How To Backup Your WordPress Website

How to Backup Your WordPress Website in 5 steps.

1. Install the UpdraftPlus plugin

Login to your website /wp-admin
On the left navigation, click Plugins
Search for UpdraftPlus, click Install, click Activate.
Once installed it’ll show up as displayed below.

2. Setting Up the Updraft Plugin

Click Settings
Click Settings Tab

There are frequent updates to WordPress, the Themes, Plugins, and PHP these days due to the increase in cyber hackers so it is a good idea to set your backup schedule on a weekly basis.

3. Where To Store the Backups for Easy Restore

We save our data using Dropbox. You can see all the options you have available. Before selecting one, we recommend performing due diligence on the security of each as they are all in the cloud. Some have better security than others.

Scroll down this page a bit and you’ll see the section Dropbox. We need to connect your website to your Dropbox account. We assume here you already have a business Dropbox account. If you need further assistance on how to setup Dropbox, please contact us.

We have already connected this website to Dropbox but you’ll find a link under Authenticate with Dropbox.

Include in files backup: Select Plugins, Themes, Uploads etc. In other words, leave the default settings.

Scroll down further and have the system notify you by your email each time a backup is completed. This will allow you to make sure the backups are successful.

Click Save Changes.

4. Backup automation complete.

Now that you have setup your backup to go to Dropbox, click the Backup / Restore Tab.

Now that you have created your Dropbox account, connected it to your WordPress for backup, you’re ready to make a Backup of your website.

Click the blue Backup Now button.

This will take a few minutes …

You can see at the bottom of the screen you have a list of the most recent backups.

5. View the Log file to Ensure the Backup is Successful

To make sure the backups are successful, click View Log. Scroll down to the bottom of the report, you’ll want to see

“3794.978 (7) The backup apparently succeeded and is now complete…”

Congratulations. Rest easy and carry on. YOu have successfully achieved the five steps on How to Backup Your WordPress Website.

Remember: It is still a good idea to check when the last backup occurred if you are about to implement a major WordPress upgrade.

If you like installing plugins manually, find UpdraftPlus here.

Why is Backing up A Website Important?

It’s always a good idea to backup the website in more than one location for obvious reasons. Your hosting company probably offers free storage. An external drive is an option. And another cloud location. You’ll see the options when you are setting up UpdraftPlus.

What does Website Backup have to do with Website Security?

You take your website seriously as an important part of your business strategy. Having a website backup to recover and recover quickly if your website is attacked is managing the risk. You are reducing the risk of business disruption, lawsuits, legal fees, loss of business, and loss of reputation. You are insuring your online assets will not be deleted.

Can data be recovered after a ransomware attack?

The fastest way to recover from ransomware is to restore your systems from backups. For this method to work, you must have a recent version of your data and applications that do not contain the ransomware you are currently infected with. If you backup on a regular basis, you will be able to restore from backup before the ransomware was inflicted.

We are here if you have any questions. Feel free to call or email.

Do you find this information useful? We’re always interested to hear what else you have on your mind. What business challenges are you facing online?

Other Blog Articles and Resources on our Website That May Be of Interest

Our Website Security Maintenance Plan

Our Story – How this Website Security Service Came to Be

The Top 14 Myths About Website Security

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