Maintenance Mode | The Blog Pros

June 26, 2024

7 Best WordPress Support Agencies for 2024 (Expert Pick)

At WPBeginner, we receive many requests from readers asking us if we recommend any support agencies for WordPress maintenance and management services.

From our own experience of running multiple WordPress websites, we know that it can be tricky to handle everything behind the scenes. This includes keeping WordPress, plugins, and themes updated, fixing bugs and issues, optimizing your site for performance, and more.

This is where WordPress support and maintenance services come in handy. We’ve carefully hand-picked some of the best agencies you can hire to maintain your WordPress site. Plus, we’ve investigated the best options for all kinds of users, from small business websites to more complex sites.

In this article, we will show you the best WordPress support agencies you can choose for your business.

Are you in a hurry and want to pick a WordPress support agency? Here’s a quick overview of the top agencies we’ve reviewed:

Agencies	Focus	24/7 WordPress Support	Starting Prices
🥇 WPBeginner Pro Maintenance Services	Beginner & Intermediate Users	✅	$69 per month
🥈Seahawk Media	E-Commerce & Business Websites	✅	$49 per month
🥉WP Buffs	Complex Websites	✅	$79 per month
GoWP	All Levels	✅	$39 per month
FixRunner	Small Businesses	✅	$49 per month
WP Fix It	All Levels	✅	$27 per month
TemplateMonster	WordPress Themes & Plugins	Limited	$67 per month

How We Tested and Reviewed WordPress Support Agencies

Finding the perfect WordPress support agency can be overwhelming and frustrating. You need a reliable partner who understands your website’s complexities, offers responsive support, and fits your budget.

Here are some of the factors we considered in our rigorous testing process to ensure we recommend only the best WordPress support agencies for your website:

Features and Services: We evaluated each agency’s range of services, including core maintenance tasks like backups, security updates, and performance optimization. Additionally, we looked at more specialized services like plugin troubleshooting, theme customization, and on-demand support.
Expertise and Experience: A top-notch support agency should have a team of experienced WordPress developers and experts who stay current on the latest trends and updates. We reviewed the agency’s team profiles and ensured their expertise aligns with most new website owners’ needs.
Customer Support: Responsive and effective communication is super important. We reviewed each agency’s support channels (phone, email, chat) to gauge their response times, knowledge base accessibility, and overall helpfulness.
Pricing and Value: We compared pricing structures across different WordPress support agencies to ensure you get the best value for your budget. We also consider any additional perks or guarantees offered, such as uptime guarantees or money-back policies.

Why Trust WPBeginner?

At WPBeginner, we are a team of WordPress experts with over 16 years of experience in SEO, website development, design, troubleshooting, hosting, and more.

To recommend the best website WordPress support agencies, our experts researched and reviewed each option in detail. You can learn more about our in-depth review process on our editorial process page.

That said, let’s look at some of the best WordPress support and maintenance agencies.

1. WPBeginner Pro Maintenance Services

WPBeginner Pro Maintenance Services is the best WordPress support agency you can choose from at affordable prices.

Whether you are a complete beginner or a time-strapped entrepreneur, our team of WordPress experts offers a variety of services to take your website to the next level.

For instance, our team will manage all the technicalities of your website, run cloud backups, monitor your site for security threats, keep plugins and themes updated, ensure core files are up to date, troubleshoot and fix issues, and offer 24/7 support.

In addition, you get on-demand development hours, during which an expert will help resolve urgent issues. Other Pro services include website design, SEO optimization, hacked website repairs, and site optimization for speed and performance.

You can see the complete list of WPBeginner Pro Services for more details.

Pros:

Over 16 years of experience helping over 100,000 users
Affordable pricing plans
24/7 support and uptime monitoring
Comprehensive security monitoring
On-demand emergency support
Website speed and SEO optimization
Built customized websites
Repair hacked websites

Cons:

The maintenance plan cannot be transferred to another website
Comprehensive site speed optimization is only available in the highest maintenance plan

Why We Recommend WPBeginner Pro Services: For people new to WordPress or website management in general, we highly recommend WPBeginner Pro Services. We offer a comprehensive solution at affordable prices, with a focus on core maintenance tasks. This is ideal for keeping your website secure, optimized, and running smoothly without the technical hassle.

