After the news that 123 reg had accidentally deleted some/lots/many (they haven’t said how many) of their customers websites, it is a stark reminder that just letting your host do back ups is not the way to go.
You should also do a back up of your site that you keep separate to your host/server. This back up should include, all files, images and your database, as you need all this in order to restore your site from nothing.
How frequently you should take a back up is a personal choice, but I recommend you do it as frequently as you make changes / your site has updates. So even if you blog once a week, you may have other comments more often. Same as if you have an e-commerce site, you don’t want to lose any transactions on your site.
There are lots of options of back up plugins, I have chosen to use UpdraftPlus on my sites. The basic plugin is free, but offers what I think are premium features. You can also pick and choose add ons depending on your need, but the basic of an automated back up, off site that can be restored with a few clicks is free.
I have chosen to back up to my Dropbox account, as this is free, but there are other options (some free and some paid add ons)
Guide for backing up your site with UpdraftPlus to Dropbox
1. Add the UpdraftPlus plugin in the usual way. Plugins – Add New and either search for it in the WordPress Directory or upload it from your machine from here. Then once installed and activated go to the settings page Settings – Updraftplus Backups
2. On the settings page, click on the settings tab as below
3. Following the image below, set these options
- Daily and 2 (or the frequency that is suitable for your site)
- Daily and 2 (or the frequency that is suitable for your site)
- Dropbox (or whatever remote storage you are using)
- Check all boxes
- Check the email confirmation box
- Save the settings
4. You will come back to the same screen, this is where you authorise your chosen storage. For me it is to authenticate with Dropbox. I click the link and then I am asked to confirm the Dropbox account I am using and save.
5. Check your storage details at the top (I’ve removed my account name, yours should be there) and then click Back up now
6. You will then see the process start on your screen with an orange bar moving across. Once completed check in your Dropbox (or chosen storage) folders to see the back ups are all there.
