Key facts
- WordPress core, plugins and themes release updates frequently, and outdated plugins are a leading cause of hacked sites
- DIY is free in money but needs regular time, a staging site and tested backups
- Managed care includes updates applied and checked, daily backups, uptime and security monitoring
- Managed WordPress hosting and a WordPress care plan are different things
- dijitul Essential £25 a month + VAT; Business £50 a month + VAT with an hour of fixes
- One-off fixes after a DIY update goes wrong are £45 an hour + VAT
The short answer
If you are comfortable with WordPress, have a staging copy of your site, update at least weekly, check the site afterwards and keep backups somewhere other than your hosting account, DIY maintenance is a perfectly reasonable choice. Many site owners do it well.
If updates get put off for weeks, you are not sure where your backups are, or a broken site would cost you sales or enquiries, managed maintenance is usually worth it. The cost of one bad update or one hack is often more than a year of care.
A useful test: when did you last restore your site from a backup to check it works? If the answer is never, that is the first thing to fix, whichever route you choose.
Side-by-side comparison
| Factor | DIY maintenance | Managed maintenance |
|---|---|---|
| Money | Free, apart from any premium tools | dijitul from £25 a month + VAT |
| Your time | Regular, every week | Minimal |
| Updates | You apply and test them | Applied and checked for you |
| Backups | You set up, store and test | Daily backups included |
| Uptime monitoring | Only if you set it up | Included |
| Security monitoring | Only if you set it up | Included |
| When an update breaks the site | You fix it or pay someone | Handled within the service |
| PHP and server changes | You track host deadlines | Flagged and planned for you |
| Best for | Confident users with simple sites | Businesses that rely on the site |
What DIY maintenance really involves
Doing it properly is more than clicking Update All. A sensible routine looks like this:
- Take a full backup of files and database, stored off the server.
- Apply updates on a staging copy first, especially for WooCommerce and page builders.
- Check key pages, forms and checkout after updating.
- Apply the same updates to the live site and check again.
- Review security plugin alerts and failed login attempts.
- Watch for PHP version end-of-life notices from your host.
If that sounds manageable every week, DIY can work. If it sounds like something you will skip when busy, that is the gap a care plan fills.
Where DIY usually goes wrong
The problems we fix most often after DIY maintenance are plugin conflicts that cause a critical error or white screen, a PHP upgrade by the host that breaks an old theme, WooCommerce updates that change templates, and backups that turn out to be stored on the same server that failed. Abandoned plugins, no longer updated by their authors, are another common risk because vulnerabilities in them are never patched.
None of this means DIY is wrong. It means a plan for when things go wrong matters. See plugin update support, PHP version upgrades and hacked website repair.
Page builders deserve a special mention, because a major Elementor or Divi update can change layouts across the whole site at once.
Managed hosting is not the same as a care plan
Some hosts sell managed WordPress hosting. That usually means fast servers, automatic core updates and server-level backups. It rarely means someone checks your plugins, tests your forms or fixes a theme conflict. A care plan looks after the site itself, whoever hosts it.
Many sites benefit from both: good hosting underneath and a care plan on top. If you need hosting, our sister company dijitul DNS provides it, but our care plans work with any reputable host.
dijitul WordPress care plans
Essential at £25 a month + VAT covers WordPress core, plugin and theme updates applied and checked, daily backups, uptime monitoring and security monitoring. Business at £50 a month + VAT adds an hour of fixes or changes each month and priority support. Complete at £99 a month + VAT adds 3 hours a month and IT and Microsoft 365 helpdesk support.
Prefer to stay DIY? Use us when you need us at £45 an hour + VAT. See WordPress support and pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to maintain my own WordPress site?
Yes, if you update regularly, test on a staging copy, check the site afterwards and keep off-site backups. Most problems come from skipped updates or untested ones. dijitul can step in at £45 an hour + VAT if an update goes wrong.
How much does WordPress maintenance cost?
dijitul's Essential plan is £25 a month + VAT for updates applied and checked, daily backups, uptime and security monitoring. Business at £50 a month + VAT adds an hour of fixes and priority support each month.
Is managed WordPress hosting the same as a maintenance plan?
No. Managed hosting looks after the server and often core updates and server backups. A maintenance plan looks after the site itself: plugins, themes, forms, conflicts and fixes. Many sites benefit from both.
How often should WordPress be updated?
Check for updates at least weekly and apply security releases promptly. Test major plugin, theme and WooCommerce updates on a staging copy first. dijitul's care plans handle this for you from £25 a month + VAT.
My DIY update broke the site. Can you fix it?
Usually, yes. dijitul diagnoses critical errors, white screens and plugin conflicts, restores from backup if needed and gets the site working again. One-off fixes are £45 an hour + VAT with a 30-minute minimum.
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