A website maintenance checklist should help you answer a practical question: can a customer understand your services and contact you without something getting in the way? A page that loads is a starting point. Your phone link, inquiry form, business information and recovery plan also need attention.
Use the checks below on a site you own or are authorized to manage. The timing is a suggested starting routine, not a promise of continuous monitoring or the contents of every care plan. A booking system, shop or frequently changing site may need a different schedule.
Start with the customer’s next step
Pick the action that matters most: calling, sending an inquiry or opening your existing booking tool. Follow that path on a phone before reviewing decorative details. If it fails, record the affected page and what happened, then contact the person responsible for the site.
Coordinate form tests with the receiving team. Use clearly labeled synthetic details and a unique test reference—not a real customer’s information. Do not create a real appointment, order or charge unless an authorized test procedure explicitly allows it.
A practical website maintenance checklist
On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways to read every column.
| Check | How to check it | A useful result | Suggested timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Important pages and links | Open the homepage and key service pages. Follow the menu and the main customer button. | The intended pages open without errors, missing images or an incorrect destination. | Monthly, and after a release; more often for a critical site. |
| Phone and email links | On a phone, tap the contact links and inspect the number or address before calling or sending. | The link opens the correct app with the correct business contact. | Monthly and after contact details change. |
| Inquiry form delivery | With permission, submit one labeled test. Check the receipt or stored record if available, then ask the intended recipient to confirm arrival. | The request is captured, the alert arrives and someone owns the follow-up. A success screen alone is insufficient. | At the agreed cadence and after a form, sender or recipient change. |
| Booking or payment links | Open the approved destination and inspect the initial screen. Use the provider’s authorized test process for deeper checks. | The correct business and service appear. No accidental booking or charge is created. | At the agreed cadence and after integration changes. |
| Business information | Read service descriptions, contact details, hours and any displayed prices against your current business facts. | Customers are not relying on outdated or misleading information. | Monthly and whenever those facts change. |
| Mobile use | Read a service page on a phone. Try navigation and the next-step button; look for clipped text, overlapping controls or unexpected movement. | The page is readable and the intended action is usable. This is a usability check, not a lab performance score. | Monthly and after layout changes. |
| Domain, certificate and accounts | The authorized owner checks renewal details and browser security warnings, and confirms who can recover the hosting account. | There is a named owner, a known renewal date and a route to resolve access or security warnings. | Monthly and before a known renewal deadline. |
| Backup or export readiness | Identify the latest usable copy and what it contains. Arrange a restore rehearsal in an approved non-live environment where appropriate. | Someone knows how to recover the site. A backup-file listing alone does not prove restoration works. | Review monthly, before material changes and at an agreed rehearsal cadence. |
| Supported software and integrations | For a CMS or plugin-based site, review relevant updates and compatibility with the maintainer. Identify the safe update and rollback process. | Changes have an owner, an appropriate recovery copy and a post-change check. | Follow relevant security notices and the agreed update schedule; do not wait for a monthly review of an urgent issue. |
Adjust the routine to the website
A static brochure site has fewer moving parts, but still needs correct information, working links, account ownership and a recoverable copy of its code and assets. Static does not mean no maintenance.
A site with an inquiry form adds a separate path: the submission, its capture, the notification service, the receiving inbox and the person who responds. Receiving an alert is not the same as replying to a prospect. Define both responsibilities.
A CMS, shop or connected booking system adds software and outside services to review. One page can need more care than a larger static site. For WordPress, the official guidance recommends a backup before updating. Its backup guidance distinguishes the database from site files; both matter to recovery. Updating WordPress, WordPress backups.
Do not make live software, mail, DNS or payment changes simply because a check failed. Follow the agreed authorization and rollback process or ask the responsible maintainer to investigate.
Keep a short record of what happened
Record the page or system, test date, person checking, result, evidence and next owner. Useful results include passed, failed, blocked and deferred—not just a green mark. If you cannot see the receiving inbox, mark delivery unconfirmed rather than assuming it worked.
Illustrative example, not a customer result: a labeled inquiry gets a success screen, but the owner finds no alert. Record the reference and receiving address, check any authorized storage and notification evidence, and assign a follow-up. Do not declare the form healthy or repeatedly resubmit tests while the first result remains unclear.
Keep customer submissions, passwords, recovery codes and private screenshots out of a shared checklist. Use named, revocable account invitations where supported instead of circulating shared credentials.
Know when to ask for help
Ask for help promptly when customers cannot contact you, a critical destination is wrong, the site shows a security warning or you cannot recover an important account. The response time depends on your support agreement; a monthly review is not a staffed emergency service.
If checks are becoming difficult to own, ask for a care proposal that names the pages, test frequency, included edits, authorized changes, failure responder and recovery responsibilities. A check can identify a problem without including its repair in the price.
See how PleasantWorks scopes website management. For the difference between keeping a site working and improving discovery, read website maintenance versus SEO.