If your website breaks, is hacked or is deleted by mistake, a good backup lets you get it back within hours. A bad one leaves you rebuilding from scratch.
What needs backing up
A website has two parts: the files (theme, plugins, images) and the database (pages, posts, settings, enquiries). A complete backup includes both. A backup of only the pictures, or only the pages, is not enough.
How often
For a site that rarely changes, a daily or weekly backup is normal. If you add content or take enquiries often, daily is better. Keep several recent copies, not just the latest, because a problem may not be spotted for days.
Where they are kept
A backup stored only on the same server as the site is at risk: if the server fails, both are lost. Good practice is to keep copies somewhere separate, such as cloud storage. Ask your host where yours are.
How to know it works
The only proof is a restore. Ask your host or developer to restore a recent backup to a test copy of the site, and check that pages, images and forms work. Do it a couple of times a year and after major changes. Many people never test and find out only when they need it.
Questions to ask your host
- How often are backups taken, and how many are kept?
- Are the files and the database both included?
- Where are they stored?
- How long does a restore take, and who does it?
- When was a restore last tested?
Do not rely on a plugin alone
Free backup plugins can fail silently, for example by running out of space. If you use one, check it regularly.
Keep your own copy
Your photos, logo and written text are yours. Keep the originals on your computer or cloud drive too.
A backup is only as good as your last successful restore. Ask when it was last tested.
See website maintenance.