The “Oh Crap” Website Checklist

We’re all busy. And if your website is working, it’s usually the last thing on your mind. Most people only think about their website when there’s a problem, when there’s a new product, or when something big changes in the business. Otherwise, it’s out of sight, out of mind.

I like to think of my website as my personal customer service rep that works 24/7. Can you imagine never checking in with your employee? Employees get sick, have bad days, or run into problems they need help with. Websites do all of that too. One day you notice that Travis’s office is empty and the cold cup of coffee has something fuzzy floating on it.

What I see repeatedly is that people don’t touch their website until they absolutely must. Meanwhile, changes are happening everywhere else. New processes. New tools. New routines. And then one day someone says, “Oh crap… did Travis update the website?”

Or worse, someone realizes they haven’t gotten an email from their website in three months. Cue the slow realization: “Oh crap. Our email isn’t working.”

This is a compiled list of things you can do periodically. I recommend at least monthly, or maybe quarterly, to check on your website. If you keep it caught up, it’s quick. It doesn’t take long. But if you wait until there’s an emergency, that emergency will never happen at a convenient time.

A little routine attention saves you a lot of time and unnecessary “craps” down the road.

A Practical Website Check-In Checklist

(Monthly, weekly, or quarterly. Pick one and stick with it.)

Updates

These keep your website from quietly falling behind and give it routine glow-ups. Just because it didn’t tell you it likes to feel “special” doesn’t mean it doesn’t. Updates are where most problems start and where most problems are prevented.

• Bring WordPress core files up to date.
• Update plugins regularly to avoid vulnerabilities.
• Apply theme updates when needed.
• Review updates to make sure nothing broke in the process.
• Check your PHP version once a year and update as needed.

Regular Backups

Statistically speaking, your website will fail or get hacked one day. The goal is to make that day boring.

• Do not assume backups are happening, because many hosting plans do not include this by default.
• Confirm whether your backups run automatically.
• If backups are manual, they will eventually be forgotten. That’s just reality.
• Backups should be stored off-site or on a RAID system.

If restoring your site sounds stressful, that’s a sign this needs attention.

Warnings & Monitoring

Most problems don’t show up all at once. This is the boring, invisible work that prevents loud, barking-at-the-mailman problems later.

• Log in occasionally to make sure nothing looks broken.
• Check that security patches have been applied.
• Monitor suspicious activity.
• Watch your uptime.
• Catch errors early, not after damage is done.

Email and Other Forms

Quiet failures are the most dangerous because no one tells you. Just because something worked last week does not mean it will work next week.

The forms themselves are usually fine. The problem is delivery. Spam filters and mail host rules change silently, without notice.

• Test contact forms regularly.
• Ensure form submissions are actually being delivered.
• Check that your notification emails are still arriving.
• Confirm payment or signup forms work end-to-end.

If you haven’t tested this recently, assume nothing.

Content & Accuracy

Outdated information chips away at trust. Your website should reflect how your business works now, not how it worked three years ago. If your most recent blog post is about how COVID is changing your business, it’s time to do some housekeeping. And probably update your blog. Soon.

• Look at your business hours to make sure they are current.
• Confirm that phone numbers and contact information are correct.
• Confirm that services and pricing still reflect reality.
• Remove old promotions or announcements.
• Confirm that images and testimonials still feel relevant.
• Confirm that social media links are current.

Performance & Usability

Just because your website functions doesn’t mean it’s pleasant to use. Frustration is still friction.

• Confirm that pages load in a reasonable amount of time.
• Confirm that mobile layouts still make sense.
• Confirm that buttons and links are easy to click.
• Confirm that nothing requires guessing, pinching, or zooming.
• Confirm that the site is readable and usable for everyone, including accessibility considerations.

If using your own website feels annoying, visitors feel it too.

The Human Check

This really matters when something goes wrong.

• Know who to contact if something breaks.
• Feel confident logging in.
• Recognize whether you are avoiding your website out of fear.
• Trust that someone is paying attention.
• If your website feels fragile, that’s a problem worth exploring.

Want This Handled for You?

For my hosting clients, I handle WordPress core updates, plugin updates, backups, and ongoing monitoring so their websites stay stable, secure, and quietly doing their job.

If you’d like to simplify this entire list or just want help with the parts you don’t want to think about, reach out. We can put together a solution that fits how you actually work.