Have you ever made a big purchase that felt a little less exciting after you lived with it for a while? I don’t mean buyer’s remorse — that vague sense that you just don’t want the thing anymore. I’m talking about the little annoyances you only notice after the honeymoon phase.
Maybe the seatbelt in your brand-new car rubs your shoulder the wrong way. Maybe those gorgeous tiled kitchen counters look amazing but are a pain to clean. I recently bought a microwave (with Wi-Fi, because of course it has Wi-Fi), and while I played with all the buttons in the store, it took weeks before I could remember how to adjust the power level. On the bright side, I could turn the light on and off from my phone.
Wait… Is This About Microwaves or Websites?
Now, think about your company or organization’s website. If you hired someone to build and maintain it, you probably don’t give website upkeep much thought. Or maybe there’s someone on your team who keeps things running. But even then, how easy (or not) a website is to maintain can affect more than just the people behind the scenes.
So let’s talk about some practical, real-world tips for maintaining your website based on my years of doing just that for clients across all kinds of industries. Glamorous? No. Useful? Absolutely.
Note: A lot of what follows pertains to websites built with WordPress.
The “Keys to the Castle”
Before you can maintain a website, you or a trusted partner need access to all the essential parts. So, how many logins does it take to “own” your website?
Hint: It’s not just one.
To have full control, you’ll likely need access to:
- Your website backend – Admin-level login for updating content and settings.
- Your web hosting account – Where the site physically lives.
- Your domain registrar – Where you purchased your website address.
- Your DNS provider – Sometimes the same as your domain registrar.
If your site is on an all-in-one platform (like Wix, Squarespace, or Canva), you might only need one login. But for WordPress and most custom-built sites, you’ll want access to all four.
Think of these logins like a digital birth certificate: you rarely need it, but when you do, it’s a lifesaver.
Keep Your Site Updated—Seriously
This part is especially for WordPress users (which powers around 43% of all websites), but the idea applies to most platforms: keep your software up to date.
According to the 2024 WordPress Security Report by Wordfence, 96% of all known vulnerabilities come from plugins. Themes make up most of the rest. WordPress core? Just 0.06%.
The good news? Most plugin developers release patches quickly. The bad news? Many site owners don’t bother to install them.
Yes, auto-updates can sometimes break things. But ask yourself this: would you rather fix a wonky layout because of a plugin update—or deal with a hacked site because of a known vulnerability you never patched?
Choosing the Right Plugins & Themes
WordPress is open-source, which means it’s free and constantly evolving, thanks to thousands of contributors. But it also means anyone with coding knowledge can release a plugin or theme.
According to the Make WordPress Plugins page, which is part of the larger WordPress organization, “The Plugin Review Team is a group of volunteers who review and approve plugins newly submitted to be hosted on the official WordPress.org Plugin Directory. That’s not necessarily a bad thing (bugs can slip through even at major tech companies) but it does mean you should choose wisely.
Here’s what I look for when deciding whether to install a plugin or theme:
- 10,000+ active installs – A strong user base is a good sign.
- Updated in the last 3 months – Active maintenance matters.
- Clear, well-written documentation – Indicates professionalism and support.
These aren’t guarantees, but they’ve saved me a lot of time and headaches over the years.
Final Thoughts
Website maintenance isn’t the most exciting part of owning a site but it’s one of the most important. The good news? Staying on top of it doesn’t take much time, and it can make a world of difference in keeping your site secure, stable, and stress-free.
In the long run, a little maintenance goes a long way toward making sure your website stays just as valuable as the day it launched.