Why A WordPress Backup Is So Important

It still amazes me after being involved in IT for so many years just how many people still do not do a backup of their websites and do not even give it a thought, yet their website is one of the most important parts of their business.

Furthermore, clients are installing plugins left right and centre, they rarely do their research or update them once installed, which is the perfect way to break a website…. so with all this in mind here is what to consider and a link to the WordPress website with full instructions of how to do a backup via various free software to access phpMyAdmin.

FYI- XRF Digital offer a hosting and maintenance package that would make sure that your website is backed up regularly and your plugins are safe and regularly updated.  Furthermore, we are at hand to get your site up and running very quickly should the worst happen – peace of mind – priceless!

Don’t Lose Your Data!

Your website contains all the content, images, posts,  products, in the backend it may contain, customer information, orders etc…you have spent many many hours creating the information, can you afford to lose all that data and have to reinstate it page by page? there are various reasons a website could become corrupted and not always within our control, by having a full backup of your website, you can have your website reinstated, up and running very quickly, which is far less damaging to your business, than having to start from scratch and being offline, or having a sub-standard website whilst you start building content again.

Let’s answer a few common questions before going to the main WordPress site..

How often should I do a backup?

Well this is totally up to you, and depending on how many changes you make to your website, if you have a busy website with daily multiple customers I would recommend a daily backup or every time you add to your website, and certainly, BEFORE you make any changes to your website such as installing a plugin or doing a software update.

Where should I keep the Backup?

I would suggest you keep a backup in various locations to ensure that should something happen to one copy you always have another to fall back on.

Can a backup be automated?

Yes, you can create automatic backups which are great if you have a busy life, however, it is always worth checking regularly just in case it is failing or has another issue.  You do not want to find an issue when you need the backup as that is all too late!

Are there plugins available that I can use to backup my site?

Yes there are several plugins available which can be installed and are very user friendly, for more about plugins take a look at our previous blog on how to install a WordPress Plugin

Here is a list of backup plugins on the WordPress Website

Caution

WordPress Backups are a no brainer, but you do need to be cautious, by accessing your website to create a backup you are within your live site, the very core of all the information. So if you accidentally delete or change something there is no going back on that, with the power in your hands to make such drastic changes, many people become nervous (totally understandable) which is why a maintenance package such as the one we provide to our clients is so important!

Useful things to know:

PHP – This is a scripting language

phpMyAdmin – This free software will allow you to administer areas within your websites such as tables, managing databases, user permissions and creating a backup.

How to do your WordPress backup, go over to the main WordPress Website here  I’m directing you to the main site as I know that this will be constantly updated and will share with you their recommendations for the right plugins associated with WordPress, also the website has a useful support area.

If you have a WordPress Website, and you choose to maintain it yourself you certainly should make time to visit WordPress.org and keep up to date on any changes and issues flagged.

Don’t forget as one of our clients we offer support to you, so if you are having difficulties simply send an email to support Give as much information as you can as this will allow us to resolve your issue quickly.