Site Tip · Owning & protecting your site

Backups you can actually restore

Websites break. A bad update, a hacked login, or a hosting mistake can take yours down overnight. The real question is not whether it can happen. It is how fast you could get it back.

What a backup is

A backup is a saved copy of your whole website. That means the files, such as your pages and photos, and the content stored behind the scenes, like text, forms and settings. If something goes wrong, you can use that copy to put things back the way they were.

A copy of only your photos, or a few pages pasted into a document, is not a full backup. It would take a long time to rebuild from that.

Do not assume your host has you covered

Many owners think the hosting company keeps backups automatically. Some do, but plans differ. Some keep them only for a few days, charge extra to restore, or do not include them at all. People often find this out only when they need one.

Log in to your hosting account or call support and ask these questions:

• Do you back up my site automatically, and how often?
• How long do you keep each backup?
• Can I download a copy myself?
• How do I restore, and is there a cost?

A simple three-step plan

First, set up automatic backups so you never have to remember. Your host may offer this, or your website platform may have a backup tool.

Second, keep a copy somewhere else. If your host has a problem, a backup stored only on the same server may be gone too. Save a copy to a separate place, such as a cloud storage account you control.

Third, test a restore at least once. Ask your host or web person to show you how to bring a backup back, ideally on a test copy of the site. This is the step most people skip, and it is the one that proves the backup works.

When to make an extra backup

Take a fresh backup before big changes, such as a redesign, a plugin or theme update, or moving to a new host. Then you have a clean point to return to if something goes wrong.

Modestius builds and fixes websites for small businesses, and we can help you set up backups and check that they restore.

Questions owners ask

How often should I back up my site?

It depends on how often it changes. A site you rarely edit may need less frequent backups than one that takes orders or posts daily. Ask your web person what fits.

What if I do not know where my site is hosted?

Check your invoices or ask whoever built the site. You can also look up your domain's records, or ask a web professional to find it.

Is a backup the same as security?

No. Backups help you recover after a problem. They do not stop problems from happening, so keep your logins strong and your software updated too.