WordPress retainer
Ongoing WordPress & WooCommerce — one monthly lane, clear rules
Queue fixes, releases, and improvements without re-scoping every ticket. SterlingWeb runs a disciplined request queue with concurrent work limits so your site stays fast, secure, and editable — while you focus on growth, not plugin panic.
Process
How the retainer works
You submit structured requests; we size, schedule, and ship. Larger initiatives are split into sequenced tasks so throughput stays honest.
Submit a request
Email or your agreed channel — brief, acceptance criteria, links, and urgency. Attachments and staging URLs help us start without a discovery meeting for every tweak.
We queue and start
Requests enter a visible queue. Up to your plan’s concurrent tasks are in active development; the rest are ordered by impact and dependency.
Deliver & verify
We ship to staging when applicable, note release notes, and flag anything that needs your sign-off before production.
Ship the next win
When a slot frees, the next request moves forward. Same rhythm every week — no hunting for a new freelancer for each hotfix.
Scope
What the retainer is built for
Ongoing care, measured enhancements, and WooCommerce operations — not net-new product builds or full redesigns (those stay fixed-scope projects).
- Core, theme, and plugin updates with rollback discipline
- Bug fixes, layout regressions, and mobile polish
- Content and landing-page builds using your existing design system
- WooCommerce catalog, checkout, and email-flow adjustments within agreed complexity
- Performance triage: LCP/INP/CLS hotspots, image and script hygiene
- Forms, tracking, and consent-banner adjustments tied to your stack
- Security hardening recommendations after we read your hosting reality
Pricing
Plans — USD, billed monthly
Pick throughput that matches how noisy your backlog is. Every plan covers one primary production site unless we write add-ons for extras.
Studio
Steady throughput for marketing-led WordPress
$1,249/mo
USD · 2 concurrent tasks
- Two tasks in progress at a time
- Business-hours coverage in IST with overlap windows for US/EU teams
- Monthly update & backup hygiene checklist
- Staging-first changes when your host supports it
Priority
Higher concurrency for Woo-heavy or multi-stakeholder teams
$1,849/mo
USD · 3 concurrent tasks
- Three tasks in progress at a time
- Same coverage model with faster escalation for revenue-impacting issues
- Quarterly mini-audit: performance, SEO hygiene, and plugin risk snapshot
- Closer coordination with your agency PM when you white-label us
Initial commitment is typically three months so we can learn your theme, plugins, and release habits. Exact concurrent limits and response targets are fixed in your statement of work. Large rebuilds or new product surfaces are quoted separately.
Throughput
Example month
Illustrative tasks mixed across statuses — your queue will reflect your site, stack, and seasonality.
| Task | Status |
|---|---|
| Core, theme, and plugin security update pass with staging smoke test Complete | Complete |
| Fix mobile nav overlap on Services archive (iOS Safari) Complete | Complete |
| Add Organization + WebSite JSON-LD on homepage and About Complete | Complete |
| WooCommerce: align mini-cart line-height and coupon field on checkout In progress | In progress |
| Bulk-fill missing alt text on 95 media items (editorial guidelines) Complete | Complete |
| Resolve Gravity Forms spam spike + reCAPTCHA v3 thresholds Complete | Complete |
| New landing block row for Q2 campaign using existing Gutenberg patterns Queued | Queued |
| 301 map after blog category merge (48 URLs) Awaiting review | Awaiting review |
| Defer non-critical JS on blog single for INP improvement Complete | Complete |
| Update footer legal links and copyright year sitewide Complete | Complete |
| Custom post type archive: fix pagination + canonical tags In progress | In progress |
| Cookie banner: categorize new LinkedIn Insight tag Complete | Complete |
| Staff bio page template — add schema Person + headshot lazy-load Queued | Queued |
| WP-Cron health check; offload heavy jobs to host cron where supported Complete | Complete |
| WooCommerce email template tweaks (order confirmation, spacing) Awaiting review | Awaiting review |
| Staging → production release notes doc for client stakeholders Complete | Complete |
Figures are examples only, not a minimum delivery guarantee. Throughput follows your plan’s concurrent limits and task complexity.
Expectations
Working together — expectations
Clear briefs win
Screenshots, URLs, expected vs actual, and user role (editor vs admin) cut rework. For new sections, wireframes or references keep design debt predictable.
One production site per plan
Additional brands or environments need add-ons or a second retainer so throughput math stays honest.
Not a substitute for major projects
Net-new theme builds, headless migrations, or multi-month Woo replatforms are scoped as projects — we will tell you when work belongs outside the retainer.
FAQ
WordPress retainer — FAQ
What counts as one task?
A single, deliverable request with clear done criteria — e.g. “fix mobile nav overlap on Services” or “add three FAQ accordions to Pricing.” Large audits or epics are split into multiple tasks so the queue stays transparent.
Can I queue unlimited requests?
You can queue as many as you like; we work through them within your concurrent limit. Throughput depends on complexity — honest estimates beat fake “unlimited” promises.
Do you cover hosting and DNS?
We can execute agreed changes inside accounts you grant access to. Purchasing or migrating hosts is scoped separately unless your SOW explicitly includes it.
Is WooCommerce included?
Yes for template, catalog, checkout, and integration work that fits normal task size. Custom plugin authoring or ERP-grade integrations may move to project pricing.