Why are WordPress backup and recovery important steps for every website?
WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems used by millions of websites around the world.
However, with great popularity comes a greater risk of cyberattacks, system failures, and other unexpected events that can lead to data loss or website downtime.
In this blog post, I’ll discuss the best practices for WordPress website backup and disaster recovery.
Choose a reliable hosting provider
The first step in ensuring website backup and disaster recovery is to choose a reliable hosting provider.
A good hosting provider should offer regular backups and provide easy access to backup files.
It’s also important to choose a hosting provider that offers 24/7 technical support, so you can quickly resolve any issues that may arise.
Use a backup plugin
One of the easiest ways to back up your WordPress site is to use a backup plugin.
There are many backup plugins available, such as UpdraftPlus, Jetpack Backup, and BackupBuddy.
These plugins offer a variety of features, including scheduled backups, automatic backups, and offsite storage.
Make sure to choose a backup plugin that suits your specific needs and budget.
Schedule regular backups
Regular backups are critical for disaster recovery.
You should schedule backups at least once a week, or more frequently if you update your website frequently.
You can set up automatic backups with a backup plugin or schedule them manually.
It’s also a good idea to keep multiple backups in different locations, such as on your computer, on an external hard drive, and in the cloud.
Test your backups
It’s not enough to simply back up your website.
You also need to test your backups to ensure that they’re working correctly.
You can do this by restoring a backup to a test environment and checking that all the files and data are intact.
Regular testing of backups can help you identify any issues and make sure that your backup plan is effective.
Use a recovery plan
A disaster recovery plan is a set of procedures that you follow when a disaster occurs, such as a cyberattack or a system failure.
It outlines the steps you need to take to restore your website to its previous state.
Your disaster recovery plan should include a list of emergency contacts, backup procedures, and restoration procedures.
You should also test your disaster recovery plan regularly to make sure it’s effective.
Keep your website up to date
Keeping your website up to date is one of the best ways to prevent disasters from occurring.
Make sure to update WordPress, plugins, and themes regularly. These updates often include security patches and bug fixes that can help prevent cyberattacks and system failures.
But a better way before the update is to create a staging site and test all updates.
WordPress staging site
Installing WP Staging Plugin
- Log into your WordPress website.
- Go to the Plugins section and click on Add New.
- In the search bar, type WP Staging and click on the Install button.
Once the installation is complete, click on the Activate button.
Using WP Staging Plugin
After activating the plugin, go to the WP Staging section in your WordPress dashboard.
Click on the Create Staging site button.
Choose a name for your staging site.
Click on the Start Cloning button.
Wait for the cloning process to complete.
Once the process is complete, you will be given a link to your staging site.
The staging site will be password protected (with the same username and password as on the main website) and indexing disabled.
Staging sites created with the WP Staging plugin are typically marked with a label or a notice to distinguish them from the live site along with an orange bar in the preview.
Staging site actions
In the plugin options on the main page, you will have more options: open, update, reset and delete if you want to completely remove your staging site.
The option to transfer the staging site to the production site will be available in the pro version of the plugin.
UpdraftPlus WordPress Backup Plugin
UpdraftPlus is a popular WordPress backup plugin that allows you to easily back up and restore your website’s files and database.
Here’s how to install and use UpdraftPlus:
Installing UpdraftPlus Plugin
- Log in to your WordPress website.
- Go to the Plugins section and click on Add New.
- In the search bar, type UpdraftPlus and click on the Install button.
- Once the installation is complete, click on the Activate button.
Using UpdraftPlus Plugin
After activating the plugin, go to the UpdraftPlus section in your WordPress dashboard.
Click on the Settings tab.
Choose where you want to store your backups. You can choose from multiple options such as Google Drive, Dropbox, FTP, and more.
Configure your backup schedule and settings.
You can also exclude files, themes, and plugins from the backup.
Click on the Save Changes button.
Click on the Backup Now button to manually create a backup.
Restoring a Backup
If you need to restore a backup, follow these steps:
- Go to the UpdraftPlus section in your WordPress dashboard.
- Click on the Existing Backups tab.
- Choose the backup you want to restore.
- Click on the Restore button.
- Choose which components you want to restore such as files, databases, themes, plugins, and more.
- Click on the Restore button to start the restoration process.
UpdraftPlus also comes with additional features and options, such as:
Backup encryption for added security.
Automatic backups before updates and plugin installation.
Migration tool to move your website to a new host or domain.
Advanced options for experienced users.
But these options will be available in the pro version of the Updraft Plus plugin.
Conclusion
These were basic guidelines for website owners to protect themselves from losing hours and hours of valuable work.
Soon something about virus protection as well as image optimization.