Every website will eventually face a problem: a faulty update, a hacked plugin, a deleted page or a server failure. Whether that becomes a minor inconvenience or a business disaster depends on one thing: your backups.
The 3-2-1 rule
A simple, widely used guideline:
- 3 copies of your data: the live site plus two backups.
- 2 different storage locations or media, so one failure cannot destroy both.
- 1 copy off-site, away from your hosting server.
What to back up
- Website files: themes, plugins, uploads and images.
- The database: pages, posts, products, orders and settings.
- Email, if it is hosted with your website.
How often?
It depends on how often your site changes. A brochure site may be fine with weekly backups, while an online store taking orders every day needs daily or even more frequent backups.
Test your restore
A backup you have never restored is only a hope. Every few months, restore a backup to a test location to confirm it actually works.
Automate it
Manual backups get forgotten. An automated service runs on schedule, stores copies off-site and lets you restore a single file or the whole site with a few clicks.
Learn about our website backup service or ask us to review your current backups.