The Essential Guide to Backing Up Your Website
When you’re a small business owner, your website represents a critical aspect of your online presence. And the thought of losing it all? Not good! That’s why backing up your website is not just a good idea—it’s a necessity. Let’s dive into why you should back up your website, how to do it, how often you should back up, and where you should store your backups to ensure your site is safe from unexpected disasters.
Why Should You Back Up Your Website?
One of my favorite sayings is “Technology is fantastic until it isn’t.” No matter how well-built your website is, it’s always vulnerable to risks. File corruption, hacking attempts, and technical failures are a few of the things that can mess with your site. When you do run into one of these issues, nothing feels better than knowing that you can restore your site with the click of a button. That’s the beauty of a backup!
When Do We Need the Backup?
1. Corrupt Files
Sometimes, files on your website can become corrupt due to errors during uploads, issues with code, or conflicts during website updates. If this happens, having a backup ensures that you can restore your site quickly without losing valuable content.
2. Hacked Website
Hackers are a constant threat to websites, especially those with outdated plugins, themes, or security vulnerabilities. If a hacker gains access to your site, they could steal your data, deface your pages, or even destroy your content. Backups are your fail-safe—allowing you to restore your website to its pre-hacked state.
3. Hosting Server Issues
Even the most reliable web hosting services can experience technical failures or outages. Servers can crash, leading to website downtime or loss of data. Having a backup gives you the power to quickly bring your website back online, minimizing the impact or loss.
How to Back Up Your Website
Backing up your website doesn’t have to be complicated, and there are several ways to do it depending on your technical expertise and hosting platform.
1. Backup Services Provided by Your Host
Many web hosting providers offer automatic backups as part of their service. If your host provides this feature, they will typically back up your site at regular intervals, such as daily or weekly. This is a simple, hands-off solution, and one you should always take advantage of! Check your hosting plan to confirm whether this service is offered, and make sure you configure the settings to match your particular needs.
2. Using a Plugin:
For website owners using WordPress, there are several plugins that can automate the backup process. Plugins like UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy, and VaultPress allow you to set up regular backups with minimal effort. Most plugins give you the option to schedule backups and save them to a remote storage service, such as Google Drive or Dropbox. Make sure you enable this off-site delivery option, as the default is probably set to storing the backup on your website. And if you leave it on-site, if your website goes down, so does your backup.
3. Manual Backups:
If you like to have complete control over the process, backups can be created manually as well. This process is a bit more technical so it’s better for people who are comfortable working with the files and database of a website. When backing up manually, usually you’ll download all your website files (like HTML, CSS, images, etc.) and export your database (MySQL for WordPress) to store them on your local computer or cloud service. While this method can be time-consuming, it provides peace of mind, knowing you’re backing up everything personally.
How Often Should You Back Up Your Website?
The required frequency of your backups will depend on how often you update or add content to your website. Most commonly we recommend backup up your site daily. If you have a busy ecommerce site, you might need to consider multiple backups per day. For smaller websites with less frequent updates, weekly backups may suffice. However, it’s always better to err on the side of caution, so we usually recommend daily backups, even for mostly static sites. Most backup tools allow you to set these backups on an automatic schedule, saving you time and reducing the risk of forgetting.
Where Should You Store Your Backups?
The location of your backups is just as important as the backup itself. You know the saying “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket?” Totally true here. Don’t put all your backups in the same place. Storing your backups in one place is risky. If that storage location becomes compromised, you could lose everything. Here are some best practices for storing your backups:
1. Offsite Backups
It’s absolutely essential to store your backups offsite—away from your main web server or hosting account. If your hosting service crashes or is hacked, your backup will still be safe. Offsite storage options include cloud services like Google Drive, Amazon S3, Dropbox, or even external hard drives. These services are reliable and offer a range of storage options.
2. Two Different Locations
As an additional layer of protection, store your backups in two different locations. This could be a combination of cloud storage and an external hard drive. If there’s an issue with one location, you’ll still have a backup available.
Conclusion
Website backups are an indispensable part of maintaining a secure and reliable online presence. By backing up your website regularly, you protect yourself from the risks of data corruption, hacking, and hosting failures. Whether you rely on your hosting provider’s backup service, use a plugin, or perform manual backups, make sure to back up frequently and store your backups in at least two secure, offsite locations. By doing so, you’ll be able to quickly recover from any unexpected disasters and keep your website running smoothly.
