Website Maintenance Checklist: 12 Things to Check Every Month

Launching a website feels like the finish line, but it is really the start of an ongoing job. A site that looked perfect on launch day can quietly break, slow down or become a security risk within a few months if nobody is watching it.

Why maintenance matters more than launch day

CMS platforms, plugins and server software are updated constantly, often to patch security holes. Skip those updates for long enough and your site becomes an easy target  and search engines quietly penalise slow, broken or insecure sites in rankings.

The 12-point monthly checklist

1. Backups: confirm an automatic backup actually ran and is restorable, not just scheduled.
2. CMS & plugin updates: apply security patches for WordPress, Joomla or your custom CMS.
3. Broken links: run a link checker across the whole site, including old blog posts.
4. Contact forms: send a real test message through every form to confirm it still arrives.
5. SSL certificate: check it has not silently expired.
6. Page speed: test your homepage and a few key pages against Core Web Vitals.
7. Mobile display: check on an actual phone, not just a resized browser window.
8. Uptime logs: review any downtime alerts from your hosting provider.
9. Old content: update prices, dates, staff names and anything else that has quietly gone stale.
10. Analytics review: check which pages are gaining or losing traffic month over month.
11. Spam and comments: clear spam submissions and moderate genuine comments.
12. Security scan: run a malware/vulnerability scan, especially on eCommerce sites handling payments.

DIY vs. a maintenance plan

Doing this yourself is possible if you have the time and technical comfort. Most business owners do not  which is exactly why maintenance plans exist. Our packages start from PKR 9,900/month and cover updates, backups, broken-link repairs and priority support, so this list gets done whether or not anyone remembers to do it.