WordPress Maintenance Checklist

Use this WordPress maintenance checklist to help you perform a complete WordPress maintenance routine …

WordPress Maintenance ChecklistThis tutorial is part of our WordPress Management tutorial series. In this tutorial, we provide a WordPress maintenance checklist to help you perform a complete WordPress maintenance routine.

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WordPress Maintenance Checklist – Putting It All Together

WordPress Maintenance Process

(WordPress Maintenance Process)

If you have followed our WordPress Maintenance Tutorials where we break down each step of the WordPress maintenance process and show you how to perform each task in logical sequence, then it’s time to put it all together.

In this section, you will learn how to put the entire WordPress maintenance sequence together, and download a practical checklist that you can print and follow to help you perform a complete WordPress site maintenance routine.

WordPress Maintenance Checklist

Use the checklist below to complete your WordPress site maintenance:

Maintenance StepCommentsTutorials

Have access to all records and details (logins, passwords, registrant contact details, renewal dates, etc.):
  • Website
  • Domain(s), DNS records, Nameservers
  • Webhosting
  • Webmaster accounts
  • Plugins & Themes
  • Licenses, registrations, and subscriptions
  • 3rd-party services
  • Log into your WordPress site

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    Go to your dashboard

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    Check if WordPress version, plugins, or themes need updatingDon't do this until you backup your site!

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    Check & repair broken linksDon't do this until you backup your site!

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    Delete comment SPAMDon't add SPAM to your backup files

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    Delete unnecessary/unused media filesDo this regularly (e.g. every few months)

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    Log into your hosting accountIgnore this step if using automated backup tools.

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    Optimize and back up your WordPress databaseIgnore this step if using automated backup tools.

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    Backup your WordPress filesIf not using automated backup tools, zip the folder containing both the WordPress files and the SQL data file.

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    Upload backup files to secure offline storage accountIgnore this step if using automated backup tools.

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    Go back into your WordPress Admin

    Put your site in Maintenance ModeDisplay a maintenance page to visitors while you perform updates, changes, and other maintenance tasks

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    Update WordPress to latest versionOnly if update is required. If automated method doesn't work, use manual method instead.

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    Update your WordPress plugins (deactivate/remove unused plugins)Only if update is required. If automated method doesn't work, use manual method instead.

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    Update your WordPress theme(s) (remove unused themes)Only if update is required. If automated method doesn't work, use manual method instead.

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    Review site reports
  • Warning, expiration, or subscription renewal messages
  • Statistics (site, analytics, hosting)
  • Uptime reports
  • Logs
  • Perform any additional maintenance work required:
  • Content changes/updates
  • Fix broken links
  • Changes to design/layout
  • Install new plugins or themes
  • Integrations with 3rd-party services
  • Security fixes
  • Optimization tweaks
  • User data deletion requests
  • License and subscription renewals
  • Generate any required reports:
  • New installations
  • Site performance
  • SEO
  • Optimization reports
  • Security
  • Log out of your WordPress site.

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    Test and review site to make sure everything is working ok.

    Your WordPress site maintenance is done.
    Errors or Problems? Try this ...

    Troubleshoot WordPress Errors(If required)

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    Restore WordPress Data(If required)

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    Reinstall WordPress Site(If required)

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    Download The WordPress Maintenance Checklist

    WordPress Maintenance Process – Video Walkthrough

    The video below walks you through a complete WordPress maintenance routine performed live on a WordPress site.

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    As this video was created using an older version of WordPress, the maintenance routine uses manual methods to backup WordPress data and upgrade the WordPress software and plugins. Use the automated backup and upgrade methods we recommend in our tutorials to perform the maintenance process significantly faster.

    Congratulations, you have completed our WordPress maintenance tutorials! You should now be able to perform a regular WordPress maintenance routine on your website or blog in just a few minutes and keep your site, plugins, themes, data and files fully up-to-date and backed up.

    WordPress Maintenance

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    "These tutorials have so much information and are easy to understand. If you use WordPress or plan to in the future these will help you with everything you need to know." - Valisa (Mesa, Arizona)

    Originally published as WordPress Maintenance Checklist.