Pricing: WPBeginner Pro Services offers different services. For website support, you’ll need WordPress Maintenance & Support, with prices starting from $69 per month.

2. Seahawk Media

Seahawk Media is one of the best global WordPress service providers. They offer a wide range of services, including website support and maintenance. This is a great option for eCommerce store owners and complex websites that require custom development.

The agency performs cloud backups for your site, provides urgent support, uptime monitoring, theme and plugin updates, and more. The best part is that you get a dedicated account manager who will assist you with all the issues and concerns with your website.

We tested Seahawk Media’s services and were thoroughly impressed with their comprehensive approach. From initial design consultations to meticulous development and ongoing maintenance, their team handled everything professionally.

Pros:

Custom WordPress development services
Secure website migration services
Ongoing website care and maintenance
Dedicated account manager
24/7 monitoring and WordPress support
Website optimization and growth services

Cons:

The support plan cant be transferred to a new site

Why We Recommend Seahawk Media: If you’re looking for a reliable and experienced partner to maintain and support your WordPress website, then look no further than Seahawk Media. Their well-rounded approach makes them a great choice for website design, development, growth, support, and maintenance.

Pricing: For website support, you’ll need the WordPress Maintenance and Care Services package, which starts at $49 per month. But if you require on-demand development, you can upgrade to higher-pricing plans.

3. WP Buffs

WP Buffs is the next WordPress support agency on our list. They also offer a comprehensive WordPress management solution, including regular backups, 24/7 support, weekly updates, speed optimization, and more.

One feature that stood out while testing the service was the unlimited website edits. These include editing content, changing plugin settings, and adjusting CSS.

However, it’s important to note that on-demand content edits have limitations. They don’t include custom development, updating code, graphic design, or building a new site.

We were also impressed by the responsiveness and expertise of the WP Buffs support team. They consistently resolved our inquiries quickly and efficiently while providing all the basic WordPress support services.

Pros:

24/7 website monitoring and security
Performance optimization
Plugin, theme, and core file updates
Core file and database backups
Expert 24/7 emergency support
Malware removal services

Cons:

On-demand content edits have limitations
May not be suitable for sites requiring extensive development work

Why We Recommend WP Buffs: WP Buffs offers a unique combination of features that provide peace of mind for website owners of all levels. We highly recommend them to users who have complex websites, such as a membership site or an eCommerce store, that require special maintenance attention.

Pricing: WP Buffs pricing plans start at $79 per month. A higher plan will get you priority support, speed optimization, and other extra features.

4. GoWP

GoWP is another WordPress support agency you can hire to maintain your website. Their dedicated team of WordPress experts can handle all sorts of issues.

During our testing, GoWP impressed us with their comprehensive set of features. From automated backups and security updates to performance optimization and malware scanning, GoWP takes care of many of the behind-the-scenes tasks.

Some of the services you get include 24/7 support, plugin updates, security monitoring, malware cleanup, regular backups, and custom reporting. GoWP offers 24/7 content edits that include adding or editing blog posts and WooCommerce pages, editing menus and widgets, and more.

GoWP also offers outsourcing services where you can hire their team for WordPress maintenance and content edits. This way, you can partner with them and easily handle your client’s technical issues.

Pros:

Automated backups and security updates
Performance optimization and malware scanning
Dedicated developer, copywriter, and designer
24/7 content edits
Detailed training resources and community forum

Cons:

Slightly expensive as you’ll need to pay extras for tasks that take 30 minutes or more
Dedicated services are costly for small businesses

Why We Recommend GoWP: If you’re looking for website support from a dedicated developer or looking to expand your business through outsourcing services, then GoWP is the best solution.

Pricing: GoWP offers a wide variety of services. Their maintenance service will cost $39 per month, while content editing service will cost $99 per month per site.

5. FixRunner

FixRunner offers personal WordPress support to help you save time and money by maintaining your site. You get 24/7 support from a team of WordPress experts at affordable pricing.

