WordPress maintenance contract explained: services, costs & fair models

Many people think that a website is finished after the launch. The truth is different: Without regular WordPress maintenance, the risk of security vulnerabilities, downtime and loss of revenue increases dramatically. In the first half of 2025 alone, 6,700 new security vulnerabilities were reported in WordPress plugins, themes and core. A professional WordPress maintenance contract protects your website from these risks.

In this article, you will find out which services are included, how agencies calculate fair prices and why maintenance contracts are a win-win solution for both sides.

Why WordPress maintenance contracts are indispensable

A WordPress website is never “finished”. Without regular maintenance, security vulnerabilities arise, loading times deteriorate and downtime costs revenue. A professional WordPress maintenance contract ensures security, performance and stable customer satisfaction.

Security, performance and satisfaction – benefits for customers

• Minimise security risks: Regular updates of the WordPress core, plugins and themes close security gaps and protect against attacks.
• Reliable performance: A slow WordPress website looks untrustworthy and harms your Google ranking. 47% of users expect a page to load in under two seconds; 79% of buyers would not return if performance was poor. Continuous performance checks and performance optimisation prevent loading times from increasing.
• Predictable costs: Instead of expensive emergency call-outs, there are clear monthly maintenance costs. This keeps the payment budget transparent.
• Reliable availability: Downtime can be costly. Maintenance contracts ensure that your site stays online with monitoring, automatic backups and fast recovery.
• Customer satisfaction: If the website is offline, visitors are frustrated and switch to the competition. A stable operation leads to trust and retains customers in the long term.

Advantages for agencies: Recurring income and predictable resources

A WordPress maintenance contract offers agencies the opportunity to strategically expand projects and make their business processes more sustainable. These are the advantages:

• Recurring monthly income: Maintenance contracts turn one-off projects into regular income. They stabilise cash flow and allow long-term planning.
• Plannable workload: Maintenance work can be standardised and automated with tools. This allows the team to plan capacities better and avoid emergency overtime.
• Long-term customer loyalty: Customers who receive trustworthy support remain loyal to the agency and are more likely to order follow-up services. Maintenance contracts therefore create a lasting relationship.
• Position yourself as a professional: By offering a WordPress maintenance contract, you position yourself as a reliable professional for your customers. This strengthens the brand.

Typical services in a WordPress maintenance contract

A WordPress maintenance contract clearly defines the services you receive. The following services should be included, depending on the website type and budget:

• Core and plugin updates: Regular, carefully tested updates for WordPress core, plugins and themes close security gaps and prevent compatibility problems. More plugins increase the testing effort and therefore the costs.
• Automatic backups and restore: Daily automatic backups protect against data loss and are stored separately from the live system. Backups reduce downtimes and protect you from expensive emergencies.
• Monitoring and security checks: Automated malware scans, login protection, web application firewall (WAF) and uptime monitoring detect attacks and failures at an early stage. Many security gaps can be exploited from outside without authentication. Monitoring is therefore indispensable.
• Staging and test environment: Changes and updates are first tested in a secure test environment. Shops in particular benefit from functional and checkout tests.
• Performance optimisation and SEO checks (optional): Regular performance analyses and optimisations keep Core Web Vitals in the green zone. SEO checks and minor content updates can also be included as an option.
• Technical support and SLA: A good contract defines response times (service level agreements) and support channels (email, chat, telephone). Tighter SLAs and higher support volumes increase maintenance costs.
• Reporting: Monthly reports document updates carried out, security events and recommendations. Transparency creates trust.

