Your Website Backup Strategy

Hope Is Not a Plan

Servers fail, updates go wrong, and sites get hacked. The only reliable protection is a recent backup you can actually restore. The time to set one up is before you need it.

What to Back Up

• **Files** — your site's code, theme, and uploads
• **Database** — content, settings, and customer data
• **Configuration** — so you can rebuild quickly

A Sensible Schedule

• Daily backups for active sites that change often
• Weekly for sites that rarely change
• Always back up before a big update or change

Follow the 3-2-1 Rule

Keep three copies, on two types of storage, with one off-site. A backup sitting only on the same server it's protecting isn't really a backup.

Test Your Restores

A backup you've never restored is a guess. Periodically practice restoring to confirm it actually works — discovering a broken backup during an emergency is the worst time.