Backing up your website is easy when you know how. Simple it may be, it is frightening how many people can’t even remember the last time they took one or equally have never done it. So here’s some step by step instructions on how to do it yourself.
How do I backup my website?
All in One WP Migration (FREE)
- Install the All-in-one WP Migration Plugin
- Activate the plugin and click on it after it displays in the sidebar
- Click export
- Then click “Export To” and choose where you’d like to store it. Choosing “File” is a good option if you just want a copy on your computer.
- Wait for it to finish compiling
- Click download
- It’s a good idea to rename the backup to include the date and which website it is for e.g. “Speccymedia_backup _May_2020”
Pros
The plugin provides a free and very easy way to backup your WordPress Website, download the backup file or send it to a destination of your choice.
Cons
The plugin can sometimes be unreliable. We’ve found that if the website backup file is larger than 512mb, it carries a much higher risk of failing (and sometimes you might not find out until you come to restoring the site from your backup). On that same note, at the time of writing to restore a backup larger than 512mb will require you to purchase the premium version of the plugin.
Backup Buddy ($56USD)
- Head over to iThemes to buy the BackupBuddy plugin. Prices start from $56USD for a single WordPress website
- Activate the plugin
- Add your plugin License for automatic updates
- Run the BackupBuddy Quick Start Wizard
- Go to the Backup page to manually make your first Backup! (you can also set the plugin to take backups for you on autopilot)
Pros
BackupBuddy is a very robust plugin that does one job and does it very well. Just being able to schedule automatic backups and have them stored in a secure location helps us (and our clients) to sleep a little better at night. This is a particularly useful plugin if you regularly update your content or sell products. In our opinion it’s worth every penny.
Cons
We think the plugin is well priced for the job that it does, but for some the starting price of $56USD per year might be a little too much when first starting out. On some very large websites (10GB+), we’ve found that the plugin can fail the backup process – which isn’t ideal!
When should I create a backup?
We recommend scheduling regular backups, particularly if you have “evergreen” content (content that is constantly updating and being added to) or if you run a shop on your website (Keeping customer and order information is critical!). We suggest scheduling a backup once per week.
It’s also a good idea to create a quick backup of your website each time you update your version of WordPress or if you add or update plugins. Sometimes a plugin update or WordPress Core update can cause a code conflict which could take your website down! Not what you want.
If you get stuck, give us a buzz!