While reviewing the agency, we found that they offer all the standard services you’d expect from a WordPress support service. For instance, you get speed optimization, cloud backups, uptime monitoring, security scanning, and more.

However, what impressed us the most was that you can contact them via multiple channels for support, including emails, live chat, tickets, and phone calls.

Pros:

24/7 WordPress support
Security monitoring and malware removal
Multi-channel support options
Uptime monitoring and speed optimization
Regular cloud backups and core file updates
30-day money-back guarantee

Cons:

No unlimited support time option
No free trial

Why We Recommend FixRunner: This is a perfect solution for all types of businesses. Their comprehensive support plans ensure your WordPress site stays secure, optimized, and up-to-date, freeing you to focus on running your business.

Pricing: FixRunner pricing plans start from $49 per month (billed annually).

6. WP Fix It

WP Fix It has been in the WordPress support industry since 2009 and offers a wide range of services. You can hire an expert to fix issues, infection removal, speed optimization, website migration, and more.

The best thing about WP Fix we found was that it works for all types of websites. Whether you have a blog, eCommerce store, membership site, or corporate website, you will be able to benefit from WordPress support.

Pros:

Fast response times and efficient communication
Scheduled and automated cloud backups
Expertise in handling a wide range of WordPress issues
Control panel to manage and monitor websites
24/7 availability for emergency website fixes

Cons:

Custom pricing plans can be expensive for small businesses

Why We Recommend WP Fix It: If you’re looking for an experienced WordPress support agency, then WP Fix It ticks all the boxes. However, if you require ongoing maintenance or complex development work, then you’ll need to choose another support agency on this list.

Pricing: WP Fix It offers a care plan at $27 per month. There is also an option to create a custom care plan.

7. TemplateMonster

TemplateMonster is a digital marketplace for website templates, plugins, and graphic design. It also offers website maintenance services for WordPress websites.

TemplateMonster’s subscription-based website maintenance service takes care of all the technical nitty-gritty for you. You get access to uptime monitoring, regular backups, website health checks, keeping everything up-to-date, and monthly reports.

While TemplateMonster Website Maintenance offers a comprehensive set of services, we did find that the level of customization was somewhat limited. For instance, you only get 5 developer hours every month.

Pros:

A wide range of website maintenance services
Uptime monitoring and security features
Website backups and updates
Regular reports and communication

Cons:

Limited developer hours
May not be suitable for highly complex websites

Why We Recommend TemplateMonster: If you’re looking for a cost-effective way to ensure your website is always up-to-date and functioning, then TemplateMonster Website Maintenance is definitely worth considering.

Pricing: TemplateMonster Website Maintenance prices start from $67 per month.

Which WordPress Support Agency Should You Choose?

After reviewing and testing different WordPress support agencies, we believe WPBeginner Pro Maintenance Services is the best option.

Our team of experts provides around-the-clock support, removes malware, monitors for security threats and downtime, provides regular backups, and performs routine updates.

The best part about using our services is affordable prices. Whether you’re just starting a site or have a complex website, our support services fit all kinds of businesses.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for support for eCommerce platforms, then you can try Seahawk Media Services. Alternatively, for complex websites, you can also give WP Buffs a try.

FAQs About WordPress Support Agencies

Here are some frequently asked questions about the best WordPress support agencies.

1. How much should website maintenance cost?

The cost of website maintenance depends on your needs and the type of website. If you require basic support like plugin and theme updates, backups, and security monitoring, it will cost between $30 and $70. However, if you have a complex site and require custom development, it can cost a lot more.

2. What are the benefits of using a WordPress support agency?

There are many benefits to hiring a WordPress support agency:

Saves you time and keeps your site up-to-date.
Offers expertise in security, performance, and troubleshooting.
Provides peace of mind knowing your site is in good hands.

3. Are there any free WordPress support options?

Different WordPress forums offer help from volunteers (mixed skill levels). However, they are limited to basic troubleshooting and may require technical knowledge.

Instead, you can hire a WordPress support and maintenance agency for personalized tasks and development. Most agencies also offer a free one-on-one call to understand your needs.

