How to Backup Your WordPress Site Safely and Efficiently

Protecting your website is essential to secure your data from unexpected issues. Over 40% of websites worldwide are powered by WordPress, making them a frequent target for attacks. 

According to recent statistics, around 30,000 websites are hacked daily, and WordPress, being one of the most popular content management systems, is a frequent target. 

Additionally, nearly 24% of companies worldwide don’t have a robust backup strategy, which leaves their websites vulnerable to data loss due to hardware failures, software issues, or human error.

A backup ensures that, even in worst-case scenarios, you have a reliable copy of your entire website that can be restored quickly. Frequent backups protect against unintentional deletions, server problems, and hacking-related data loss. 

This guide will provide a clear, step-by-step process of how to backup WordPress site. By following these steps, you can ensure your website remains safe and recoverable. 

We’ll cover both manual and automated backup methods. Each method will be simple and easy to understand for beginners. Let’s dive into how to backup your WordPress site safely and securely. A reliable backup strategy will help you maintain a strong online presence.

Key Takeaways

• Schedule frequent backups to protect your website from unexpected issues.
• Use either manual backups or plugins to simplify the process.
• Save backups on external drives or trusted cloud storage services.
• Include all website files and the database in your backup plan.
• Consider popular plugins for automated backups and ease of use.

What are WordPress Backups

A WordPress backup is a complete copy of your website’s essential files and database. This is designed to allow you to restore your site in case of data loss, hacking, or other issues. It serves as a safeguard for your settings, plugins, themes, and content.

Regular backups reduce downtime and possible losses by ensuring that you can promptly restore your website in the event of an emergency.

Making a backup of your WordPress website guarantees that your data and content are always safe. Whether you’re just starting or an experienced user, having regular backups can save you from unexpected issues. Here’s why it’s crucial to back up your site:

• Protect Against Data Loss: Data loss is more common than you might think. Recent surveys show that 60% of small businesses shut down within six months of losing critical data due to data breaches, hacking, or unexpected server crashes. Routine backups allow for fast recovery, preventing the loss of important content and information.

• Maintain Business Continuity: For e-commerce sites, downtime can be costly. Statistics reveal that companies lose an average of $5,600 per minute of unplanned downtime, impacting their bottom line and customer trust. With a recent backup, you can restore your site quickly, ensuring uninterrupted business operations.

• Peace of Mind: Backups offer reassurance. Data shows that over 40% of website owners feel anxious about potential data loss and security threats. Having a backup provides confidence, allowing you to focus on growing your site rather than worrying about potential technical issues.

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Types of WordPress Backups

Understanding the different types of WordPress backups is essential for maintaining a secure website. Each method has unique advantages, catering to various needs. Here’s a breakdown of the main types of backups you can choose from:

• Full Backups: This includes all your files, themes, plugins, and the entire database, ensuring you can restore your site.

• Incremental Backups: Incremental backups are set to run every hour. Each backup only saves the new data added since the last backup. It reduces the storage space required and speeds up the backup process.

• Differential Backups: Differential backups are set to run daily, capturing any changes made since the latest monthly full backup. This method strikes a balance between time efficiency and storage needs.

Backing Up Your WordPress Site: Step-by-Step Guide

Backing up your WordPress site is crucial for protecting your data. Here’s a simple guide on how to backup a WordPress site to help you back up your site:

Method 1: Backup a WordPress Site Using FTP

Step 1: Use an FTP client like FileZilla to connect to your WordPress site’s server securely.

Step 2: Navigate to the root directory and download all files, including wp-content folder.

Step 3: Log into your WordPress hosting control panel(Cpanel) and find the database tool.

Step 4: In phpMyAdmin, choose your WordPress database and click on the export tab.

Step 5: Choose the “Quick” export method and select “SQL” format, then click “Go.”

Step 6: Save the downloaded files and database in secure storage like cloud or external drives.

Method 2: Backup a WordPress Site Using cPanel

Step 1: First, log in to your hosting account(Bluehost) and access the Advanced settings to open the cPanel dashboard.  

Step 2: In the cPanel dashboard, Navigate to the ‘Files’ section and click on ‘File Manager.’  

Step 3: In File Manager, select the **public_html** folder from the left-side menu.  

