What would you do if your website suddenly disappeared or was hacked beyond repair? Why put all of your hard work at risk? A good backup strategy is a critical component for any successful website and can make all the difference in how you recover from a disaster.
Why Do I Need a Website Backup?
Running a website without a backup solution in place is a little like a trapeze artist performing without a net. It’s really not a matter of “if” they miss but rather “when” they miss. Having that safety net can save their life. Likewise, having a reliable backup strategy can make all the difference in how you recover when your site experiences a disaster.
Here are a few scenarios where you’ll be thankful to have a backup:
- Your hosting provider experiences difficulties. Anything from a technical glitch to a natural disaster can cause your site to be lost.
- Your site may be hacked beyond repair.
- Database corruption or data integrity issues.
- You clicked “yes” when asked are you sure you want to delete that file (been there).
My Hosting Provider Backs Up My Site
If your hosting provider backs up your site, that’s a good start! But before you move on, let’s double check a few things first:
How Often is Your Site Backed Up?
A backup that’s a week or even a month old is not much use if you’ve made any changes lately. A daily backup is likely your best choice but if you update your site frequently, 2 or 4 times per day might be an even better option.
Can You Backup Your Site On Demand?
Let’s say you’re about to do a major WordPress update. Having a backup just before applying that update is an excellent idea. Most times updates go pretty smoothly. But having that recent backup is very much like that trapeze net. It can be a life safer!
Can You Easily Restore a Backup?
Having a backup is great but what good is it if it’s difficult to restore? I once ran into a situation where a site was backed up daily but in order to restore, you had to generate and download a zip file that contained the entire site and it’s database. You then had to manually upload the files and import the database. For some sites that can be several gigabytes and take hours! No thank you!! A simple one-click restore is the only acceptable option.
Where Are Your Backups Stored?
Having a local backup (i.e. stored in the same facility as your web server) for times when you need to quickly restore a file or even your entire site is fine. But, imagine if the building where your web site resides was destroyed by a natural disaster. That means all of your backups are gone too! Having a secondary, off-site backup is an excellent way to bolster your backup strategy and ensure your site is protected from disaster.
Summary
Do you have a reliable backup strategy in place for your website? Don’t leave all your hard work to chance! Contact us today and let’s make sure your site is backed up and protected.