Assign ownership before a problem appears.
The checklist works whether your team handles care internally or works with a provider.
Record who owns the domain, hosting account, content system, analytics, connected services, and support inbox. Name a primary contact and a backup contact. Keep access in an approved credential system, not in a public document or one person’s inbox.
Who can approve a content edit, a software update, or an emergency rollback? If those are three different decisions, write down the handoffs.
Define the routine.
- Check whether the site and its critical pages respond.
- Review available security and software updates for compatibility before applying them.
- Back up the files and data needed for recovery, then test a restore on an appropriate environment.
- Submit important forms and check that the message reaches the right person.
- Review broken links, outdated offers, expired team information, and stale legal or support references.
- Review performance and accessibility after major content, media, or plugin changes.
Set a cadence that matches how often the site changes and how costly an outage would be. A calendar reminder without an assigned owner is not a care plan.
Prepare the incident path.
Write the steps for an outage or compromised account: identify the symptom, preserve evidence, contact the right operator, restore service safely, and tell affected people what they need to know. Keep a current backup and a way to reach the provider outside the broken website. Record which changes can be rolled back and who has authority to do it.
Avoid promising a recovery time unless the hosting, backup, support coverage, and contract actually support it. Define the expected response process in writing.
Review the plan as the site changes.
A new form, payment tool, booking integration, or content editor changes the care surface. Add its owner, failure mode, and test to the plan. Review the list after a major release and whenever a vendor or team member changes. Check that the documentation still matches the live system.
Use the website audit checklist for a broader customer-path review. See website care plans for the service context, or talk to a specialist about the specific responsibilities your team needs covered.