Step 4: Expand the **public_html** folder and find the one with your site’s name.  

Step 5: Select the folder, click ‘Compress’ at the top, and choose ‘Zip Archive.’  

Step 6: Press the ‘Compress Files’ button to create a zip file of your website.  

Step 7: Once compressed, click ‘Close,’ then download the zip file for backup.  

Step 8: Store this zip file securely to restore your site later.

Method 3: Backup a WordPress Site Using UpdraftPlus Plugin

Step 1: Sign in to WordPress and click on Plugin from WordPress Dashboard.

Step 2: Search for UpdraftPlus in the WordPress plugin repository, then install and activate it through your dashboard.

Step 3: In UpdraftPlus, go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups and choose a cloud storage option. Connect it for secure backups.

Step 4: Click Backup Now in the Backup/Restore tab. Select files and database, then start the backup.

Step 5: Set a backup schedule in the Settings tab. Choose how often to back up and how many to retain.

Best WordPress Backup Plugins

UpdraftPlus

UpdraftPlus is one of the popular WordPress backup plugins used by millions. It allows users to create complete backups of their sites. Backups can be stored in the cloud or downloaded locally. The plugin supports scheduled and on-demand backups for convenience. 

Users can select specific files or databases for added flexibility. Restoration options make recovery simple and fast. This plugin ensures website security and helps prevent data loss effectively. It’s essential for maintaining a secure WordPress site.

Features:

• Compatible with several sites.
• Proven to support 100GB backup sites
• Backups an infinite number of non-WordPress files

Price: UpdraftPlus pricing plans are:

• Free
• Personal Plan – $84/ Year
• Business Plan –  $114/ Year
• Agency Plan –  $174/ Year
• Enterprise Plan –  $234/ Year
• Gold Plan –  $478.80/ Year

BackWPup

BackWPup is a powerful plugin for effortless WordPress backups. It lets you store backups on cloud services like Dropbox or Amazon S3. You can also save backups locally via FTP, email, or other means. Scheduling automatic backups based on your site updates easily. 

Restoring your site from a backup is quick and simple. BackWPup offers free and pro versions with useful features. The pro version includes priority support and enhanced backup management.

Features:

• Complete Automatic Restore
• Encrypt Backup Archives
• Complete Database Backup

Price: BackWPup pricing plans are:

• Standard Plan – $69/ Year
• Business Plan –  $119/ Year
• Developer Plan –  $199/ Year
• Supreme Plan –  $279/ Year
• Agency Plan –  $349/ Year

Jetpack VaultPress Backup

Jetpack VaultPress Backup is one of the top WordPress backup plugins. Originally launched as VaultPress, it now offers advanced backup solutions. This plugin provides automated daily and real-time cloud backups. 

This keeps your website at a very good speed and doesn’t degrade the performance. You can easily restore your website with just a few clicks. Jetpack VaultPress Backup safely secures your WordPress site in a very trustworthy manner. This plugin is great when it comes to hassle-free protection of your website.

Features:

• Backups that are incremental
• User-friendly plugin
• Creating backups for Woocommerce
• Worldwide server infrastructure

Price: JetPack VaultPress pricing plan starts from $4.95/ month

Best Practices to Backup Your WordPress Site

The most important thing regarding keeping your WordPress site safe online is backup. You can keep your data safeguarded and recoverable by following these best practices:

• Schedule Backups on a Recurring Basis: You need to set up a recurring schedule for backups, depending on how frequently you make changes to your site. Set daily backups for sites that change now and then, while weekly backups may suffice for static sites.

• Store backups safely: Always use multiple locations for your backups. You may use cloud storage solutions, such as Google Drive and Dropbox, in addition to local storage. That’s redundancy that ensures data accessibility in the case of the failure of one means of storage.

• Test Your Backups: Regularly test your backups by restoring them to a staging environment. This practice helps you confirm that your backups are functional and that you can recover your site without issues in case of a problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion 

In conclusion, backing up your WordPress site is essential for your security. Regular backups will protect your content and settings against unexpected issues. You may choose between manual and automated methods, whichever you prefer.

Always store backups in a safe location, such as cloud storage and external drives. This will ensure easy recovery if some data gets corrupted or lost. Establish a consistent backup schedule to maintain your site’s integrity.