Table of Contents

• Why Is Backing Up Your WordPress Website Essential?
• Ensures Protection Against Loss
• Compliant with Standards
• How Often Should You Back Up?
• Automatic vs Manual Backups
• Automatic Backups
• Manual Backups
• Where Should You Store Your Backups?
• Be Selective: What to Back Up
• Testing Your Backups
• Common Backup Missteps to Avoid
• Let Us Take Care of It For You

Hello there, fellow small business owners! If you’ve landed here, you’re probably looking for some solid advice on how to secure your corner of the internet with a robust backup strategy. Backing up your WordPress website is essential to ensure that all your hard work doesn’t vanish into thin digital air. Let’s dive right into the essentials that you need to know to protect your online presence effectively!

Why Is Backing Up Your WordPress Website Essential?

We all cherish our websites, not just because they look great, but because they are the digital face of our business. Imagine losing your precious data to hackers, server crashes, or even a simple human error. Scary, right? That’s why backing up is so crucial. By having backups, you can restore your site to its former glory with minimal downtime, ensuring that your business keeps running smoothly.

Ensures Protection Against Loss

Your website is likely packed with valuable data – be it your content, sales records, or customer information. Without regular backups, you risk losing valuable data due to unforeseen issues.

Compliant with Standards

Here in Australia, ensuring that your website maintains standard compliance is more critical than ever, especially when handling customer data. Regular backups ensure you can quickly recover data, helping you maintain compliance with Australian privacy laws.

How Often Should You Back Up?

The ideal backup strategy depends significantly on how frequently you update your website. As a rule of thumb:

• If you update your site daily, consider daily backups.
• For weekly updates, weekly backups might suffice.
• If updates are rare, perhaps monthly backups could work, but sooner is always safer!

Remember, even small neglected updates can accumulate to significant data losses if you’re not careful.

Automatic vs Manual Backups

Automatic Backups

Automating your backup process can save heaps of time. Many WordPress plugins offer automated backups, which can be scheduled as needed. These tools diligently work in the background and require little oversight from you, allowing you to concentrate on growing your business. Popular choices include UpdraftPlus, Jetpack, and BackupBuddy.

Manual Backups

If you prefer doing things hands-on or have unique requirements, manual backups are an alternative. WordPress allows you to export your data through the dashboard or you could manually copy files via FTP. While more involved, manual processes offer customised control over your backups.

Where Should You Store Your Backups?

Now that you know when and how to back up your site, let’s talk about where to store your backed up data. Diversification in storage is the key:

• Cloud Storage: Options like Google Drive, Dropbox, or AWS are convenient and secure.
• External Hard Drives: Keeping physical backups is smart for extra safety, just like a digital fireproof safe.
• Third-Party Backup Services: Leveraging specialised services can add an extra layer of security, often with additional features like encryption.

Be Selective: What to Back Up

Backing up everything might seem like a blanket solution, but it can be resource-intensive. Prioritise crucial elements:

1. Your Database: Ensures your posts, pages, and comments are protected.
2. WordPress Files: Including themes, plugins, uploads, and core WordPress files.
3. Configuration Files: Important for restoring specific settings and custom scripts.

Testing Your Backups

Imagine going through all the trouble of maintaining backups only to find out they don’t work! Periodically test your backups to ensure they are functioning as intended. You can try restoring a backup on a staging server or a local development environment.

Common Backup Missteps to Avoid

• Leaving Default Plugin Settings: Each website has unique demands; tweak settings as necessary.
• Not Monitoring Backups: Set notifications for successful or failed backups to stay informed.
• Ignoring Data Growth: As your site grows, ensure your backup strategy scales accordingly.

Incorporating a reliable backup plan doesn’t just safeguard your website; it gives you peace of mind, allowing you to sleep easy knowing your hard work is protected.

Let Us Take Care of It For You

Backing up a website might sound daunting, but worry not! At Now Technology Systems, we offer comprehensive WordPress backup services tailored to meet the unique needs of Australian small businesses. Our expert team ensures your website is backed up regularly, securely, and efficiently. By choosing us, you’re ensuring your data is in reliable hands, freeing you up to focus on what you do best – growing your business. Experience the confidence that comes with knowing your website is safeguarded by professionals committed to providing top-notch service.

Now Technology Systems offers comprehensive web solutions, including visually pleasing web design, expert WordPress support, seamless eCommerce solutions, and professional video production and editing.

We also specialise in WordPress website design, wooCommerce online store, WordPress support, Local SEO services, Video multi-language translation, subtitling, voice-over, Google Ads management, and fast managed web hosting to ensure your website is effective and easy to find.

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