If you manage a WordPress site on your own, you probably know how easy it is to forget about maintenance. But just like a car or a piece of professional equipment, your site needs regular checks to stay efficient, fast and protected.
Here is a simple, practical monthly checklist you can use to keep your WordPress site healthy, even if you are not technical. If you would rather delegate these checks, see my WordPress maintenance service.
1. Update WordPress, plugins and theme
Log in to the dashboard and check:
- WordPress is up to date
- All plugins are up to date (watch out for outdated or abandoned ones)
- The theme is up to date, but has not been edited directly (otherwise you could lose your customisations)
Tip: always take a backup before major updates.
2. Take a full backup of the site
Even if your hosting offers automatic backups, it is good practice to have an independent, accessible copy.
Check:
- That the backup is saved to Dropbox, Google Drive or other external storage
- That it is complete (files + database)
- That it works: try restoring it at least once in a test environment
Recommended plugin: UpdraftPlus
3. Check the site speed
Use free tools such as:
Check:
- Loading time on mobile and desktop
- Any reported issues (images that are too heavy, render-blocking JavaScript…)
- Changes compared with the previous month
4. Check security (and go deeper with technical checks)
If you use plugins such as Wordfence, Sucuri or iThemes Security, log in to their dashboard and check the points below. For a more specific security checklist, read also 5 technical checks to do every month:
- Malware scan: clean
- No suspicious activity in the logs
- Blocked IPs or unusual login attempts
Changing the admin account password every 2-3 months is good practice.
5. Test your contact forms
Fill in your site’s forms as if you were a visitor:
- Do you receive the email?
- Did it end up in spam?
- Is the data sent correctly?
Many clients discover months later that their form was not working… and that they lost potential leads.
6. Check indexing
Go to Google Search Console:
- Are all important pages indexed?
- Are there errors to fix?
- Are the sitemaps up to date?
If you have not connected your site to Search Console yet, do it now: it is free and essential.
7. Remove unused plugins
Every month, clean up:
- Deactivate and remove plugins you no longer need
- Check whether you can replace 2-3 plugins with one more complete plugin
- Fewer plugins = a lighter, less vulnerable site
8. Check links and content
With tools such as Broken Link Checker or Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, check for:
- Broken links
- Pages returning 404 errors
- Duplicate content
Even a simple manual review of posts and pages can reveal outdated text or mistakes to correct.
Conclusion
Doing these checks once a month takes less than an hour, but it can save you from technical problems, lost traffic or hacker attacks.
You can save this list, print it or turn it into a routine.
If you would like me to take care of it, I offer a tailored monthly maintenance service with personalised reports and ongoing support. Get in touch to find out more.