We got many questions on a regular basis about what the added value is for a maintenance contract for WordPress sites. Updates are easy right! Here we explain what the difference is between updates and maintenance.

The general assumption is that WordPress sites are very simple, cheap, and being developed in mass production. Of course, this is partly. That is also one of the main reasons that WordPress is the most used CMS in the world. But there’s a problem when you are not part of the masses. At Sunbytes we only create custom WordPress websites where we limit the use of additional plugins, websites that reflects the need of our customer. For example, think of the complexity of the structure and the functionalities of a custom theme. Every site we delivered is unique. Most of the hundreds of sites we’ve created are still online today. The reason why this is possible, frequent maintenance by experts.

WordPress keeps a user updated on every possible WordPress or plugin update due to its very simple interface. Therefore the basic thought of the common user is that maintenance is just clicking the update button once every two months and you’re done. Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy as it sounds. We offer our clients a Sunbytes Maintenance Agreement and frequently we receive the question ” What does this actually mean? ” Below I will explain what maintenance means for Sunbytes.

Updates versus Maintenance

Updates
This actually means that you will click on the update button and see what happens with the site. We only do this with the plugins and the core of WordPress. The theme itself cannot be updated via a simple button, as we custom build all themes.

Maintenance
We take the responsibility for the WordPress website by doing the following:

  • Up-time monitoring
  • Basic malware scan
  • Monitoring the website for possible vulnerabilities
  • Keeping the website up to date via updates and tests on the staging when it is needed
  • Checking and testing the functionalities after updating
  • Theme upgrades to keep the website safe and secure with the latest developments
  • Solving small issues that arise from/or during the update(s)

Next to the above, maintenance also means giving our clients total peace of mind regarding issues that might arise in a longer-term. Whenever there’s an issue that isn’t covered by the Sunbytes Maintenance Agreement, we clearly communicate this beforehand.

The added value for our customers is that we unburden them and of course that their websites are being updated by our specialized team that daily works with WordPress.

Sunbytes doesn’t go by luck but through a thorough process.

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