WordPress maintenance ranges from $0/month DIY to $2,000+/month for premium agency plans. The right number depends on what your site does for your business and how much your time is worth.
The True Cost of DIY Maintenance
Maintaining WordPress yourself is technically "free," but business owners typically spend 2–4 hours monthly on updates, security, and troubleshooting. At $75/hour, that's $150–$300/month in opportunity cost before accounting for emergencies. A single hack or major update failure can cost far more than a year of professional care.
Professional Plan Tiers
Budget ($50–$150/mo): Mostly automated with minimal human oversight. Fine for static informational sites. Mid-range ($300–$800/mo): Real humans, staging environments, tested updates, genuine response SLAs. The sweet spot for most small businesses. Premium ($800–$2,000+/mo): Dedicated account managers, multiple developer hours, same-day emergency response.
The Cost of NOT Maintaining
Average cost to clean a hacked WordPress site: $427. Add lost revenue during downtime, damaged Google rankings from blacklisting, and the reputational cost of customers seeing a compromised site. Most businesses wish they'd paid $500/month for prevention rather than $3,000 for recovery.
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