Probably should have led with this, but I learned this lesson the hard way. Three years ago, I woke up to find my entire portfolio site gone. Not just down, gone. The hosting company had a server failure, and my backups? They were stored on the same server. Brilliant move on my part.
That experience cost me six months of client work, testimonials I could never recreate, and about two weeks of sleep. Since then, I have become borderline obsessive about backup strategies. Website disasters happen without warning. Server failures, hacking incidents, accidental deletions, and failed updates can eliminate years of work in moments. The businesses that recover quickly share one common trait: they maintained comprehensive, tested backup systems.
Understanding Backup Types
Full backups capture everything: database, files, themes, plugins, uploads, and configuration. They require the most storage space and take the longest to create, but provide complete restoration capability. Run full backups at least weekly. This is the nuclear option, and you want it available.
Incremental backups save only files changed since the last backup. They consume less storage and complete faster, but restoration requires the original full backup plus all subsequent incremental backups in sequence. Miss one backup in the chain, and you have problems.
Differential backups save all changes since the last full backup. They use more storage than incremental but simplify restoration, requiring only the full backup plus the latest differential. For most small business sites, this hits the sweet spot between convenience and coverage.
A practical approach combines these types: weekly full backups with daily incremental or differential backups in between. I run mine every night at 3 AM when traffic is basically zero.
Choosing Backup Locations
Local server backups: Quick to create and restore, but vulnerable to the same threats affecting your website. Server failures, hacking, or hosting company problems can destroy both your site and local backups simultaneously. This was my rookie mistake, and I paid for it.
Cloud storage: Services like Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, Dropbox, or Google Drive provide offsite protection. Your backups survive even if your hosting provider experiences catastrophic failure. Configure automated transfers to keep cloud backups current. The few dollars per month for cloud storage is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy.
Offsite physical storage: Download critical backups to external drives stored away from your primary location. This protects against scenarios where online accounts become compromised or inaccessible. Call me paranoid, but I keep a quarterly backup on a drive at my in-laws’ house.
The 3-2-1 rule provides guidance: maintain three copies of your data, on two different storage types, with one copy offsite. This redundancy protects against virtually any single point of failure. It sounds excessive until the day it saves you.
Backup Frequency Recommendations
E-commerce sites: Daily full backups minimum. High-volume stores should consider multiple daily backups. Every transaction lost represents real revenue and customer trust damage. I have a client who processes 200 orders a day. They backup every four hours, and nobody questions the expense.
Active blogs and news sites: Daily backups capture new content. Weekly backups risk losing several articles and their associated comments, formatting, and SEO optimizations. If you publish regularly, back up regularly.
Static business websites: Weekly full backups suffice when content changes infrequently. Increase frequency temporarily during redesigns or content campaigns. Even boring sites deserve protection.
Membership or community sites: Daily backups protect user-generated content. Member profiles, forum posts, and uploaded files represent value that cannot be recreated. Your users will not recreate their contributions if they disappear.
Testing Backup Restoration
Here is where most people fail. Untested backups provide dangerous false confidence. Corrupted backup files, incomplete captures, and incompatible restoration processes reveal themselves only during actual recovery attempts. When you actually need that backup is the worst time to discover it does not work.
Quarterly restoration tests: Set up a staging environment and restore your latest backup. Verify that the site functions correctly, including database connections, user logins, and core functionality. Put it in your calendar right now. I mean it.
Document the process: Create step-by-step restoration instructions. In a crisis, you or your team members need clear procedures, not guesswork under pressure. Future you, panicking at 2 AM, will thank present you for writing this down.
Time your restoration: Know how long recovery takes. A four-hour restoration window affects business continuity planning differently than a four-minute recovery. Knowing this number lets you set realistic expectations with clients or stakeholders.
Disaster Recovery Planning
Backup systems form one component of broader disaster recovery planning. Consider these additional elements:
Recovery Time Objective (RTO): How quickly must your site return to operation? This determines backup frequency, restoration method, and hosting redundancy requirements. For some businesses, an hour of downtime costs thousands. Know your number.
Recovery Point Objective (RPO): How much data loss is acceptable? If losing one hour of transactions causes significant damage, hourly backups become necessary. This is not about perfection but about knowing what you can afford to lose.
Communication plan: Who notifies customers about outages? What channels work when your website is down? Prepare templates and contact lists in advance. Social media accounts become valuable when your main site is unavailable.
Alternative operations: Can your business function temporarily without the website? Identify critical processes and manual fallback procedures. Even a simple phone number and email address on a static page keeps you reachable.
Backup Tools and Plugins
For WordPress:
- UpdraftPlus: Popular free option with cloud storage integration. Premium version adds more destinations and features. This is what I use on most client sites.
- BackupBuddy: Comprehensive paid solution with migration capabilities and real-time backups. Solid choice for larger sites with more complex needs.
- Jetpack Backup: Automatic real-time backups with one-click restoration. Requires Jetpack subscription but the simplicity is worth it for non-technical site owners.
- All-in-One WP Migration: Simple backup and migration with export/import functionality. Great for moving sites between hosts.
For other platforms:
- Squarespace: Built-in backup through export functionality. Manually download periodically. Not ideal, but better than nothing.
- Wix: Limited export options. Use Wix Turbo or third-party solutions for comprehensive backup. This is one area where Wix frustrates me.
- Custom sites: Configure server-level backup through cPanel, Plesk, or shell scripts. More technical, but more control.
What to Include in Backups
Always include:
- Database (posts, pages, comments, settings, user data)
- Uploads folder (images, documents, media files)
- Theme files (customizations and child themes)
- Plugin files and settings
- Configuration files (wp-config.php, .htaccess)
Also consider:
- Email archives if hosted on same server
- SSL certificates and keys
- Cron job configurations
- Custom server configurations
- Documentation and passwords (stored securely)
Starting Your Backup Strategy Today
Begin with a full backup right now, before anything else. Not tomorrow, not next week, now. Store it in cloud storage away from your hosting account. Then implement automated daily backups using your chosen tool. Schedule calendar reminders for quarterly restoration tests.
The website you save will be your own. Every business that lost everything wishes they had spent the modest time and money on proper backups. I know because I was one of them. Do not become another cautionary tale when the solution sits within easy reach. Your future self, the one who will not have to explain to clients why their data disappeared, will thank you.
