5 Time-Consuming WordPress Agency Tasks You Can Automate Today

If you’re running a WordPress agency, you know the feeling: your team is drowning in repetitive tasks that eat up billable hours but don’t directly generate revenue. You’re manually updating plugins across dozens of client sites, compiling reports from multiple data sources, and logging into site after site to make simple changes.

Here’s the reality: over 40% of workers spend at least a quarter of their work week on manual, repetitive tasks. For WordPress agencies managing multiple client sites, that number is often higher. The good news? Most of these time-draining activities can be automated, freeing your team to focus on strategic work that actually grows your business.

In this article, we’ll explore five of the most time-consuming tasks WordPress agencies face—and show you exactly how to automate them. Whether you’re a solo freelancer or managing a team of 20, these automation strategies will help you reclaim hours every week.

1. Client Reporting: From 10 Hours to 10 Minutes

The Problem:

Client reporting is essential for retention and demonstrating value, but it’s also one of the biggest time sinks agencies face. Traditional manual reporting consumes 10-15 hours per week for agencies managing multiple clients. You’re logging into Google Analytics, checking uptime monitors, reviewing security scans, compiling performance metrics, and formatting everything into presentable reports—separately for each client.

The process is not only time-consuming but also prone to human error. Miss a data point, and you risk undermining client confidence. Delay a report, and clients start questioning what they’re paying for.

The Solution:

Automated client reporting tools pull data from multiple sources and generate comprehensive, branded reports on a schedule you set. Tools like WP Umbrella, ManageWP, and MainWP can automatically track:

• Website uptime and performance metrics
• Security scan results
• Plugin and theme update status
• Backup completion status
• Traffic and engagement data
• Page load times

These platforms let you create report templates once, then automatically generate and send them weekly or monthly. Some agencies report saving 137 billable hours per month after implementing automated reporting.

Implementation Tips:

• Start with a template that includes the metrics your clients care about most (usually uptime, security, and performance)
• Schedule reports to send automatically the same day each month to build client expectations
• Include a brief personalized note at the top to maintain the human touch
• Use white-label options to reinforce your agency brand

Time Saved: 8-12 hours per week for agencies managing 10+ client sites

2. Plugin and Theme Updates: Eliminate the Security Bottleneck

The Problem:

WordPress plugin and theme updates are critical for security and functionality, but manually managing them across dozens of client sites is exhausting. Each update requires:

• Logging into each site individually
• Checking which plugins need updates
• Reading changelogs to identify breaking changes
• Creating a backup before updating (just in case)
• Testing the site after updates
• Documenting what was updated and when

Multiply this by 20, 30, or 50 client sites, and you’re spending hours every week on maintenance tasks. Worse, delayed updates create security vulnerabilities that put your clients at risk.

The Solution:

WordPress update automation tools let you manage updates across all client sites from a single dashboard. Platforms like MainWP, ManageWP, InfiniteWP, and WP Umbrella offer:

• Bulk update capabilities (update the same plugin across 50 sites with one click)
• Automatic backups before updates
• Staging environment testing to catch conflicts before they go live
• Update scheduling during low-traffic hours
• Automatic rollback if an update causes issues
• Detailed update logs for client reporting

You can also enable selective automatic updates for trusted plugins (like security plugins) while maintaining manual control over major updates that might affect functionality.

Implementation Tips:

• Create a tiered update strategy: automatic for security patches, scheduled for minor updates, manual approval for major version changes
• Set up automatic backups before any update
• Use staging sites to test major updates before deploying to production
• Create a whitelist of trusted plugins that can auto-update safely

Time Saved: 5-8 hours per week for agencies managing 20+ sites

3. Backup Management: Automate Your Safety Net

The Problem:

Regular backups are non-negotiable for WordPress agencies, but manual backup processes are time-consuming and unreliable. Creating backups manually means:

• Logging into each client site
• Initiating the backup process
• Verifying the backup completed successfully
• Downloading and storing backup files
• Organizing backups by client and date
• Testing restores periodically to ensure backups actually work

The math is brutal: manual backups cost more than premium automated backup plugins after just three months when you factor in labor costs. And if you skip backups due to time constraints, you’re exposing your agency to catastrophic risk.

The Solution:

Automated backup solutions run on schedules you define, store backups securely off-site, and alert you if anything goes wrong. Tools like UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy, Duplicator Pro, and BlogVault offer:

• Scheduled automatic backups (daily, weekly, or custom intervals)
• Incremental backups to save storage space and bandwidth
• Off-site storage to cloud services (Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3)
• One-click restore functionality
• Automatic backup testing to verify integrity
• Real-time backup for high-traffic sites

Many WordPress management platforms (MainWP, ManageWP, WP Umbrella) also include backup automation as part of their suite, letting you manage backups across all client sites from one dashboard.

