WordPress maintenance is the ongoing care of your WordPress site (updates, backups, security and performance checks), and it is only part of hosting when your plan is a managed WordPress hosting plan that clearly includes those tasks.
Think of hosting as the “home” for your website, it supplies server space, a database, and the system that delivers your pages to visitors. Maintenance is the “upkeep” of WordPress itself, the core software plus your theme and plugins, so the site stays secure, stable, and fast.
| Item | What it covers | What it usually does not cover |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Server resources, database, SSL availability, basic uptime | Plugin/theme updates, fixing errors after updates, malware cleanup, testing forms |
| WordPress maintenance | Core, plugin, and theme updates, backups, security monitoring, performance checks | New pages, redesigns, copywriting, SEO work, feature development |
| Managed WordPress hosting | Hosting plus some maintenance tasks (varies by provider) | Often excludes custom fixes, plugin conflicts, content edits, and marketing changes |
Here’s what maintenance usually includes for a small business site in Orlando: updating WordPress core (security and “minor” releases often auto-apply, but major changes still need attention), updating plugins and themes, checking that forms, booking tools, and phone click-to-call still work, running backups and verifying restores, monitoring uptime, scanning for malware, and cleaning up basic performance issues (database bloat, spam, broken links, caching misconfigurations).
So, is it part of hosting? Sometimes. Many low-cost hosting plans only keep the server running, you (or your developer) still handle WordPress updates and troubleshooting. Many managed plans handle routine updates and backups, but you should still confirm what happens when an update breaks something or a plugin vulnerability hits.
If you’re comparing plans, ask these practical questions before you buy: Do you update plugins and themes, or only WordPress core? How often are backups taken, and how fast can you restore? Is malware cleanup included, or is it an add-on? Do you provide a staging site for safe testing? Is support WordPress-trained, or general hosting support?
If you want hosting that includes the upkeep most local businesses need, our WordPress hosting service is built around the reality that sites need ongoing care, not just a server that stays on.
If you want a quick refresher on what WordPress is and why businesses use it in the first place, see our FAQ on what WordPress is and why businesses use it.
