Hey Reader,
Just like you, your website needs regular care, no matter if it’s brand new, a few years old, or due for a total makeover.
It runs better when it’s looked after. And a little maintenance now can save you from bigger headaches later.
Think of it like the everyday self-care that we also should be doing: drinking water, brushing your teeth, checking in with yourself.
Here’s your website’s version of that quiet care, plus what to actually do:
🧼 Update your software​
→ Make sure WordPress, your theme, and your plugins are up to date. Outdated tools are a big reason sites break or slow down. And let's not even mention the fact that outdated plugins are a significant reason sites get hacked...
→ Bonus tip: Take a quick backup first with UpdraftPlus (even if your host already does this).
🚀 Keep things speedy​
→ A fast site isn’t just nicer for visitors — it helps with SEO and reduces bounce. Use a plugin like WP Meteor or PhastPress to boost performance by handling caching, lazy loading, and other under-the-hood improvements.
→ Bonus tip: Don’t overload your website with videos or too many animations. Clean and simple often loads best.
💧 Compress your images​
→ Large images slow everything down. Use a tool like BulkResize to resize the images before uploading them. If they are already on your website, use a plugin to shrink them without losing quality (this is ALWAYS option B!).
→ Bonus tip: Use Webp images because they still sharp but small.
→ Good rule of thumb: keep most images under 100–200kb.
🔍 Test your links + forms​
→ Click through your site like a visitor would. Are all links working? Are your contact forms still delivering to your inbox?
→ Don’t forget things like social buttons and newsletter sign-ups.
📱 Check how it looks on your phone​
→ Mobile glitches are sneaky. Menus might overlap, buttons might disappear, text might be tiny.
🧹 Declutter your backend​
→ Archive or delete what’s outdated, especially unused plugins or draft pages that aren’t going anywhere. Old stuff can confuse visitors and slow things down.
Nothing urgent. Nothing dramatic. Just quiet care.
If you’re looking after your site yourself, try blocking off 30 minutes every month or so to run through these. It makes a real difference and it helps your site keep working with you, not against you.
P.S. If I built your site (or even if I didn’t — depending on the setup), I offer website care services for WordPress. Just reply here if you'd like me to take a look, and I’ll let you know if it’s a good fit.
