THE SHORT ANSWER
A white label maintenance plan should include tested updates, offsite backups, uptime monitoring, security scans, fixes when an update breaks something, and a branded monthly report. You resell it at your own price. With us your cost starts at $25 a site, and our suggested resell price starts at $59.
Maintenance is the easiest recurring revenue an agency can add, and the easiest to get wrong. Promise too little and clients cancel. Promise too much and the margin disappears. Here is what to include in a white label WordPress maintenance plan, how often each task should run, and what to leave out.
01What every plan must include
- Core, theme and plugin updates, tested on staging before major releases.
- Offsite backups, with a restore that has actually been tested.
- Uptime monitoring with alerts.
- Security scans and malware cleanup.
- Fixing anything an update breaks, at no extra charge.
- A monthly report with your logo and colors.
02What to add in higher tiers
| Add-on | Why clients pay for it |
|---|---|
| Content edit hours | Small changes without a new quote |
| Faster response time | Stores and lead sites lose money when down |
| More frequent backups | Sites with daily orders or posts |
| Speed checks | A number they can see improve |
Our full tier breakdown and pricing advice is in how to price WordPress care plans clients renew.
03What to leave out
- Unlimited edits. They turn a plan into an open-ended project.
- Hosting, unless you actually run the servers.
- New features and redesigns. Quote them separately.
- SEO services, unless you have someone who does them properly.
FROM OUR DESK
The first month of a new plan always starts with a health check. Old sites often hide outdated plugins, failed backups or a hacked file. Fix those first, then the monthly routine stays quiet.
04How white label maintenance works
You own the client relationship. The partner does the work behind you.
- Week 1: you send the site list, hosting and admin access.
- Week 1: the partner runs a health check and flags anything urgent.
- Week 1: your logo and colors go on the report template.
- Month 1: the first report arrives, ready to forward to your client.
CHECK THE NOTICES
Make sure plugin emails, backup alerts and security notices go to you, not to the partner or the client. Anything with the partner’s name on it breaks the white label.
05The tools behind it
Most partners run maintenance with a management dashboard such as ManageWP or MainWP, a backup tool such as UpdraftPlus or BlogVault, Wordfence for security and UptimeRobot for monitoring. Ask any partner which tools they use and who owns the accounts.
Start with your five oldest sites.
Free health check for up to 5 sites, then white label plans from $25 a site with your logo on every report.
06How often should each task run?
Frequency is where plans quietly fail. A plan that says “updates” without a schedule invites the client to assume daily care while you deliver monthly. Put the rhythm in writing.
| Task | Brochure site | Store or lead site |
|---|---|---|
| Plugin, theme and core updates | Monthly | Weekly, tested on staging |
| Backups | Weekly | Daily, plus before every update |
| Uptime checks | Every 5 minutes | Every minute |
| Security scan | Monthly | Daily |
| Test restore | Twice a year | Every quarter |
| Speed check | Quarterly | Monthly |
Match the schedule to what downtime costs the client. A five-page brochure site and a store taking orders at 2am should not sit on the same plan.
07Backups that actually restore
Almost every plan promises backups. Far fewer have ever restored one. A backup you have not tested is a guess.
- Store backups offsite, away from the hosting account. If the server goes, the backups go with it.
- Keep at least 30 days of history. Hacks and bad edits are often found weeks later.
- Take a fresh backup right before every update run, not just on the nightly schedule.
- Restore a backup to staging on a schedule and check that the site loads and logs in.
- Keep the backup storage account in your agency’s name or the client’s, never the partner’s.
HOST BACKUPS DON’T COUNT ALONE
Many hosts keep their own backups, which is a nice extra. They live on the same provider and you can’t always choose the restore point, so keep your own offsite copy as well.
08The health check before month one
Never start a plan on a site you haven’t audited. The health check protects you from inheriting problems you will be blamed for later.
- WordPress, PHP and plugin versions, plus any plugin abandoned by its developer.
- Admin users nobody recognizes and weak or shared logins.
- Whether backups exist and when the last good one ran.
- Malware scan results and unexpected files in the uploads folder.
- Speed on the three most visited pages, so you have a baseline for the report.
- Expiry dates for the domain, SSL and premium plugin licenses.
Send the findings to the client before the first invoice. It turns the plan from a cost into a fix list they can see.
09What to write into the client agreement
A one-page scope saves more arguments than any tool. Spell out these points.
- Exactly which tasks are included, and how often.
- Response times per tier, in hours, and what counts as urgent.
- How many edit hours are included, and the rate after that.
- What is billed separately: new features, redesigns, plugin licenses.
- Notice period to cancel, and what happens to backups and accounts after.
For tier ideas and resell prices, see WordPress care plan pricing that clients renew.
10FAQ
What is white label WordPress maintenance?
A partner maintains your clients’ WordPress sites while you sell the service under your own brand. Reports and notices carry your logo, and the client never deals with the partner.
How much does white label maintenance cost?
With us, $25, $40 or $99 a month per site depending on the tier. Our suggested resell prices are $59, $99 and $229.
Do you need access to hosting?
Admin access is enough for most tasks. Hosting or SFTP access helps for restores and malware cleanup.
Can I mix tiers across clients?
Yes. Each site gets the tier that fits it.
How often should WordPress plugins be updated?
At least monthly for a brochure site and weekly for stores and lead sites. Security releases should go out within a day or two, after a quick test on staging.
Is a maintenance plan the same as a care plan?
Mostly, yes. “Care plan” usually means maintenance plus a few edit hours and a monthly report. The name matters less than a written scope.
