Website care
Website maintenance and care plans for Halifax businesses
A website isn’t finished when it launches. WordPress, its plugins and its theme need regular updates, the site needs backups you can restore from, and someone has to notice when a contact form quietly stops sending. That’s what a care plan is for. Nothing more.
Why maintenance matters
WordPress’s own security guidance is direct about it: older versions “are not maintained with security updates,” site owners should keep plugins and themes updated or delete unused ones, and back up their data regularly, including the database (WordPress hardening guide). Most small business sites that get hacked or break do so because one of those things slipped, not because of anything exotic.
There’s a quieter cost too. It adds up. Contact forms stop delivering after a hosting or DNS change, pages slow down as plugins pile up, and tracking breaks without anyone noticing. Our guides on form emails that never arrive and slow websites cover the usual culprits.
What a proper care plan covers
| Task | What it involves | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Updates | WordPress core, plugins and theme, tested so updates don’t break the layout | Most security fixes arrive as updates |
| Backups | Regular backups of files and database, stored away from the site, with older copies kept | A backup you can’t restore isn’t a backup |
| Uptime and security monitoring | Alerts when the site goes down or files change unexpectedly | Problems are caught in hours, not weeks |
| Form and email checks | A test submission on a schedule, plus SPF and DKIM checks | Missed enquiries are invisible until a customer complains |
| Speed and plugin hygiene | Removing unused plugins, checking mobile speed | Fewer plugins means fewer risks and a faster site |
| Small edits | Hours, prices, staff, photos and seasonal updates | Out-of-date details cost trust |
| Accounts and access | Strong passwords, two-step login, a record of who has access | Keeps you in control if people change |
Our Hosting & Care Plan
From $35 / month + HST
The price depends on your platform, plugins and how many edits you expect. We list exactly what’s included before you start.
Is a care plan worth it for you?
- Probably yes. Yes if your site takes bookings or orders, runs on WordPress or WooCommerce with several plugins, or nobody on your team is comfortable updating it.
- Possibly not if you’re on a fully hosted platform like Shopify, which handles core updates for you, and you rarely change anything. Even then, someone should check apps, forms and tracking now and then.
Choosing a platform with maintenance in mind? Our comparison of Shopify and WooCommerce costs in Canada includes care-plan costs in the three-year total.
Sites we didn’t build
We can take over maintenance of an existing WordPress site. We’d start with a check of the site, the hosting and who controls the domain and accounts. If access is the problem, start with getting your domain back from a web designer.
Want someone keeping an eye on your site?
Send us your website address. We’ll check its current state and tell you what a care plan would cover.