Additional Reading

We hope this article helped you pick the best WordPress support agency. You may also want to see our guide on common WordPress errors and how to fix them and coming soon vs. maintenance mode.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post 7 Best WordPress Support Agencies for 2024 (Expert Pick) first appeared on WPBeginner.

June 18, 2024

How to Fix Plugins Disappearing From WordPress Dashboard

Have you ever logged into your WordPress dashboard and noticed some of your plugins are randomly missing?

This is a common issue that many users face, and it can have several causes. There could be a conflict between plugins or themes, user roles and permissions might not be correct, or there is malware on your site.

In this article, we will show you what to do when plugins are disappearing from the WordPress dashboard.

How to Fix plugins disappearing from WordPress dashboard

Why Do Plugins Disappear From the WordPress Dashboard?

When a plugin suddenly deactivates and disappears from your site, it can leave you stranded. You won’t have the feature or functionality that was added through the plugin.

This could lead to a bad user experience when a visitor tries to use that feature. For example, let’s say you used a contact form plugin to add a form to your site. If the plugin disappears and doesn’t work anymore, then users will see an error when they visit the form page.

There are a few reasons why plugins might vanish from your WordPress dashboard view. Let’s explore the most common causes:

User Permissions: Not all users have permission to manage plugins. If you’re an editor or contributor on a WordPress site, then you might not see the plugins menu one day because your user role isn’t authorized to access it.
Plugin Issues: Corrupted plugin files, conflicts with other plugins, or incompatibility with your current WordPress version can also cause plugins to malfunction or become hidden.
Security Concerns: In rare cases, malicious code injection or compromised website files might hide or remove plugins from your view.

That said, let’s look at different ways to fix WordPress plugins disappearing from the admin panel. You can click the links below to jump ahead to any section:

Check Permissions for User Roles in WordPress
Deactivate All WordPress Plugins to Resolve Conflict
Clear Your Browser and WordPress Cache
Perform a Security Scan of Your WordPress Site
Bonus: Hire WordPress Experts to Fix WordPress Issues and Errors

1. Check Permissions for User Roles in WordPress

At times, website owners or clients will prevent other users from viewing and changing the plugin settings so that accidental changes do not break the site or lead to security breaches.

This is common if you have a multi-author website or you’re working on a multisite network.

The first thing you can do is check your user role in WordPress. To do that, head to Users » All Users from the admin panel. Under the ‘Role’ column, you should see the user role for different usernames.

If you see that the user role is different or doesn’t have the necessary permissions to view or edit plugins, then you can contact the administrator to have it fixed.

On the other hand, if you are the administrator of the website and there is nothing wrong with the user role, then you can go through other ways to fix plugins disappearing from the admin panel.

2. Deactivate All WordPress Plugins to Resolve Conflict

Another reason a plugin might disappear from the WordPress dashboard is a conflict with another plugin on your site.

The only way to rule this out is by deactivating all the plugins on your website. After that, you can activate each plugin one by one to see which one is causing the issue.

To deactivate all the plugins, simply go to Plugins » Installed Plugins from the WordPress dashboard and select all the plugins by clicking the checkbox. From here, you can click the Bulk Action dropdown menu at the top and select the ‘Deactivate’ option.

Deactivate all the plugin except WooCommerce

If you’re locked out from accessing the WordPress admin panel, then you’ll need to connect to an FTP client or File Manager tool in your web hosting cPanel.

This way, you’ll be able to access all the plugins and deactivate them manually. To learn more, please see our guide on how to deactivate all plugins when not able to access wp-admin.

3. Clear Your Browser and WordPress Cache

You can also try logging out of your WordPress site and clearing the browser cache to fix disappearing plugins from the dashboard.

Browser cache is a technology used by popular browsers that saves website data on a user’s computer so it can quickly load the site. Sometimes, the browser would have an outdated cached version of your site and may remove the plugin from the WordPress dashboard.

Clearing the browser cache allows your browser to save a fresh copy of the website and store the latest changes. In Google Chrome, you can click the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner and select the ‘Clear browsing data’ option.

Google Chrome clear browsing data and cache

Next, you will see the Clear browsing data settings page popup.

You can switch to the Basic tab and click the ‘Cached images and files’ checkbox. You can also select the time range, clear browsing history, and select cookies and other site data.