Common pricing models for WordPress maintenance

Model	Description of the	Advantages for customers	Disadvantages/opportunities for agencies
Hourly based	Billing according to actual expenditure.	Transparent billing; you only pay for services rendered.	Unpredictable income; difficult to plan; customers are unsure whether hours are justified.
Flat rate	Fixed monthly flat rate for defined services.	Predictable costs; no surprises.	Agencies bear the risk if the costs are higher than expected.
Staggered packages	Basic/Standard/Premium with different scopes of services.	You can choose the scope of services according to your needs (e.g. Basic with updates & backups; Premium with performance optimisation and SEO).	Agencies must clearly delineate packages so as not to deliver too much.
Hybrid models	Combination of flat rate for standard services plus hourly rate for extras.	Flexible; standard maintenance can be planned, additional costs remain transparent.	Requires clear definition of what is considered an addition.

Fair calculation: How agencies find the right WordPress maintenance contract price

A well-structured WordPress maintenance contract template helps agencies to make the calculation, scope of services and price structure transparent. This means that every site knows exactly which services are included in the maintenance package.

1. Size and complexity: The number of pages, templates and individual functions determine the effort required.
2. Number and type of plugins: Plugins are the most common cost driver. Few, lean plugins mean fewer compatibility tests, while page builders, multilingual solutions or WooCommerce cause additional effort.
3. Usage: Is it a blog, a company website or an online shop with WooCommerce? Shops require additional checkout tests and security monitoring. Membership sites require access and role management.
4. Risk profile: How critical are outages? Shops lose sales directly when they are offline. The risk is lower for blogs. The higher the risk, the more security and monitoring services are required.
5. Internal resources: Do you take on some of the maintenance yourself (e.g. content) or do you expect comprehensive support? This influences the price.

Internal factors of the agency

• Hourly rates and personnel costs: Calculate realistic hourly rates for updates, tests and support. Consider holiday and sickness cover.
• Tool and hosting costs: Automated backups, security tools, licence and hosting costs must be factored in. Tools such as WP-Monitor or Patchstack incur ongoing fees.
• Buffer for emergencies: Plan a buffer for unforeseen security updates or support cases. A quick response is crucial in such cases.
• Risk protection: With flat-rate prices, you bear the risk if the costs are higher. A hybrid model with an hourly quota can help here.

WordPress maintenance contract prices: Calculation example

To realistically determine the WordPress maintenance contract costs, multiply the estimated effort by your hourly rate and add tool costs, licences and a buffer. Example:

1. Small company website: On average, around 3 working hours per quarter are required for updates, tests, minor bug fixes and reporting. At an hourly rate of €80, this equates to €240 per quarter. Divided by three months, this results in a fair flat rate of around €80 per month.
2. Medium-sized shop: Shops require more support, around 6-8 working hours per quarter for regular updates, security checks, backups and performance monitoring. This corresponds to 480 to 640 € per quarter. A sensible monthly flat rate is therefore €160 to €220 per month.
3. Complex platform: This involves around 15-20 working hours per quarter for additional tests, security audits, customised developments and bug fixes. This adds up to €1,200-1,600 per quarter. A maintenance fee of €400 or more per month is therefore realistic.

Advantages of maintenance contracts: A win-win situation

Advantages for customers

• Security and stability: Regular security updates, malware scans and backups keep the WordPress website secure.
• Predictable costs: Instead of expensive individual assignments, you receive a predictable maintenance package. This creates budget security.
• Continuous performance: Automated performance checks and performance optimisation keep loading times low. Every second of delay can reduce the conversion rate by 7-20 %. A well-maintained system prevents such losses.

Advantages for the agency

• Secure income: Monthly maintenance contracts generate continuous revenue and help with capacity planning.
• Customer loyalty: Through proactive action and transparent communication, you build trust and increase customer satisfaction.

