--- title: What’s Included in a WordPress Support Plan or Webmaster Retainer? description: "## TL;DR - **They cover two different jobs.** A WordPress support plan takes care of the technical side. A webmaster retainer covers changes to your content. - **Support plan:** hosting if you need it, daily backups, monthly updates, security monitoring,…" url: "https://webmasterforhire.us/knowledge-base/working-with-webmaster-for-hire/wordpress-support-plan-vs-webmaster-retainer/" updated: "2026-10-14" category: Working With Webmaster For Hire --- # What’s Included in a WordPress Support Plan or Webmaster Retainer? ## TL;DR - **They cover two different jobs.** A WordPress support plan takes care of the technical side. A webmaster retainer covers changes to your content. - **Support plan:** hosting if you need it, daily backups, monthly updates, security monitoring, and 24-hour repair and restore if your site is hacked. - **Retainer:** a block of hours each month for new pages, images, blog posts, events, and other changes. - **No minimum commitment.** Both renew automatically, and you can cancel before your next renewal. ## What a WordPress Support Plan Includes Our [WordPress Support Services](https://webmasterforhire.us/website-services/wordpress-support-services/) plans keep the structure of your site healthy: - **Hosting, if you need it.** Hosting is where your website's files are stored. - **Daily cloud backups.** A fresh copy of your site every day, stored in the cloud. - **Monthly updates.** WordPress, your plugins, and your theme. See [How Often Should I Update WordPress and My Plugins?](/knowledge-base/wordpress-care-and-maintenance/how-often-update-wordpress-plugins/) - **Security monitoring.** We watch for malware (harmful code planted on your site) and suspicious activity. - **24-hour repair and restore.** If your site is hacked, we repair and restore it within 24 hours of being notified, by our monitoring or by you. See [Is Hacked Website or Email Cleanup Included in My Plan?](/knowledge-base/working-with-webmaster-for-hire/hacked-website-email-cleanup/) - **Security setup.** When you start, we scan your site for malware and add security plugins. - **An SSL certificate on annual billing.** SSL is what puts the "https" in front of your web address and encrypts the connection. There are two levels. The Basic plan is for business sites with standard features, like a gallery or portfolio. The Advanced plan is for online stores, membership sites, multi-language sites, and WordPress multisite networks, which take more work to manage. **Not included:** content changes (that's the retainer), replacing deprecated plugins (ones their developers no longer support), and premium plugin costs. We can recommend a replacement and give you an estimate. Each website needs its own plan (a WordPress multisite network counts as one), and we don't support sites that store credit card numbers, medical information, Social Security numbers, or other highly sensitive data. ## What a Webmaster Retainer Includes A [Webmaster Retainer](https://webmasterforhire.us/website-services/webmaster-services-monthly-retainer/) is a set number of hours you buy each month. You email us what you need, and the work comes out of those hours: - **Content and pages.** Add, edit, or remove content on pages, posts, and products, and add new landing pages with your content. See [Can You Add News, Photos, Events, and New Pages to My Website?](/knowledge-base/working-with-webmaster-for-hire/add-news-photos-events-pages/) - **Images.** Swap banners, page images, and product images you provide, and make minor graphics. - **Promotions and events.** Add coupon codes and new events to your existing calendar. - **Video.** Add videos to YouTube and your website. - **Task-based marketing.** Keyword research, Google Business Profile updates, and social media setup and posting. These are tasks, so results aren't guaranteed. - **Site reviews and consulting.** Suggestions for improving your site, and consulting calls. **Not included:** custom development, website design or redesign, content writing, malware repair (that's the support plan), accessibility compliance updates, business email accounts, premium plugin costs, and annual domain, SSL, and hosting costs. ## How Retainer Hours Work - **Hours reset every 30 days.** Unused hours don't roll over to the next month. - **No surprise work.** If a request needs more time than you have left, we tell you before any extra work begins. - **Requests go in order.** We handle them in the order they arrive. - **Change your plan anytime.** Move up for a busy month, then back down. ## Which One Do You Need? - **You want your site kept safe and current:** a WordPress support plan. - **You send us changes and new content:** a webmaster retainer. - **Both:** they're built to work together. The support plan handles the structure, and the retainer handles the content. Webmaster For Hire recommends starting with a larger retainer when you have a pile of changes waiting, then dropping to a smaller one for regular upkeep. Most of our clients do it that way. Retainer hours also cost less than our one-off hourly rate. ## Common Questions ### Do Unused Retainer Hours Roll Over? No. Unused hours expire at the end of each 30-day billing cycle. ### Is There a Contract? No minimum commitment. Plans renew automatically, monthly or yearly depending on how you're billed. To cancel, email us or use your account portal before your next renewal date. ### How Do I Get Started? New retainer clients start with a 45-minute call, where we set a priority list of tasks. For a support plan, we'll need your domain registrar, your hosting login, an administrator account on your site, and the logins where your theme and premium plugins were bought. Setup takes up to 2 business days after we have everything. ## Which Plan Fits Your Website? Compare the details on our [WordPress Support Services](https://webmasterforhire.us/website-services/wordpress-support-services/) and [Webmaster Retainer](https://webmasterforhire.us/website-services/webmaster-services-monthly-retainer/) pages, or [request a consultation](https://webmasterforhire.us/request-a-consultation/) and we'll help you choose.