5 Signs Your WordPress Website Needs Maintenance (Before It Crashes)

Let’s be honest—your website isn’t just a digital business card anymore. It’s your storefront, your sales pitch, and your first impression all rolled into one. But like anything valuable, it needs regular check-ups. If you’re running a WordPress site, ignoring maintenance is a bit like skipping oil changes for your car—sooner or later, it’s going to break down.

Here are five telltale signs your WordPress website is quietly crying out for help—and what to do before it crashes and takes your business with it.

1. It’s Slower Than Usual

If your pages are taking ages to load, your visitors aren’t sticking around. A slow site is often a sign of outdated plugins, bloated files, or poor hosting. Google also ranks slow websites lower, which means less visibility for your business. Quick fix: Clear your cache, compress images, and check if your theme or plugins need updating. If it still lags, it might be time to review your hosting plan.

2. You Haven’t Updated Anything in Months

Outdated themes and plugins are one of the top reasons websites get hacked. Developers release updates to patch security holes, improve performance, or ensure compatibility with the latest version of WordPress. Pro tip: Set a reminder to check for updates monthly. Or better yet, set up automatic updates for trusted plugins and themes.

3. You’re Getting Weird Error Messages or Broken Pages

404 errors, broken contact forms, or pages that suddenly look “off” aren’t just annoying—they’re a red flag. These issues can be caused by plugin conflicts, outdated code, or even malware. What to do: Run a site scan and audit. A tool like Wordfence or Sucuri can help you catch security issues, while a developer can spot deeper problems under the hood.

4. Your Backup Strategy is… Nonexistent

If you’re not regularly backing up your site, you’re one click away from disaster. Hacked? Server crash? One wrong move in an update? Without a backup, your hard work could vanish. Safety net: Use plugins like UpdraftPlus or BlogVault to automate backups. Store copies in the cloud (like Google Drive or Dropbox) and test that you can restore them if needed.

5. It Just Feels Outdated, cringey, and your customers have mentioned its hard to use

Maybe your site still looks the same as it did three years ago. Fonts are off, layout feels clunky on mobile, and you’re embarrassed to share your link. Even if it “works”, it may not be working for you.

An old website, with something as simple as last year’s date listed on the page can be enough to turn away potential customers. So if you’re getting good clicks, but you’re not converting visitors, or have a high bounce rate… chances are something’s off. Fixing this could convert the traffic you’re already getting, no extra advertising required!

Freshen it up: A mini makeover or performance review can go a long way. Optimise for mobile, update your branding, and check if your content still reflects your business goals.

Don’t Wait for a Meltdown!

Website maintenance might not be flashy, but it’s the behind-the-scenes hero that keeps your business visible, secure, and running smoothly.

If any of these signs sound familiar, it’s time for a little TLC. Whether you DIY with a maintenance checklist or call in a pro to manage it for you, staying on top of updates and performance is one of the smartest things you can do for your business.

Need help with WordPress maintenance?

Let’s make sure your website stays fresh, fast, and secure—so you can focus on what you do best.

Our maintenance plans are specifically designed for small business owners to remove a couple of the hats you need to wear keeping your business afloat.

Never worry about forgetting domain renewals, losing your hosting account or email passwords, and have ultimate peace of mind that your website is getting looked after.

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Kirsty

As a mum of twins and a small business owner myself, I understand the struggle of balancing all the competing priorities you have. I am passionate about helping my clients automate processes, reduce admin costs & save time, while also building online revenue streams to reduce the stress of getting consistent work/customers. I have been working with small and local businesses for 15+ years, creating unique custom websites, integrated online systems and marketing strategy that is on brand, on time and on budget.

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About Thorn Creative

We’re based in Rockingham WA and provide website design, development and marketing to small Aussie businesses. From basic websites to advanced web apps and the marketing strategy to help it grow, we’ve got it covered.