WordPress hosting provides server space where your site lives; maintenance keeps the WordPress software working properly
Basic and shared hosting require separate maintenance; managed hosting includes some maintenance but not all
Most WordPress sites need both hosting and some form of maintenance
The right combination depends on your hosting type, technical skills, and available time
If you’re not technical, professional maintenance saves time and reduces the risk of problems
If you run a WordPress website for your business, you’ve probably seen hosting packages and maintenance services advertised. You might assume they’re the same thing, or wonder whether you’re paying for duplicate services.
The terminology doesn’t help. “Managed hosting” sounds like it should cover everything, but does it?
Getting this wrong can cost you money.
You might pay for maintenance you don’t need, or skip it when your site actually requires regular attention. Worse, you could end up with a hacked or broken website because nobody was looking after it properly.
Here’s what you need to know: hosting and maintenance are different services that work together.
By the end of this article, you’ll understand what each one covers, where they overlap, and how to decide what your business website actually needs.
Table of Contents
What Is WordPress Hosting?
Hosting provides the physical server space where your website files are stored. Without it, your WordPress site simply wouldn’t exist online.
When someone types your web address into their browser, your hosting server delivers your website to their screen.
Think of WordPress website hosting as renting a building for your business.
The hosting company owns and maintains the physical servers, keeps them operational, and ensures they’re connected to the internet. You rent space on those servers for your website files.
What Does Your Hosting Provider Actually Do?
Your hosting company handles everything related to the server itself.
This includes keeping the hardware operational, maintaining network connections, and providing basic security at the server level.
Most hosts also manage the software that powers the server, including PHP (the programming language WordPress uses) and MySQL (the database system).
Basic hosting packages typically include storage space for your files, bandwidth for visitor traffic, email hosting, and a control panel for managing your account. Some hosts offer one-click WordPress installation, which makes setting up your site much easier.
What Is WordPress Maintenance?
Maintenance covers the ongoing tasks needed to keep your WordPress site secure, functional, and performing well.
Your hosting keeps the server operational; site maintenance keeps your actual WordPress website in good working order.
Your WordPress site consists of the core software, your chosen theme, various plugins, your content, and a database. All of these components need regular attention to work properly together.
Common Maintenance Tasks
WordPress core updates are released regularly to fix bugs and address security vulnerabilities. Plugins and themes receive updates too, and you need to keep everything current.
Beyond updates, maintenance includes several other tasks. Database optimisation clears out old data that slows your site. Security scanning checks for malware and suspicious activity.
Backup management ensures you can recover if something goes wrong. Performance monitoring confirms your site loads quickly for visitors.
If a plugin conflict causes problems or an update breaks something, that’s a maintenance issue.
Your hosting provider won’t fix it because it’s part of your WordPress installation, not their server infrastructure.
Where Hosting and Maintenance Overlap
This is where things get confusing for most business owners. Managed WordPress hosting blurs the line between hosting and maintenance by including some maintenance tasks in the package.
What Managed Hosting Usually Includes
Managed WordPress hosts typically handle automatic WordPress core updates. Many also provide daily automated backups, basic security measures like firewalls and malware scanning, and staging environments for testing changes before they go live.
Some include automatic plugin updates, though this varies between providers. UK hosts like Starter and 20i offer managed WordPress packages, as do international providers such as WP Engine and Kinsta.
Premium managed hosting often includes caching systems and content delivery networks to improve performance.
What Managed Hosting Usually Doesn’t Include
Even good managed hosting rarely covers everything.
Plugin compatibility testing before updates is usually your responsibility. If a plugin update causes conflicts with your theme or other plugins, the host won’t typically troubleshoot that for you.
Content updates, design changes, and functionality improvements aren’t included either.
Performance optimisation specific to your site’s configuration often isn’t covered. If something breaks that isn’t directly related to their servers, you’ll need to fix it yourself or hire someone who can.
This gap explains why many businesses with managed hosting still use a separate maintenance service for the WordPress-specific elements.
Do You Need Both Services?
Generally, yes.
Most WordPress sites need both hosting and some form of maintenance. What varies is how you get each service and who provides it.
If You Use Shared or Basic Hosting
With shared hosting or basic unmanaged packages, you’ll definitely need maintenance. The host provides server space, but all WordPress-related tasks fall to you. You’ll need to handle updates yourself, set up your own backup system, and monitor security.
You can manage this yourself if you have time and basic technical knowledge. Alternatively, a professional maintenance service can handle it for you. Either way, someone needs to do the maintenance work regularly.
If You Use Managed WordPress Hosting
Managed hosting covers some maintenance tasks, but probably not all of them. Check exactly what your plan includes by reviewing your hosting account or asking their support team.
