WordPress and Joomla maintenance
PHP updates, CMS updates, backups that get tested. You will not notice any of it.
You probably know the problem
Your host announces that PHP 8.1 is being switched off. You do not know whether your site will still run afterwards. You also do not know which plugin depends on it, or what happens if you simply switch. So you put it off. Until the site shows a white page one morning.
That is what this contract is for. I keep an eye on your PHP and CMS versions, test updates on a copy first and install them once nothing breaks. Normally the only thing you see of it is the invoice.
Maintenancefor WordPress and Joomla
one person to talk to
- ✔️ PHP and CMS updates
- ✔️ backups that are actually tested
- ✔️ servers in Germany
- ✔️ Let's Encrypt SSL certificate
- ✔️ your own domain
- ✔️ 100% renewable energy
Hosting
10 GB SSD
- hosting for WordPress or Joomla
- setup included
- per month
- EUR 10,00 plus VAT
- without maintenance
- cancel anytime
Maintenance
20 GB SSD
- hosting included
- PHP updates, in good time and tested
- WordPress or Joomla updates
- updates for your extensions
- per month
- EUR 35,00 plus VAT
- cancel anytime
Maintenance Plus
20 GB SSD
- hosting included
- PHP updates, in good time and tested
- WordPress or Joomla updates
- updates for your extensions
- backups are restored and checked
- per month
- EUR 49,00 plus VAT
- cancel anytime
What maintenance covers
A maintenance contract is not a service contract for design changes. It keeps your site technically current and running. In practice:
- Keeping an eye on the PHP version. When your host announces the end of a version, I hear about it before you do. I check whether your CMS and your extensions cope with the new version, and switch once it is safe.
- CMS updates. WordPress and Joomla release security updates regularly. I install them, not you.
- Extensions and plugins. This is where most things break in practice. Which is why it is tested on a copy first.
- Backups that actually work. A backup that has never been restored is a guess. In the Maintenance Plus package it gets checked regularly.
Why testing first makes the difference
Most maintenance offers install updates automatically. That usually goes fine. When it does not, the site is down and somebody has to work out at night which of the 23 plugins was to blame.
I do it the other way round: install on a copy, look at whether checkout, forms and login still do what they should. Only then live. It takes longer, and it is the reason I am not the cheapest provider.
Who a maintenance contract is worth it for
Not for everyone. If you enjoy going into the admin area yourself, keep an eye on updates and know how to restore a backup, you do not need me for this.
It starts to make sense when one of these describes you:
- Your site brings in enquiries or revenue, and an outage costs you money.
- There is nobody in-house who feels responsible for it.
- The site was built years ago and hardly anyone has touched it since.
- You have done an update before and something was broken afterwards.
Joomla is not an afterthought here
Joomla was my first CMS and I grew up with it. I have looked after Joomla sites from 1.5 through 2.5 and 3.x to Joomla 4 and 5, built my own extensions for it and spoken at JoomlaDays several times.
That matters if you run a Joomla site: you are not landing with someone who really does WordPress and takes Joomla along out of necessity. Template overrides, the permission system, the upgrade paths between major versions — that is learned craft here and not research at your expense.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to the questions that come up most often about the maintenance contract.
I roll back to the previous state and look at what caused it. Because everything is tested on a copy first, that rarely happens. When it does, it is my time and not yours.
Hosting is part of the packages, so yes. I handle the move, and in almost every case your site stays online while it happens.
Security updates promptly, everything else in batches. Installing an update at three in the morning just because it was released does not make a site safer, only less stable.
Yes. It is your website. I only ask that you tell me when you install larger extensions, so I can account for them at the next update.
Yes, and on equal terms. Joomla was my first CMS. I have looked after sites from Joomla 1.5 through to Joomla 5 and written extensions for it. Template overrides, the permission system and the upgrade paths between major versions are learned craft here, not research at your expense.
New features, design changes, copy and search engine optimisation. I am happy to do all of that, but by the hour and not inside the maintenance contract.
No. The packages cover hosting and maintenance of your website, not mailboxes. If you need email, talk to me — I will look at what you need and quote for it separately.
Sites where someone has edited the code of WordPress, Joomla or an extension directly — core hacks and modified plugin or component files. Every update overwrites exactly those files, and afterwards the change is gone or the site is broken. That cannot be priced as a flat rate. What we can do is move those changes into an update-safe form first: a child theme, a template override or a small plugin of your own.
It depends on how many extensions are in use, how critical the site is to your business and whether anything has already been changed in the code. Describe your situation briefly and I will recommend a package — even if that turns out to be the smallest one.
On working days, promptly after the update is released. Critical holes that are being actively exploited take priority, and I get in touch if something beyond a normal update is needed.
Not sure whether your site is still on a current PHP version?
Send me your domain. I will look up which PHP and CMS version is running there and tell you whether anything needs doing. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Send your domainWhich package is enough for your site?
It depends on how many extensions are in use, how critical the site is to your business and whether the code has already been modified. Describe your situation briefly and I will recommend a package — even if that turns out to be the smallest one.
Get a recommendation