A website maintenance report is your monthly proof that the unglamorous work is getting done: updates, backups, security checks, uptime monitoring, and performance fixes. If you are paying for maintenance, this is the document that should help you understand what happened, what changed, and what needs attention next.
Table of Contents
Why a website maintenance report matters (even if you never read it)
A good website maintenance report does three things:
- Reduces uncertainty: you are not guessing whether updates and backups happened.
- Shows patterns: slowdowns, errors, and outages rarely happen “out of nowhere.”
- Turns maintenance into decisions: what should you fix, improve, or budget for next?
If your report only lists plugin names and a few green ticks, it might be doing less than you think. The goal is clarity, not noise.
If you want to see what ongoing care can include (updates, security checks, backups, monitoring, and small fixes), start here: Website Maintenance & Care.
What a website maintenance report should include every month
Not every site needs the same depth, but most small business websites should see these categories in their website maintenance report.
1) Summary you can understand in 30 seconds
This is the top section. It should answer:
- Was the site stable this month?
- Were there incidents (downtime, errors, security warnings)?
- What was fixed?
- What is recommended next?
If this summary is missing, the report is harder to use.
2) Updates completed (and what was tested)
Updates are not just “done.” They are “done and checked.”
A useful website maintenance report includes:
- WordPress core update status
- Plugin and theme updates (count is fine, not a full wall of text)
- Notes on post-update checks, such as:
- contact forms tested
- checkout or bookings tested
- key layouts checked on mobile
3) Security checks and findings
Security reporting should be calm and specific.
Look for:
- monitoring status (basic, hardened, advanced)
- malware scan results
- blocked login attempts (trend, not panic)
- any actions taken (hardening changes, removed risky plugins)
Helpful external context if you want a simple benchmark for “common web app risks”: OWASP Top 10
4) Backups and recovery status
Backups are only valuable if they restore.
Your website maintenance report should state:
- backup frequency (monthly, daily, etc.)
- where backups are stored (ideally off-server)
- restore point status (clean restore points)
- any recovery tests completed (even occasional)
5) Uptime and incident log (if monitoring is included)
This section should not be a guilt trip for a 2-minute blip. It should show:
- uptime percentage for the month
- number of incidents
- duration and time of incident
- cause (where known)
- what was done to prevent repeats
6) Performance and speed indicators (trends, not one score)
Speed scores can be misleading if treated like a trophy. Trends are more useful.
A good website maintenance report might include:
- baseline speed checks and changes over time
- key improvements made (image compression, caching tweaks, database cleanup)
- any current bottlenecks (heavy plugins, bloated pages)
If you want a neutral tool for spot checks, Google PageSpeed Insights is useful.
7) Content and small changes completed (if included)
If your plan includes minor edits, this should be transparent:
- what was changed
- how much time was used (example: 30 minutes, 1 hour)
- what is still pending, if anything
This keeps scope clear and prevents “we thought that was included” confusion.
8) Recommendations and priority list
This is where the report becomes valuable.
It should include:
- top 3 risks or improvements
- “why it matters” in plain English
- the recommended next step (and whether it is included in your plan)
How to read a website maintenance report without getting overwhelmed
Use this simple approach:
Step 1: Read only the summary and recommendations
You should be able to make a decision from these two sections alone.
Step 2: Check for two proof points
For most small businesses, these are the non-negotiables:
- backups ran and restore points are usable
- updates were applied and key site actions were tested
Step 3: Look for trends, not perfect numbers
A monthly website maintenance report is like a health check. You care about:
- recurring issues
- a site getting slower month by month
- repeated downtime patterns
- security alerts that become more frequent
Step 4: Use the report to plan one improvement per month
Instead of trying to “fix everything,” pick one meaningful improvement monthly:
- remove risky plugins
- add uptime monitoring if missing
- tighten admin access
- improve caching and image handling
- implement a staging workflow for updates
Small steps compound.
The 10 items every website maintenance report should include
Use this checklist to evaluate your current provider, or to confirm your own internal reporting.
