01Establish what is being maintained
Start with an inventory of the website, hosting, domain, licences and connected services. Confirm who can authorise changes and who holds the necessary access. A maintenance plan should distinguish website software, editorial changes, hosting support and external systems such as payment or booking providers.
Review the current state before accepting responsibility. Unsupported software, missing source files or a broken backup process may need separate remediation. Document those starting conditions so the business and support team have the same expectations.
02Update with a recovery plan
Software updates should be assessed and tested according to the site’s risk and complexity. Take an appropriate backup and know how to restore it before changes that could affect important workflows. Check the website after an update, including login, forms and checkout where relevant.
A backup job completing is different from a restore working. Agree which data is protected, how long copies are available and when a restoration exercise is performed. A store receiving orders needs different recovery planning from a largely static brochure site.
03Check the journeys that matter
Useful maintenance checks include expired certificates, failed forms, broken links, unexpected page changes and recurring errors. Monitoring is a way to notice problems; it is not a guarantee that every issue will be prevented. Content owners should also review contact details, prices, policies and expired promotions.
Report what was changed, which checks were performed and what still needs a decision. Avoid a long list of technical events without explaining the impact on the business.