Implementation Tips:

• Set backup frequency based on site activity (daily for e-commerce, weekly for brochure sites)
• Store backups in multiple locations (local + cloud) for redundancy
• Schedule backups during low-traffic periods to minimize performance impact
• Test restores quarterly to ensure your backup strategy actually works
• Automate backup status reporting to clients for added value

Time Saved: 3-5 hours per week for agencies managing 15+ sites

4. Client Onboarding and Site Setup: Standardize and Accelerate

The Problem:

Every new client means setting up a new WordPress site or taking over an existing one. The manual process includes:

• Installing WordPress and essential plugins
• Configuring security settings
• Setting up staging environments
• Creating backup schedules
• Configuring performance optimization
• Setting up monitoring and reporting
• Documenting login credentials and site details

When done manually, onboarding a single client can take 4-6 hours. The process is also inconsistent—different team members might configure sites differently, leading to maintenance headaches down the road.

The Solution:

Automated onboarding workflows use templates and scripts to standardize new site setup. Tools and strategies include:

• Site Templates: Create a “golden master” site with your standard plugin stack, security settings, and configurations. Clone it for each new client using tools like ManageWP, InstaWP, or Duplicator.
• Onboarding Automation Platforms: Tools like Zapier or Make (formerly Integromat) can automate the administrative side—creating project folders, setting up communication channels, sending welcome emails, and populating project management tools.
• Staging Site Automation: Platforms like InstaWP and Local WP allow you to spin up staging sites in minutes, letting clients see progress without risking production sites.
• Documentation Templates: Use tools like Process Street or Notion to create checklists that guide team members through onboarding steps consistently.

Implementation Tips:

• Document your ideal site configuration and turn it into a reusable template
• Create client intake forms that automatically populate your project management system
• Use appointment scheduling tools to eliminate back-and-forth email for kickoff meetings
• Build a library of contract templates, proposal templates, and onboarding documents
• Automate credential management with password managers like 1Password or LastPass for teams

Time Saved: 3-4 hours per new client onboarding

5. Multi-Site Image Management: Update Once, Sync Everywhere

The Problem:

If your agency manages multiple WordPress sites for the same brand—think franchises, multi-location businesses, or companies with separate sites for different product lines—updating images is a nightmare. When a client needs to update their logo, hero image, or product photos across 10, 20, or 50 sites, you’re facing:

• Logging into each site individually
• Navigating to the Media Library
• Uploading the new image
• Finding every page/post where the old image appears
• Replacing the old image with the new one
• Repeating this process for every single site

For a simple logo update across 20 sites, this can easily consume 2-3 hours. For a brand refresh with dozens of images, you’re looking at days of work.

The Solution:

Centralized image management tools let you update an image once and automatically sync it across all connected WordPress sites. ImageZen, for example, creates a central hub where you:

• Upload images to a centralized catalog organized by client or project
• Connect all of a client’s WordPress sites via a simple plugin
• Update an image in the central hub, and it automatically syncs to all connected sites
• Manage images across unlimited sites from a single dashboard

The plugin integrates directly with WordPress Media Library, so your existing workflow doesn’t change—you’re just managing images from a central location instead of logging into each site separately.

Implementation Tips:

• Organize your image catalogs by client, project, or brand for easy management
• Use the free tier (up to 5 images) to test the workflow with a pilot client
• Document the process for your team so everyone knows how to use the centralized system
• Communicate the time savings to clients—they’ll appreciate faster turnaround on image updates
• Consider the value for franchise clients or brands with seasonal campaigns requiring frequent image updates

Time Saved: 2-3 hours per multi-site image update project; 10+ hours per month for agencies managing multiple franchise or multi-location clients

Conclusion: Reclaim Your Time and Scale Your Agency

Automation isn’t about replacing your team—it’s about freeing them from repetitive, low-value tasks so they can focus on strategy, creativity, and client relationships. The five automation strategies outlined in this article can collectively save your agency 20-30 hours per week or more.

Here’s what to do next:

1. Audit your current workflows: Track how much time your team actually spends on these five tasks over the next week. You might be surprised by the results.
2. Start with the biggest time sink: For most agencies, that’s client reporting. Implement automated reporting first to see immediate results.
3. Roll out automation gradually: Don’t try to automate everything at once. Choose one task per month to automate, giving your team time to adapt.
4. Measure the impact: Track time saved and reinvest those hours into revenue-generating activities like business development, strategy work, or taking on additional clients.
5. Communicate the value: Let your clients know you’re implementing automation to improve service quality and response times. They’ll appreciate the investment in efficiency.

The WordPress agencies that thrive in 2025 and beyond won’t be the ones working the hardest—they’ll be the ones working the smartest. Automation is your competitive advantage. Start implementing these strategies today, and watch your agency’s productivity and profitability soar.