WordPress Optimization & Care
We've worked with WordPress and search optimization for decades. From plugin conflicts and performance issues to technical and on-page SEO and security reviews, we keep your site lean, current, secure, and configured correctly: without the guesswork.
Every price you see here is fixed for that defined scope, and it's the floor: enough to know instantly if we're a fit for your budget, no call required. If your project needs more than the baseline scope covers, we'll price that separately and tell you before we start, but the number you see never moves on its own.
Plugin conflicts, bloated media, and misconfigured settings don't show up the same way on other platforms, so everything below is exclusive to WordPress sites. If your site runs on Squarespace, Wix, or another platform, the equivalent work lives on the Website Technical Health page instead. And if you're tired of paying the WordPress tax of ongoing plugin conflicts and maintenance headaches altogether, we'll tell you honestly whether moving to Squarespace makes sense for your business. It's not the right move for everyone, but it's worth knowing your options.
Services on this page start at $250.
We're confident enough in this process to put the fee on the line.
If any audit doesn't turn up something real and actionable, it's free.
Options:
1. Plugin Audit & Conflict Cleanup
$350We review every active plugin for feature redundancy, outdated code, and conflicts slowing your site down, then remove or replace what's not pulling its weight.
Plugin bloat builds up gradually as tools update or go unmaintained: this is the same cleanup we recommend auditing quarterly.
2. Image Compression & Optimization
$250We compress the weight of PDF files and images, and convert your existing image library to modern formats like WebP, cutting page weight without visible quality loss.
Heavy, uncompressed images are one of the most common site speed killers we find in audits, and one of the easiest fixes with the biggest impact.
3. Permalink & URL Structure Cleanup
$300We correct your permalink structure and fix any broken links left behind from past changes, since altering this incorrectly can tank existing rankings.
We map every existing URL to its new structure with proper redirects, so rankings carry over rather than reset.
4. WordPress-Specific SEO Settings Optimization
$350We configure the WordPress-native settings that affect search visibility: categories, taxonomies, sitemap generation, and core SEO plugin setup.
If your site doesn't have a favicon in the browser tab, pages end in .html, or the homepage tab reads "Home" instead of your business name, this is the type of stuff we fix.
Bundle & Save 10%
Order two or more services together to receive a 10% discount.
The WordPress Break-Even Math: Fix Your Current Site or Rebuild on Squarespace?
Before you spend money refreshing or repairing a WordPress site, run the 12-month numbers.
Purchasing all four WordPress cleanup services on this page totals $1,250 (or $1,125 with the 10% bundle savings). If your current agency or web host also charges you a standard $150/month (or more) service/maintenance fee ($1,800/year) for plugin & theme updates (plugins add functionality while themes add structural and visual enhancements), backups, and security patches, you will spend $2,925 to $3,050 over the next 12 months just to keep your existing WordPress site active, safe, and stable.
By comparison: A brand-new, custom 6-page Search-First Squarespace Website built by our senior engineering team starts at $3,000 and carries $0 in ongoing monthly service or maintenance fees. Think of WordPress and Squarespace like a PC and a Mac: both give you strong text editors, full CSS and HTML customization, and customizable themes and plugins, but one requires constant security patching and IT upkeep while the other just runs.
When to Stay & Optimize WordPress
On WordPress, plugins are woven directly into the core code of your website, and every update must be managed by you or your agency. That is why a single failed update can crash an entire WordPress site.
Stay if: Your site is less than three years old, uses a clean custom theme, requires specialized database plugins, and you have an internal team managing updates without paying an outside agency a monthly upkeep fee.
When to Walk Away & Rebuild
On Squarespace, plugins & themes remain external to the core platform code, and updates are handled automatically by the plugin developer. They cannot crash your core website, and your monthly agency maintenance fee drops to $0.
Rebuild if: Your site is overloaded with 15+ plugins, things break during updates (plugin auto-update is not fail-safe), doesn't pass mobile speed checks, or locks you in a monthly maintenance bill that could be reinvested into active growth like Managed SEO (starting at $450/month), Google & Microsoft Ads, photo/video sessions, blogging, or expanding your site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about WordPress plugin audits, permalinks, and optimization scope.
How do I know if my slow site is a WordPress plugin problem or a general technical issue? +
If you're on WordPress and haven't audited your plugins in the last year, start here. If issues persist after cleanup, the remaining problems likely belong on the Website Technical Health page instead.
BTW, setting plugins to auto-update is a band-aid. Yes, it works, most of the time, but when it doesn't, it can result in a website down for days while you find someone willing to fix it. Think of it like fixing a water leak with bubblegum.
Will changing my permalinks hurt my existing rankings? +
It can, if done incorrectly. We map every existing URL to its new structure with proper redirects, so rankings carry over rather than reset.
How often should plugins be audited? +
Quarterly for most business sites, since plugin bloat and conflicts build up gradually as plugins update or go unmaintained. But we like to give a poke around anytime we add or remove one too, to play it extra safe.
Do you handle ongoing WordPress maintenance too, or just one-time cleanup? +
This page covers one-time optimization projects. If you want ongoing monthly maintenance, or content development, ask us about a recurring care plan separately.
This Is Right For You If
- Your WordPress site is running noticeably slower than it used to.
- You've installed and deactivated plugins over the years without giving thought to how they impact the performance and user experience of your site.
- You've never checked how your actual links look (permalink structure) since building the site.
- Your media library is full of images you probably didn't compress in weight before using.
Clarity Costs Nothing. Confusion Costs Everything.
Not sure which option fits your business? A free 30-minute conversation is enough to point you in the right direction, with no pressure, no jargon, and no invoice on the other side of the call.
Every WordPress optimization project includes a direct scheduling link so we can review your plugin stack together.