A WordPress maintenance plan keeps your site updated, backed up, and secure, and every WordPress site needs one. A care plan includes all of that maintenance, plus a team that handles your website changes: a new blog post, a new hire on the team page, updated hours, or a fresh menu. Maintenance keeps your site safe. A care plan also keeps it current.
Why the terms get confusing
You’ll see “maintenance plan,” “care plan,” and “support plan” used almost interchangeably, and some plans called “care” are really just maintenance with a friendlier name. So when you compare providers, look past the plan name. The question that matters is simple: when you need something changed on your website, who does it, and how is it paid for?
Maintenance: what every WordPress site needs
WordPress, your theme, and your plugins all get regular updates, and many of them are security fixes. A site that skips them becomes an easy target for the automated bots that scan the web for known weaknesses. That’s why maintenance isn’t an optional extra. It’s the baseline for any WordPress site.
A good maintenance plan covers:
- Updates to WordPress, plugins, and themes, with checks afterward to catch anything that breaks
- Daily backups stored off your server
- Security and uptime monitoring
- Malware cleanup if something gets through
- Help when something breaks
- A monthly report on what was done
Maintenance on its own can be enough for a site that rarely changes, or when someone on your team is comfortable making content edits. Either way, it isn’t the budget alternative to a care plan. It’s built into one.
What a care plan adds
A care plan includes everything above, plus a team you can send your website changes to, with a set amount of time each month to handle them. Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- “Here’s this month’s blog post.” You send it, and we format and publish it.
- “We hired two new people.” You send their bios and headshots, and they’re on the team page.
- “We’re changing our brunch hours starting Sunday.”
- “Can you swap in the new fall dinner menu?”
Our rule is simple: if it’s clear, achievable, and you can give us access, we’ll handle it. That also covers small tasks around your website, like updating your Google Business Profile or scheduling a newsletter.
Side by side
| What’s included | Maintenance plan | Care plan |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress, plugin, and theme updates | ✓ | ✓ |
| Daily backups | ✓ | ✓ |
| Security and uptime monitoring | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fixes when something breaks | ✓ | ✓ |
| Content changes, like posts, hours, and menus | Billed per request | Included each month |
| New pages and small additions | Billed per request | Included each month |
| Help around your website, like Google Business Profile | Billed per request | Included each month |
| Who makes your changes | You, your staff, or paid per request | A team you email |
Which one do you need?
A few questions make it clear:
- How often does something on your site need to change?
- Who makes those changes today, and how long do they take?
- What problems have you run into trying to handle it in-house?
- When was your site last updated by someone who knew what they were doing?
If your site rarely changes and someone on your team handles edits without trouble, maintenance on its own may be all you need. If changes pile up, wait on someone’s free time, or turn into a headache every time, a care plan is the easier choice.
The real difference: paying monthly or paying per request
Either way, your site is taken care of. What changes is how your requests are handled and paid for.
With maintenance only, each change is billed as it happens. With us, that’s $85/hour in 15-minute increments. With Website Care, 2 hours a month of changes are included for $100 more than Website Maintenance.
Don’t try to predict your exact hours. Most people have no idea how long a website change takes until someone does it, and you don’t need to use every minute for a care plan to make sense. The real value is that you never wait on an estimate, never wonder whether a small change is worth paying for, and never chase anyone to get it done. You just send it.
What to look for in any care plan
- Real time, clearly stated. Know how much time is included and what happens if you need more. Be wary of “unlimited” promises.
- Turnaround. How long do requests usually take?
- No long contracts. You should be able to change plans or leave.
- Help beyond the dashboard. Will they help with the tools around your website, or only inside WordPress?
- Maintenance included. A care plan without updates, backups, and security is missing the part that matters most.
Why most of our clients choose Website Care
Website Care covers everything most small businesses need from their website in one flat monthly fee: the maintenance that keeps it safe and a team that keeps it current. There’s no waiting days or weeks for an estimate, and no wondering when the work will get done. Most requests are finished within one business day.
Website Care · $199/month
Full maintenance plus a team that handles your requests. Month-to-month, no contracts.
See What Website Care Includes → Compare Plans and Pricing →
FAQ
Is a care plan worth it for a small website?
If your website changes during the year, usually yes. Even a small site needs new hours, new photos, or a new post now and then, and a care plan means those changes get done without estimates or waiting.
What’s not included in a care plan?
High-level marketing strategy, graphic design, and copywriting. Bigger projects, like a redesign or new features, are quoted separately. If a request turns out to be larger than expected, we’ll tell you before we start.
Can I switch from maintenance to a care plan later?
Of course. If your needs change, we’ll move you to the plan that fits.
If I choose a care plan, do I still get maintenance?
Yes. Website Care includes everything in Website Maintenance.
Do care plans work for Shopify, Wix, or Squarespace sites?
Yes. Those platforms handle their own updates and hosting, so maintenance plans are WordPress-only, but Website Care works on all three. Website Care for Shopify, Squarespace, and Wix →