Website maintenance report checklist
- ☐ Plain-English monthly summary (what happened, what changed, what matters)
- ☐ Updates completed (core, plugins, themes) with notes on testing
- ☐ Security monitoring status and malware scan result
- ☐ Backup frequency and confirmation of successful backups
- ☐ Restore readiness (clean restore point available)
- ☐ Uptime report with incidents, duration, and action taken (if monitoring included)
- ☐ Performance trend notes (what improved, what is slowing things down)
- ☐ Content changes log (what was done, time used, what is pending)
- ☐ Risks and recommendations ranked by priority
- ☐ Next-month plan (what will be done routinely, what needs approval)
If you want a maintenance service that covers these areas and makes them understandable, see Website Maintenance & Care.
Turning your website maintenance report into priorities (impact vs effort)
A report is useful when it helps you choose what to do next. Here is a simple grid you can use.
High impact, low effort
Prioritise these first:
- remove unused plugins and themes
- enable two-factor authentication for admin users
- update a risky plugin that is frequently targeted
- confirm off-site backups
High impact, higher effort
These are worth planning and budgeting:
- replace an outdated theme or page builder setup
- migrate to better hosting or improve server configuration
- clean up plugin overlap and rebuild parts more cleanly
- performance optimisation for key landing pages
Hosting can influence stability and speed more than many people expect. If you are looking for a performance-focused environment, LiteSpeed WebServer Hosting is an option to consider.
Lower impact, low effort
These can be done when convenient:
- small layout tweaks
- minor copy updates
- swapping images to improve clarity
Lower impact, higher effort
Be cautious:
- big design changes without a conversion goal
- “security by adding five new plugins”
- large rebuilds without a clear reason
Common mistakes in website maintenance reporting
Mistake 1: Reporting activities, not outcomes
A list of “updated 23 plugins” is activity. Outcome is:
- what was tested
- what improved
- what risk was reduced
A useful website maintenance report connects tasks to impact.
Mistake 2: No incident timeline
If downtime occurred, you should not have to ask:
- when it happened
- how long it lasted
- what caused it
- what was done afterward
Mistake 3: Backups mentioned, but restores ignored
Backups are not the whole story. Restore readiness matters.
Your website maintenance report should confirm clean restore points and provide a recovery plan.
Mistake 4: Performance reduced to a single score
Speed tools are helpful, but they are not the business outcome. You want:
- trends
- key bottlenecks
- specific actions taken
Mistake 5: “Security” presented as fear
A report should not scare you. It should inform you.
If security monitoring is doing its job, the report should feel calm and clear.
Mistake 6: No recommendations
If you get a report with no recommendations for months, one of two things is happening:
- your site is truly in a steady state (rare)
- the report is minimal and not looking for improvements
FAQ: Website maintenance report
How long should it take to read a website maintenance report?
The summary and recommendations should take 2 to 5 minutes. The rest is there when you need detail.
What is a “good” monthly report frequency?
Monthly reporting is common. Higher risk sites may benefit from more frequent summaries, especially if changes happen weekly.
Should my report include plugin names?
It can, but it should not be the whole report. A useful website maintenance report highlights what mattered and what was checked after changes.
What if I do not understand the report?
The report should be written for a business owner, not a developer. Ask for a simpler summary section and a clear priority list.
Does a website maintenance report help SEO?
Indirectly, yes. Uptime, speed, and site stability support better crawling and user experience. If you want SEO work beyond maintenance, VVRapid’s Search Engine Optimisation service is here.
How VVRapid can help
VVRapid’s Website Maintenance & Care is designed to keep your site secure, updated, backed up, and running smoothly, with clear communication about what is being done. Whether we built your site or you are bringing an existing one, we can handle routine updates, monitoring, troubleshooting, and small content tweaks so maintenance does not become your job. You can view the care service here: Essential Website Maintenance & Care
If you want a clearer website maintenance report each month, start by choosing the plan that matches your site’s importance, then build consistency from there.
Next step: Review your current report against the checklist above, then compare it to a maintenance plan that includes the coverage and reporting you actually need.
