Backup your site is an important step in keeping your site safe. Without a backup, your site could be rendered inaccessible! That is why it is important to learn how to do it on your own.
By now, most of you must be thinking that it sounds too difficult to backup your site on a regular basis. After all, you would always love to have another computer handy just sitting next to yours.
But it is too late for this. The competition has figured out how to do this and more often than not, you will be forced to follow their instructions or pay for this service.
So, today, we are going to talk about how to do a quick and easy backup of your WordPress blog.
Use a WordPress backup plugin
A backup plugin is a piece of software you install on your computer that allows you to save a copy of your WordPress site’s configuration and files in case of computer failure or site installation user error.
A backup plugin can be complicated to use, so we suggest you read through the instructions provided by the plugin maker before using it. Once it is set up and working, it will prevent any future problems with your site!
Many computer programs have built-in tools that can help you back up your site. If not, there are several good free options that will do the job.
Use a remote storage service
If you have a lot of content, it may be a good idea to use a remote storage service. These let you set up an Amazon S3-like account where your files can be stored, and you can easily access and manage them from anywhere.
By using a remote storage service, you can also set up sync between your device and the server. This helps in keeping your work as long as possible should something happen to your computer.
You will need to pay for this service however, and it may be difficult to choose the right one without having an experience with backup services. Look for companies that have good customer service and high quality backup services.
Having a reliable way to backup your website is necessary as time goes on, so do not worry about it at first.
Create an offline backup
You can also create an offline backup of your site just like you would on a computer. Just make sure to have the same username and password as your online account!
On your computer, go to your site’s back up page (yoursite.backup). You can also do this via the frontend or the backend, it does not matter which one you are using as long as you have internet connection!
Then, select Create Now or Copy link to link. Your site will then create a new offline backup and give you the option of Copying, Stripping Or Deleting at that point.
This is very useful if you need to take a break or if something happens to your internet connection that makes your backup become unusable.
Create multiple copies of your site and its content
Many hosting companies offer only one site per account, which is disappointing. You can say goodbye to your content if your website is not hosted on this account.
If you have a lot of content, it makes sense to put it into several accounts. Each account will use a little bit of storage, and you can move data between them with easy software packages.
This way, if one server goes down, all the content on that site can be maintained without much effort. By maintaining multiple websites with different data, you are more likely to get backup services that are up to date!
Heavily text based sites may consider moving to a server with lowcpu requirements as an added benefit.
Have a reliable hosting provider
There are many reasons to have a hosting provider. You can choose between free, cheap, free-plus-subscription, dedicated, and multi-site. Each has its own set of benefits and features.
Most of them offer technical support as a bonus. If not, they can at least say they have a customer base to help them out. Most of them also have great customer service. Some even offer live support!
Having a hosting provider is not without its cost. It can range from $1 per month to $100 per year in hosted services.
Use multisite rather than single site
If you have a very small site or a site that doesn’t matter too much, you should consider using the single-site method. In this method, your server stores your database and code on its own, and only your website is connected to the database.
This is the most recommended way to back up your site because you can use another server to connect to your database!
Using multisite means that you must set up all of your sites on one server. Then, when you need to restore your old site, you can use the backup as a new server. This requires more effort and planning, but it is totally worth it in my opinion.
Use multisite rather than single site if the size of your site matters or if there are special functions or themes that require more space.
Keep it simple by using plain old FTP
If you don’t have a FTP client, you can still keep your site safe by keeping it on your computer via the web-based FTP. Just make sure to create a new account with your file server every time you want to do a backup!
Using the web-based ftp is also very simple and easy to use. Just go to your computer’s internet connection and file browser and then connect to your site’s location (usually / upload/ download).
And lastly, but not least, making a cloud based backup is as simple as going to my account settings and clicking on the back up button. It will take you to the cloud based ftp website again!
Bullet point concluded. Now that you know how to do a basic backup for your WordPress site, let us go over some tips that include using the safety net plug-in.
Use a cron job for automatic backups
If you use a database as your site’s database, then a cron job can run a backup daily or weekly. A cron job is a routine that runs an operation at specific times based on other conditions.
A cron job can create backups of your site at certain times, which is helpful. You can have peace of mind that your site will be back up and safe every day!
To create the cron job, go to Your Site > Your Account > Manage Applications > Add Application. In the Add Application window that appears, select Cruntozo and then select Create. A new application will be created for you, called Cruntozo.