Your website is a business asset. Like any asset, it needs protection. Server failures, security breaches, and human errors can destroy months of work in seconds. A proper backup strategy ensures you can recover from any disaster. Here's how to protect your digital assets.
The 3-2-1 Backup Rule
Follow this proven strategy:
3 copies of your data:
- Production (live website)
- Primary backup
- Secondary backup
2 different storage types:
- Not all in the same place
- Example: local + cloud
1 copy offsite:
- Protected from local disasters
- Different geographic location
This protects against hardware failure, theft, natural disasters, and ransomware.
If your hosting provider's backup is your only backup, you don't have a backup strategy.
What to Backup
Your website consists of multiple components:
Database:
- User accounts and content
- Product information
- Settings and configurations
- Critical for dynamic sites
Files:
- Code and templates
- User uploads (images, documents)
- Configuration files
Both matter. Don't forget one.
Also consider:
- DNS settings
- Email configurations
- SSL certificates
- Environment variables
Document everything needed to rebuild from scratch.
Backup Frequency
How often should you backup?
Database: Daily or more frequently
- E-commerce: Every hour or real-time
- Blogs: Daily
- Static sites: Weekly or on changes
Files: Less frequently unless changing often
- Weekly for most sites
- On every deployment for applications
The question: How much data can you afford to lose?
If losing one day's orders would hurt, you need more frequent backups.
Automated Backups Are Essential
Manual backups fail eventually:
- You'll forget
- You'll get busy
- You'll assume someone else did it
Automate everything:
Hosting provider backups:
- Most hosts offer automated backups
- Usually part of the hosting plan
- Convenient but don't rely solely on these
Third-party backup services:
- UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy (WordPress)
- Database backup scripts (cron jobs)
- Version control (Git) for code
Cloud storage:
- Automated sync to AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage
- Versioned storage for point-in-time recovery
Set it up once, verify regularly, forget about it.
Testing Your Backups
Backups you haven't tested don't exist:
- Schedule regular restore tests
- Actually restore to a staging environment
- Verify all data is intact
- Document the restore process
Many businesses discover their backups don't work when they need them. Don't be that business.
Test quarterly at minimum. Test after any major changes.
Keep restore documentation updated and accessible to multiple team members.
Getting Started
Build your backup strategy:
1. Identify what needs backing up
2. Determine acceptable data loss (hours? days?)
3. Choose backup tools/services
4. Automate the process
5. Store copies in multiple locations
6. Test restore process
7. Document everything
For WordPress: UpdraftPlus + cloud storage
For custom sites: Cron jobs + S3 + Backblaze
For applications: Automated database dumps + Git
The best time to set up backups was when you launched. The second best time is now.
Website disasters are a matter of when, not if. Hard drives fail, servers get hacked, and people make mistakes. A proper backup strategy following the 3-2-1 rule—automated, tested, and documented—ensures you can recover from anything. Don't wait for disaster to realize you needed backups. Set them up today.