Most managed hosts handle core updates and backups, but plugin management and troubleshooting often remain your responsibility.
You might find that managed hosting covers enough for your needs, especially if you have a simple site with few plugins. If your site is more complex or you’re not comfortable handling plugin issues yourself, additional maintenance support makes sense.
If You’re Not Technical
If you’re not confident with WordPress administration, professional maintenance is worth considering regardless of your hosting type.
The time you’d spend learning how to manage updates, troubleshoot problems, and recover from issues has a real cost to your business.
Consider how much your time is worth per hour and compare that to professional maintenance costs. For most business owners, paying someone else to handle technical maintenance frees up time for work that actually generates income.
How to Decide What You Need
Start by checking what your current hosting includes. Log into your hosting account or contact support to get a clear list of included services.
Ask specifically about WordPress updates, backups, and security features.
Be honest about your own technical abilities. Can you confidently update plugins, troubleshoot conflicts, and restore from a backup if needed?
If not, you’ll need help with these tasks.
Think about your available time. Even if you could learn to handle maintenance yourself, do you have several hours each month to dedicate to it?
Running a business usually doesn’t leave much spare time for website administration.
Finally, consider your site’s complexity.
A simple brochure site with a few pages needs less maintenance than an e-commerce site or membership platform. More plugins mean more potential conflicts and more updates to manage.
The right combination for you might be:
- Managed hosting with no additional maintenance (for simple sites with technical owners)
- Basic hosting with a professional maintenance service (good value for most small businesses)
- Managed hosting plus a maintenance service to fill the gaps (for complex or business-critical sites)
Match the services to your actual situation rather than choosing based on price alone.
Conclusion
WordPress hosting and maintenance serve different purposes, but most business websites need both. Hosting provides the server infrastructure. Maintenance keeps your WordPress installation secure and working properly.
Managed hosting includes some maintenance tasks, but rarely covers everything. Check what your hosting actually provides, then decide whether you need additional support for the gaps.
Not sure what your site needs?
We offer a free review of your current setup and can recommend the right combination of services for your situation. Get in touch to discuss your WordPress website.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hosting provides the server space where your website files are stored and keeps that server operational. Maintenance covers the ongoing tasks that keep your actual WordPress installation secure and functional, including updates, backups, and troubleshooting. Your host maintains the server; maintenance looks after your WordPress site itself.
Basic and shared hosting providers typically don’t update WordPress for you. Managed WordPress hosting usually includes automatic core updates, but plugin and theme updates may not be covered. Check your hosting plan’s features to understand exactly what’s included, as this varies significantly between providers.
Yes, you can handle WordPress maintenance yourself if you have time and basic technical knowledge. You’ll need to regularly update WordPress core, plugins, and themes, manage backups, monitor security, and troubleshoot any issues that arise. Most business owners find this takes several hours monthly and requires ongoing learning.
Professional WordPress maintenance services in the UK typically cost between £50 and £150 per month for small business websites. Prices vary based on site complexity, the number of plugins, and what’s included in the package. E-commerce sites and membership platforms often cost more due to their additional complexity.
Unmaintained WordPress sites become vulnerable to security attacks because outdated software contains known vulnerabilities that hackers actively target. Performance degrades over time, plugins may stop working correctly, and you risk compatibility issues when updates pile up. Eventually, you may face a hacked site or one that breaks completely.
Managed WordPress hosting offers convenience and often better performance, making it worthwhile for many business owners. If you value time over money and want someone else handling updates and backups, managed hosting provides good value. You may still need additional maintenance support for plugin management and troubleshooting, depending on your site’s complexity.
WordPress should be updated as soon as new versions are released. Security updates are particularly time-sensitive and should be applied within days, not weeks. For most sites, checking for and applying updates at least monthly works well. Sites with many plugins may benefit from weekly checks to catch updates promptly.
WordPress care plans usually include software updates, regular backups, security monitoring, uptime monitoring, and technical support for WordPress-related issues. Some plans also include performance optimisation, minor content updates, or development hours for small changes. Plans vary considerably between providers, so always check the specific inclusions before signing up.
Yes, hosting quality directly impacts security. Budget shared hosting may have inadequate security measures, and problems on other sites sharing your server could affect yours. Good hosts provide firewalls, malware scanning, and server-level security. However, hosting security doesn’t replace WordPress-specific security measures like keeping plugins updated and using strong passwords.
Buying both from one provider simplifies things and can improve troubleshooting since they have access to everything. However, separating them gives you more flexibility and avoids being locked into one company. Either approach works well as long as responsibilities are clear and nothing falls through the gaps between providers.