear hand-off. Decide who your client contacts, who does the work, and who checks it before the client hears about it.
What should a white label maintenance plan report to your client?
A short monthly report, sent under your agency's brand, shows the client what the plan did. Work done under a white label setup carries your brand, not the partner's. Include:
- WordPress, plugin and theme updates run this month
- Backups taken, and the date of the latest one
- Uptime for the month, and any time the site was down
- Security scans run, and anything found and fixed
- Small changes and fixes done
- Anything that needs the client's decision, such as out-of-scope work
If you're choosing a partner, see how to pick a white label WordPress agency.
More on WordPress and website maintenance
Start by listing every maintenance job, then decide what you keep and what a partner does.
Get the Task Delegation Template
The button opens the template page on DeskTeam360's site. You get the template plus a video walkthrough.
Sources
- WordPress.org, Updating WordPress
- WordPress.org, Manage Plugins
- WordPress.org, Backups
- WordPress.org, Hardening WordPress
- DeskTeam360, website maintenance (deskteam360.com)
- DeskTeam360, white label (deskteam360.com)
- DeskTeam360, home page (deskteam360.com)
- DeskTeam360, how it works (deskteam360.com)
All checked October 1, 2026. DeskTeam360's pages were checked September 25, 2026.
What changed
- October 1, 2026: First version of this page.
- October 1, 2026: Now covers the do-it-yourself or plan decision and what a plan leaves out. Pricing and tiers moved to website maintenance packages. New description.
- October 1, 2026: Cut the core task table and the update-frequency heading (both live on the WordPress maintenance guide) and added what a white label plan should report.