What WordPress maintenance involves: updates, plugin and theme checks, and backups
Looking after a client's WordPress site means three recurring jobs, all from WordPress's own documentation: keep WordPress up to date, check that the plugins and theme still work with each new version, and back up the site regularly, "always before an upgrade". Minor and security updates can run by themselves; the rest is someone's time.
For you, that time is either hours you charge for or hours you give away. On iNterGine there are no plugins and no software for you to update, so a care plan is about the client's own changes.
Whose hours does maintenance take?
A client who pays a monthly care fee expects the site to keep working. On WordPress, part of that fee pays for upkeep the client never sees: updates, compatibility checks and backups. The rest pays for what they do see: new photos, prices, hours and pages.
Knowing which part is which helps you price honestly: see how much to charge for a small business website.
The three recurring jobs on a WordPress site
1. Updates. "You should always update WordPress to the latest version" (Updating WordPress). And for security: "Older versions of WordPress are not maintained with security updates" (Hardening WordPress).
2. Plugin and theme checks. "Before updating WordPress, check that your plugins and themes are compatible with the version you’re installing" (Updating WordPress). The same page adds: "Visit your website afterward to make sure everything is working as expected."
3. Backups. "Back up your WordPress database regularly, and always before an upgrade or a move to a new location" (WordPress Backups).
| Job | On a WordPress site | On iNterGine |
|---|---|---|
| Minor and security updates | applied automatically on most sites (WordPress 3.7 and later) | no software for you to update |
| Major updates | someone clicks Update, then checks the site | no software for you to update |
| Plugin and theme compatibility | checked before each update | no plugins; features are part of the platform |
Each WordPress line is quoted from WordPress.org, with the date read under Method and sources.
What a care plan covers on iNterGine
On iNterGine a care plan is the client's own changes: new photos, specials, opening hours, posts, checking messages and form results, and answering their questions. The Toolkit's monthly care checklist lists them.
Features such as the store, booking, forms and the installable app are part of every site, not plugins, so there is nothing to keep compatible: see Wix vs WordPress page weight for what that means for the code a phone downloads.
Where WordPress makes it easier than it sounds
WordPress applies minor and security updates by itself on most sites: "For WordPress 3.7+, you don’t have to lift a finger to apply minor and security updates" (Updating WordPress).
And WordPress's plugin directory, "the largest directory of free and open source WordPress plugins", offers an add-on for almost any need. If a client needs a specific plugin, WordPress may be the right home for that site.
Questions WordPress pros ask
Do I have to update anything on an iNterGine site?
No. There is no WordPress, plugin or theme for you to update; you look after the client's content.
Can I add plugins?
No. iNterGine has no plugins. The store, booking, forms, blog, members area and installable app are built in. If a client needs something it does not do, ask us.
What does a care plan cover then?
The client's own changes and questions. Price it from your hours: how much to charge.
Can I move a WordPress client to iNterGine?
Yes, with the owner's OK: send a free work order with their current address and we gather their words and photos from it. See switching.
Where these facts come from
- WordPress.org, "Updating WordPress": wordpress.org/documentation/article/updating-wordpress (last updated 7 November 2026; read 7 November 2026).
- WordPress.org, "WordPress Backups": developer.wordpress.org/advanced-administration/security/backup (last updated 28 October 2026; read 7 November 2026).
- WordPress.org, "Hardening WordPress": developer.wordpress.org/advanced-administration/security/hardening (last updated 14 October 2026; read 7 November 2026).
- WordPress.org, Plugins: wordpress.org/plugins (read 7 November 2026).
- iNterGine: Program Rules and the Toolkit, read 7 November 2026.
- More guides: all guides, sell websites without building them, switching.