WordPress Maintenance Checklist¶
Use this checklist for routine WordPress maintenance and before larger changes. Backups, updates, plugin cleanup, security review, and testing should happen in a predictable order.
Before Any Change¶
| Task | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Create a backup | Gives you a rollback point before updates, imports, design work, or plugin changes. |
| Check the site first | If the site is already broken, an update can hide the original cause. |
| Confirm admin access | Make sure you can sign in and have administrator access before starting. |
| Note important plugins | Payment, form, membership, SEO, and page-builder plugins deserve extra testing. |
Weekly Or Monthly¶
-
Review backups
Confirm backup jobs exist and download a copy before larger work.
-
Apply updates
Update WordPress core, plugins, and themes after a backup is available.
-
Remove unused items
Delete unused themes, inactive plugins, and abandoned test installs.
-
Review security
Check admin users, 2FA, registration settings, and plugin quality.
Quarterly¶
Review the slower-changing parts of the site:
- Confirm administrator users still need access.
- Remove inactive plugins and unused themes.
- Check whether the PHP version is still current for the site.
- Review whether backups are stored away from the hosting account.
- Test contact forms and other business-critical workflows.
After Updates¶
Test the parts of the site that matter most:
- Home page and key landing pages.
- Contact forms.
- Checkout or payment flow.
- Login or membership areas.
- Admin dashboard.
- Any custom integrations.
Use a staging copy for larger changes
If the update affects a page builder, commerce plugin, membership plugin, or custom theme, test on a clone first.
When To Contact Fused¶
Contact Fused if updates fail, the site shows a server error, backups are missing, or you need help confirming whether a PHP version change is safe.