Select cached data to delete in Google Chrome

Once you’ve selected the options, simply click the ‘Clear data’ button.

After that, log in to your website and open the WordPress dashboard to see if the plugin that disappeared has returned. For more details on other browsers, please follow our guide on how to clear cache in all major browsers.

If this doesn’t work, then you can also try clearing the cache in WordPress using the caching plugin or from your WordPress hosting.

Caching in WordPress works similarly to caching in browsers, where a static version of your site is stored and instantly displayed to users. This helps improve the speed and performance of your site.

Usually, your site needs a caching solution like WP Rocket. Some web hosting providers also offer built-in caching solutions, including Bluehost and WP Engine.

If your plugins are not showing in the WordPress dashboard, then you can simply clear the cache in WordPress. For instance, if you’re using WP Rocket, then you can go to its settings and click the ‘Clear Cache’ button.

If you’re using Bluehost as your web hosting provider, you will see a ‘Caching’ option in the top admin toolbar.

Simply hover over it and click the ‘Purge All’ option.

You can follow our guide on how to clear cache in WordPress to learn more methods.

4. Perform a Security Scan of Your WordPress Site

In some cases, plugins may keep disappearing from the WordPress dashboard because malware or malicious code has been injected into your site.

To make sure that your site hasn’t been compromised, you should perform a scan for potential malicious code. There are a number of WordPress security scanners to choose from that help detect malware and hacks on your site.

To learn more, please see our guide on how to scan your WordPress site for malicious code.

Once you’ve detected malicious code or malware, you can use the security plugin to remove and clean up your site. After removal, you can access the admin panel and see if it fixed the issue.

Bonus: Hire WordPress Experts to Fix WordPress Issues and Errors

Are you sick of running into problems like plugins disappearing from your admin dashboard? Do you need professional help with fixing errors on your WordPress website?

With WPBeginner WordPress Maintenance and Support, you can hire experts to manage and maintain your website. Our team has over 16+ years of experience and has helped over 100,000 people get started with WordPress.

With our WordPress experts onboard, you will get 24/7 support, uptime monitoring, a comprehensive security check, and troubleshooting for WordPress errors or issues.

On the other hand, if you think you’re seeing an error on your site because it has been hacked, then we can also take care of that. With our Hacked Site Repair service, you can hire an expert to remove malicious code, corrupted files, and malware.

We hope this article helped you learn how to fix plugins disappearing from the WordPress dashboard. You may also want to see our guide on how to fix the ‘your connection is not private’ error and crucial WordPress maintenance tasks to perform.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Fix Plugins Disappearing From WordPress Dashboard first appeared on WPBeginner.

August 31, 2020

Coming Soon vs Maintenance Mode: What’s the Difference (Explained)

Recently, a reader asked us if there is a difference between coming soon mode and maintenance mode?

The answer is: Yes. They are both used for different purposes and search engines treat coming soon mode differently from maintenance mode.

In this article, we’ll explain the difference between coming soon vs maintenance mode, so you can choose the best option for your needs.

What is Coming Soon Mode vs. Maintenance Mode, and Why Does It Matter?

Coming soon mode is used when your website has not yet been launched. Maintenance mode is used when your website is temporarily offline for maintenance.

It’s easy to get these 2 modes confused. Several WordPress plugins such as SeedProd’s Coming Soon and Maintenance Mode Plugin let you put your site into either coming soon mode or maintenance mode. You may not be sure about the difference.

It’s extremely important to use each mode correctly. Because if you choose the wrong option, then it can harm your WordPress site’s SEO rankings.

When to Use a Coming Soon Page

You should use a coming soon page after you have registered a domain name, but before you have finished creating your website.

A coming soon page lets you gather interest on your site before you launch it. Plus, it lets Google start sending you visitors.

It’s best practice to have an email newsletter form on your coming soon page. This allows people to sign up and get an email when your site goes live.

SeedProd lets you create great-looking coming soon pages with just a few clicks. Let’s take a look at how to create a coming soon page like this:

How to Create a Coming Soon Page

To create a coming soon page, you first need to install and activate the SeedProd plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

We’re using the Pro version for our tutorial, but you can also use the free version of SeedProd.

