WORDPRESS MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT
This WordPress Maintenance Agreement ("Agreement") is entered into as of [DATE] between [YOUR COMPANY NAME] ("Provider") and [CLIENT COMPANY NAME] ("Client").
1. Scope of Services
Provider agrees to perform the following WordPress maintenance services for the website located at [WEBSITE URL] ("the Site"):
- WordPress core updates applied on a [weekly/monthly] schedule
- Plugin and theme updates applied following staging verification
- Daily off-site backups with [X]-day retention
- Uptime monitoring with alerts to Provider within [X] minutes of downtime
- Security scanning and malware removal if detected
- Monthly maintenance report delivered to Client by email
- Support requests via [email/Slack/portal] during business hours
Services begin on [START DATE] and continue on a month-to-month basis unless terminated as described in Section 5.
2. Out of Scope
The following are explicitly excluded from this Agreement and will be quoted separately if required:
- Website redesign or visual changes beyond minor text and image edits
- New feature development, custom plugin development, or new page creation
- Content writing, copywriting, or SEO content work
- Third-party platform integrations not currently installed on the Site
- Performance optimisation beyond the Provider's standard monthly hygiene tasks
- Recovery from damage caused by Client modifications made without Provider involvement
Work outside this scope may be quoted and invoiced separately at Provider's standard rate of [$X/hour].
3. Response Times and SLA
Provider will respond to Client support requests according to the following schedule:
Business hours: [Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm CLIENT TIMEZONE]
Routine requests (content edits, questions, non-urgent issues): Response within [24 hours] during business hours. Resolution within [48–72 hours] depending on complexity.
Urgent issues (site performance degradation, broken functionality): Response within [4 hours] during business hours.
Emergency issues (site completely down, active security breach, payment gateway failure): Response within [1 hour] including weekends and holidays.
An "emergency" is defined as: the Site returning a 5xx error to all visitors, confirmed malware infection, or complete checkout failure on a WooCommerce store.
4. Payment Terms
Monthly fee: $[AMOUNT] per month, billed on the [1st] of each month.
Invoicing: Provider will issue invoices via [email/accounting platform] on or before the [25th] of the preceding month.
Payment due: [Net 7 / Net 14 / Net 30] from invoice date.
Late payment: Invoices unpaid after [7] days will incur a late fee of [$X or X%] per [week/month]. Provider reserves the right to suspend services for accounts more than [14] days past due without liability for any resulting downtime or data loss.
Price increases: Provider may adjust monthly fees with [30 days] written notice. Client may terminate the agreement within that notice period without penalty if they do not accept the new rate.
5. Term and Termination
This Agreement begins on [START DATE] and continues on a month-to-month basis.
Termination by Client: Client may terminate this Agreement at any time with [14 days] written notice. No refunds will be issued for the current billing month.
Termination by Provider: Provider may terminate this Agreement with [14 days] written notice, or immediately in cases of non-payment, abusive conduct, or illegal activity.
On termination: Provider will deliver all credentials, access details, and a final backup of the Site to Client within [5 business days] of the termination date. Client retains full ownership of the Site and all its data.
6. Client Responsibilities
Client agrees to:
- Provide Provider with [WordPress admin / hosting / FTP] access within [3 business days] of Agreement start
- Maintain payment of all hosting, domain, and third-party service fees associated with the Site
- Respond to Provider requests for approvals or information within [48 hours] — delays beyond this may affect delivery timelines
- Notify Provider before making any changes to the Site, including installing or removing plugins, changing hosting providers, or modifying theme files
- Maintain valid licences for all premium plugins and themes in use on the Site
7. Third-Party Costs
Provider's monthly fee covers labour only. The following costs are the Client's responsibility unless otherwise agreed in writing:
- Hosting and domain renewal fees
- Premium plugin and theme licence renewals
- Third-party service fees (CDN, email service providers, form tools, etc.)
- Stock photography, media licences, or font licences
- Any costs incurred for emergency infrastructure changes (server upgrades, CDN scaling, etc.)
Provider will notify Client before incurring any third-party cost on Client's behalf. Client authorises Provider to incur third-party costs up to [$X] without prior approval for emergency situations.
8. Backups and Restoration Policy
Provider will maintain backups of the Site according to the following schedule:
- Frequency: Daily
- Storage: Off-site, separate from Site hosting environment
- Retention: [30 days] of daily backups
- Restore SLA: Provider will initiate a restore within [2 hours] of a confirmed request. Full restoration typically completes within [2–4 hours] depending on Site size.
Limitations: Backups cover the WordPress database and files as of the last backup timestamp. Content added or changed after the most recent backup will not be recoverable from backup. Provider is not responsible for data loss between backup intervals.
Provider will verify backup restorability on a [monthly] basis and notify Client of any backup failures within [24 hours] of detection.
9. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:
Provider's total liability to Client under this Agreement shall not exceed the total fees paid by Client in the [3 months] preceding the event giving rise to the claim.
Provider is not liable for:
- Downtime, data loss, or security breaches caused by Client modifications to the Site
- Failures in third-party services, plugins, or hosting infrastructure outside Provider's control
- Loss of revenue, business, or data resulting from Site downtime regardless of cause
- Damages arising from force majeure events including but not limited to natural disasters, power outages, or internet infrastructure failures
10. Ownership and Confidentiality
Ownership: Client retains full ownership of the Site, its content, domain, and all associated data at all times. Provider makes no claim of ownership over any Site assets.
Credentials: Provider will handle all access credentials with reasonable security precautions and will not share them with any third party except as required to deliver the services described in Section 1.
Confidentiality: Both parties agree to keep confidential any non-public information shared in the course of this Agreement, including but not limited to business strategies, client lists, and financial information. This obligation survives termination of this Agreement for a period of [2 years].
Non-solicitation: Provider agrees not to solicit Client's customers or employees during the term of this Agreement and for [12 months] following termination.