Best practices for transparency and customer trust

1. Clear contract definition: Define exactly which services are included in the WordPress maintenance contract (updates, backups, monitoring, support) and what is not. A clear delineation prevents misunderstandings.
2. Service Level Agreement (SLA): Put response times and availability guarantees in writing. Tighter SLAs increase costs but create reliability.
3. Regular reports: Send monthly or quarterly reports showing what maintenance work has been carried out and where action is required.
4. Flexibility: Offer package upgrades or additional services when demand increases. A hybrid model makes it possible to charge for special tasks by the hour.
5. Transparent price calculation: Explain to your customers how the price is made up (time, tool costs, buffer). Use comparison matrices to evaluate different providers based on scope of services, quality and SLA.
6. Clear cancellation process: Document the term, notice period and offboarding so that both sides know how to get out of the contract.
7. Data protection and compliance: Ensure that the contract includes GDPR-compliant backups and an order processing contract.

How Raidboxes supports agencies

As a WordPress hosting provider from Germany, we specifically target agencies, freelancers and companies that value simplicity, performance and security. Although the host does not play the main role in the maintenance contract, it is a crucial basis for effective maintenance. Here are some examples of how we (Raidboxes) make your work easier:

• Automatic updates and backups: WordPress core, plugins and themes are kept up to date with automatic updates. We also create daily automatic backups that are stored separately from the live system and can be restored with just a few clicks.
• Maximum availability: Our infrastructure offers stable 99.99% uptime. So agencies and customers don’t have to worry about downtime.
• Advanced security: Login protection, IP blocking and DDoS protection are integrated. Two-factor authentication (2FA) and isolated box systems protect against attacks. SSL certificates are free of charge and are provided automatically.
• German data protection: All data is stored in Germany. The data centres are ISO-certified and GDPR-compliant. Customers can easily conclude contracts for order processing.
• Fast support: WordPress experts are available daily from 08:00 to 22:00. The average response time is five minutes. This helps agencies with urgent questions.
• Partner programme: Agencies can benefit from commissions of up to €4,500, receive up to 60% discount on their own hosting tariffs and use up to 240 days of development time free of charge. This makes it easier to test your own projects and offer customers favourable conditions.

These features eliminate much of the basic technical work so that agencies can concentrate on strategy, performance optimisation and support.

Conclusion: Why a WordPress maintenance contract pays off in the long term

A WordPress maintenance contract is not a luxury, but a necessary investment. The number of reported security vulnerabilities is constantly increasing, and plugins remain the biggest weak point. At the same time, users expect fast loading times and high availability. Maintenance contracts close this gap: They combine security updates, backups, performance optimisation, monitoring and transparent support into a clearly defined all-round carefree package.

For customers, maintenance contracts mean security, stability and predictable costs. For agencies, they mean regular income, customer loyalty and more efficient work processes. Fair packages are based on a well-founded analysis of the website, realistic costing and transparent communication.

Our tip: Check your maintenance model now and use modern tools such as Raidboxes to implement fair contracts profitably. Whether you run an agency or manage your own website, well thought-out and regular maintenance is the foundation for lasting visibility, security and success.

Frequently asked questions about the WordPress maintenance contract

Why is a WordPress maintenance contract important?

A professional WordPress maintenance contract ensures that your WordPress website remains up-to-date, secure and efficient at all times. Regular updates, backups and a reliable update service protect your website from hacker attacks and technical problems.

What does a WordPress maintenance contract cost on average?

The WordPress maintenance contract costs vary depending on the scope and size of the website. For small company websites, they are usually between 80 and 150 euros per month, while online shops or complex platforms can cost 250 euros or more.

What services are included in a WordPress maintenance contract?

A maintenance contract usually includes regular updates for plugins, themes and the core, automatic backups, security checks, technical support in the event of problems and, if desired, performance optimisation or SEO checks.

Is a maintenance contract also worthwhile for small websites?

Yes, because even small websites are part of the same content management system and are susceptible to security vulnerabilities. A maintenance contract offers protection, saves time in the long term and ensures stable visibility in search engines.

Is there a template for a WordPress maintenance contract?

Yes, a WordPress maintenance contract template can help you get started. However, it should be customised to your own website, as the scope, updating, support and payment depend heavily on the respective company and content management system.