Tier 1
$350
per month
Watchdog is WordPress maintenance on autopilot: updates, offsite backups, uptime monitoring and a monthly security scan, handled for you. It’s $350 a month and includes about 3 hours of work. Extra hours are $115. I work in person around Worcester County, Boston and New England, and remotely for anyone else.
Who it’s for
- Small business sites that just need to stay updated, backed up and online
- Owners who don’t want to log in and click “update” and hope nothing breaks
- Sites that were built and then left alone
What’s included
- Updates: WordPress core, plugins and themes kept current
- Backups: automated and stored offsite, so a problem with your host doesn’t take your backups with it
- Uptime monitoring every week
- A monthly security scan
- 48-hour response when something goes wrong
- A monthly status email covering what was updated and anything that needs your attention
- About 3 hours a month of work, with extra hours at $115
Why updates need someone watching
Outdated plugins are one of the most common ways WordPress sites get hacked. But updating blindly can break a site, too. Watchdog keeps everything current and catches problems before your visitors do. For what happens when that’s skipped, see Lessons from Cleaning Up a Compromised Website.
Terms for all retainers: billed monthly in advance, with a 3-month minimum commitment and cancellation on 30 days’ notice after that. Unused hours don’t roll over, but they can go into a prepaid hour bank at your discounted retainer rate.
Compare the retainers
- Watchdog (this plan): updates, backups, uptime and security monitoring, about 3 hours
- Guardian: adds performance tracking, small edits and a monthly call, about 7 hours ($850/month)
- Partner: adds active development, SEO and compliance monitoring, about 15 hours ($1,800/month)
- Embedded Dev: effectively a part-time developer, about 40 hours ($4,200/month)
Common questions
How much is WordPress maintenance with Watchdog?
$350 a month, including about 3 hours of work. Extra hours are $115.
What if my site gets hacked?
I respond within 48 hours. If it needs a full cleanup, see Hacked WordPress Site Repair.
Can I upgrade later?
Yes. You can move to Guardian or Partner when you need faster response or more hours.
Book a free 30-minute call to talk it through, or email info@jeremyanderson.tech.