By Richcom Technology · Updated 19 October 2026 · 4 minute read
Small business website maintenance should protect the functions your customers and staff rely on. A site can look normal while a contact form, checkout step or notification has stopped working. Use this checklist to agree what gets checked, who responds to problems and how your business will recover from a failed change.
| Area | Evidence to request | Responsibility to assign |
|---|---|---|
| Backup | Schedule and recovery method | Authorised recovery contact |
| Updates | Change record and checks | Maintenance provider |
| Orders | Checkout and notification results | Store owner and maintainer |
| Access | Current roles and approved admins | Business owner |
Start with business-critical functions
List the actions that create an enquiry, order or booking. Include product browsing, search, forms, checkout and customer notifications where applicable. Record a simple successful test for each one. A website that loads its homepage has not necessarily passed a meaningful business check.
Give each function an owner. Someone should know where enquiries arrive, how orders appear in the administration area and who notices a missing notification. Keep test records distinguishable from real customers. If testing involves a payment, agree a suitable provider-supported process and how test transactions will be handled.
Agree a backup and recovery plan
A backup plan needs a schedule, retention period, storage location and recovery responsibility. For a store that changes frequently, discuss how much recent order information the business could tolerate losing. Copying only a theme is not the same as preserving the website’s database and uploaded content.
WordPress recommends backing up before updates. Keep recovery instructions and the relevant access available to the authorised maintainer. Ask how a backup will be checked and whether a restoration test is part of the arrangement. A completed backup notification alone does not show that the business can resume normal operation.
For the next part of this decision, read Hosting Migration Checklist: Plan a Safer Move for Your Store.
Treat updates as controlled changes
Before an update, identify the affected components and any integrations that depend on them. Afterward, repeat the core workflow checks. Record what changed, when it changed and any issues found. For a busy store, agree a time when a failed change will cause less disruption.
Richcom’s current care page describes plugin updates every two months. Ask how urgent security fixes, compatibility problems and vendor support notices are handled between planned maintenance visits. A routine schedule should not be interpreted as permission to ignore a known urgent issue.
Keep access understandable
Use individual accounts where practical and give staff roles that match their work. Record which people can edit products, manage orders or change site settings. When someone leaves the business, remove or revise their access through the agreed process.
Richcom’s maintenance arrangement requires approval for third-party administrator access. Confirm this during onboarding, together with access needed by hosting and payment providers. Do not include passwords in a general support message or public document. Share sensitive access only through the agreed secure method.
Know what support covers
Separate routine care from new development. A request to correct a broken form is different from building a new booking workflow. Agree how faults are reported, what information helps reproduce them and how additional work is quoted. Avoid assuming that maintenance includes every design change or integration.
The current Richcom offer is $100 USD per agreed month or date range, paid separately as a one-time payment; automatic renewal is not enabled. Review the current service page for scope. Confirm backup terms, response arrangements and recovery responsibilities before the care period begins.
A useful monthly review agenda
Set aside a short review with the person responsible for online orders or enquiries. Ask whether any customers reported failed payments, missing emails or confusing screens. Compare those reports with the maintenance record. A repeated complaint deserves investigation even when a general availability check passes.
Review a few recent changes: a new product type, delivery rule, form field or plugin configuration. Identify which customer paths those changes affect and repeat the relevant tests. It is more useful to check an altered checkout rule than to tick an unchanged list of unrelated pages.
Check that backups are still running under the agreed arrangement and that the authorised recovery contact remains available. Confirm which outstanding faults belong to routine care and which require a separately scoped change. Finish with an owner and next action for each issue.
A good support request is specific: “On this product page, choosing the blue option on a phone leaves the purchase button disabled.” Include the device and steps, with private details removed. Clear reports reduce back-and-forth and help the maintainer distinguish content problems from technical faults.
Keep a short maintenance record
Record the date, backup reference, changed components, tests performed and unresolved issues. Include the next review date and the person responsible. This makes it easier to distinguish an old issue from a new one and helps another authorised maintainer understand the site.
Review the plan when your business changes. A new payment method, a larger catalogue or a new booking system creates additional checks. Maintenance should follow how the website is used, rather than remaining a fixed list that no longer reflects customer journeys.
Frequently asked questions
Does maintenance guarantee a website will never fail?
No. A care plan reduces avoidable problems and establishes a recovery process; it cannot guarantee uninterrupted operation.
Is a backup plugin enough on its own?
You still need agreed scheduling, retention, access and recovery checks. Confirm what the selected service actually includes.
What should I include in a fault report?
Provide the page, device, approximate time, steps taken and a screenshot with private details removed. Explain what you expected and what happened.
Further reading: WordPress guidance on backing up your site.
Turn the plan into a practical next step.
Compare the current scope, requirements and delivery terms before choosing your package.