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Your WordPress Backup Plan: Because 'It Won't Happen to Me' Isn't a Strategy
A client of mine was hacked last year and didn't realise for days. By the time they reached out, the site was riddled with spam links and completely blacklisted by Google. What could've been a quick fix turned into days of stressful cleanup and lost business — because they didn't have a backup to restore from.
If your practice runs on WordPress, your website holds more than just marketing copy. It's got client-facing forms, contact details, testimonials, maybe case studies. Losing it to a bad update or a malicious attack isn't just an inconvenience — it's a business problem. A proper backup strategy makes it a five-minute fix instead of a week-long crisis.
How Often Should You Back Up?
This depends on how often your website changes:
- Daily backups if you're publishing content regularly or running an e-commerce site
- Weekly backups if your site updates less frequently (most small practice websites fall here)
- Monthly backups should be the absolute minimum for any business website
The more frequently your site changes, the more often you should back it up.
Backup Methods: Finding What Works for You
There are three main approaches, from hands-on to fully automated.
1. Manual Backup
I'd only recommend this if you're comfortable with FTP and phpMyAdmin. If those words mean nothing to you, skip to options 2 or 3.
For your database:
- Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard
- Go to Tools → Export
- Select "All content" and click "Download Export File"
For your files:
- Connect to your website using FTP with software like FileZilla
- Download all files from your root directory (usually called "public_html" or "www")
Pros: Free, complete control Cons: Time-consuming, technical, easy to forget
2. Hosting with Backups Included
Many quality WordPress hosts include automated backups as standard. Look for:
- Daily automated backups accessible through your hosting control panel
- One-click restore options to quickly recover your site
- Downloadable backup files (not all hosts offer this — check before you need it)
Pros: Convenient, often included in your hosting fee Cons: May not be frequent enough, restoration may require support tickets, backups might not be downloadable
3. Backup Plugins
Dedicated backup plugins offer the most flexibility. The free version of UpdraftPlus or Duplicator will cover most small business sites. Premium options like Jetpack Backup and BlogVault add real-time backups and easier migration tools if you need them.
Pros: User-friendly, customisable, automated Cons: Free versions have limitations, premium versions add to your costs
Setting Up UpdraftPlus: Step by Step
UpdraftPlus is the backup plugin I recommend most. The free version is genuinely excellent. Here's how to set it up:
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Install and activate the plugin
- Go to Plugins → Add New
- Search for "UpdraftPlus"
- Click "Install Now" then "Activate"
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Configure your backup settings
- Go to Settings → UpdraftPlus Backups
- Click the "Settings" tab
- Set your backup schedule (recommended: files weekly, database daily)
- Choose a remote storage destination — Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3 all work with the free version
-
Run your first backup
- Go to the "Backup / Restore" tab
- Click "Backup Now"
- Select all the components you want to back up
- Click "Backup Now" again
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Verify your backup storage
- Check that your backup files actually appear in your chosen storage location
- Keep multiple backup versions when possible
The key detail most people miss: store your backups somewhere other than your web server. If your site gets compromised, backups sitting on the same server are useless. A remote copy means you can restore from a clean version in minutes.
Best Practices
Follow the 3-2-1 Rule
- Keep at least 3 copies of your data
- Store backups on at least 2 different types of media
- Keep at least 1 backup offsite (cloud storage, external drive at another location)
Test Your Restores
A backup is only useful if it actually works. Once a quarter, restore a backup to a staging environment and check that everything — content, functionality, design — comes through intact. Most people never test this until they need it, and that's a terrible time to discover a problem.
Always Back Up Before Updates
Create a manual backup before updating WordPress core, installing new plugins or themes, making significant design changes, or migrating to a new host. This gives you a clean restore point if something breaks.
Document Your Process
Write down how your backups are configured, where the files are stored, and the steps to restore. Keep it simple — a one-page document shared with anyone who helps manage your website. You'll be glad it exists when you need it at 10pm on a Friday.
How to Restore From Backup
Using UpdraftPlus
- Log in to your WordPress admin area (if accessible)
- Go to Settings → UpdraftPlus Backups
- Click the "Restore" button next to the backup you want to use
- Select what you want to restore (database, plugins, themes, etc.)
- Click "Restore" and follow the prompts
If Your Site Is Completely Down
- Set up a fresh WordPress installation
- Install and activate the UpdraftPlus plugin
- Go to Settings → UpdraftPlus Backups
- Upload your backup files using the "Upload backup files" option
- Follow the restoration steps as above
When to Consider Professional Help
If you're not comfortable with this stuff, or your website is critical to how clients find and contact you, it's worth having someone manage backups for you. The cost of a maintenance plan is trivial compared to rebuilding a site from scratch.
The question isn't whether you'll ever need your backups — it's when.
Related reading: Backups are one half of the equation — the other half is prevention. Read my guide to locking down your WordPress site in 1 hour. And if you'd rather not think about any of this, my WordPress maintenance service covers backups, security, and updates for solicitors, accountants, and consultants across North Yorkshire.