Upon activation, you should be prompted for your license key. You will find this in your account area on the SeedProd website. Simply enter it on your WordPress site and click the ‘Check License’ button:

After that, go to the Settings » Coming Soon page and click the ‘Edit Coming Soon/Maintenance Page’ button:

Then, simply pick a template for your coming soon page. There are over 50 different coming soon templates ones to choose from:

You will now be taken into SeedProd’s coming soon page editor. Go ahead and change anything you want using the tabs in the left-hand sidebar.

For instance, you can click on the Countdown tab to enable a timer. You will need to specify an end date for the timer:

If you would like to integrate your coming soon form with your email marketing service, then simply click on the ‘Email Form Settings’ tab. Next, select your email marketing service from the ‘Save Subscribers To’ dropdown:

You then need to follow the on-screen instructions to connect your coming soon page with your email list.

Go ahead and make any other changes you want. Once you’re happy with your coming soon page, click the ‘Save’ button at the top of the screen. Next, click the ‘Back to Settings’ link:

Now, simply click the ‘Enable Coming Soon Mode’ button then the ‘Save All Changes’ button.

Your coming soon page is now live. To view it, log out of your website and visit any page:

When to Use Maintenance Mode

You should use maintenance mode if you need to briefly take your site offline for changes or updates.

For instance, you might want to use maintenance mode while changing WordPress themes. This ensures that your site still functions correctly and looks good with the new theme.

Another good time to use maintenance mode is if you’re adding an online store to your site. You can leave your website online but put your store into maintenance mode.

Maintenance mode lets search engines know that your site is currently down. It does this by returning the header code 503. That way, your site’s SEO won’t be affected by the downtime.

It’s good practice to let users know that your site will be back soon, too. You can do this by putting a message on your maintenance page. You might want to add an email form so they can get an email alert once your site is back up.

Tip: When you update plugins, themes, or core WordPress, your site will automatically go into maintenance mode for a few seconds. If your site gets stuck in this mode, we have instructions on fixing the WordPress maintenance mode error.

How to Put Your Site in Maintenance Mode

To put your site in maintenance mode, first install and activate the SeedProd plugin.

Next, follow the instructions above for creating a coming soon page above to create your maintenance mode page.

When you are ready to put your site into maintenance mode, simply go to the Settings » Coming Soon Pro page in your WordPress admin. Then, select the ‘Enable Maintenance Mode’ option and click the ‘Save All Changes’ button.

Remember, maintenance mode should only be used when your site is down for maintenance. If you have not yet launched your site, use coming soon mode instead.

We hope this article helped you understand how to choose coming soon vs maintenance mode. You may also want to check out our guide on the must have WordPress plugins for your website and our guide on how to install Google Analytics in WordPress.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post Coming Soon vs Maintenance Mode: What’s the Difference (Explained) appeared first on WPBeginner.

January 6, 2014

Escaping the maintenance mode trap

WordPress makes upgrading very easy . You simply click “Update now”, wait for a minute or two and your system is up to date. If, well if everything works fine.
The most common problem during an upgrade is the Internet connection to drop unexpectedly or the user to shut down the browser unintentionally. In both situations the upgrade will stop instantly.
If you try to log in to your backend again you will receive the message

“Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.”

This message is useful to keep users away from your blog during the upgrade but right now it’s keeping you from restarting the upgrade. To solve this problem we have to take a look at how WordPress determines that it’s in maintenance mode.

WordPress is looking for a possible maintenance mode very early to prevent the system dying from any fatal error. So it using a very simple method by writing a file called .maintenance to the WordPress root directory. If the blog or backend is accessed it will check for the file and stop if it’s present.

Knowing this the solution to our problem is quite simple: access your WordPress system via FTP and delete the file .maintenance.

If you’re not able to log in to your server via FTP for some reason there is a second method for escaping from maintenance mode: simply wait 10 minutes!
The file .maintenance contains a timestamp of the time the file was created. If this time is less than 10 minutes ago WordPress will go into maintenance mode otherwise it will continue to work as usual and enable you to restart the upgrade unless something worse keeps it from starting.