Website Security: Backing Up Your WordPress Site, Part 1

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Website Security: Backing Up Your WordPress Site, Part 1

We wanted to create a WordPress Wednesday post about how to back up your WordPress site, but we decided it was important to first explain why you need to back up your site. We want to stress the importance of backups, so you won’t let them slide.

In this entry, we’ll explain why, then in Part 2, we’ll explain how to back up your WordPress site.

Backing Up Your WordPress Site Protects You

Routinely creating backups of your WordPress site is essential for keeping your website secure. For example, having an up to date backup is the best protection against a Ransomware attack.

According to the U.S.’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), ransomware is “a form of malware designed to encrypt files on a device, rendering any files and the systems that rely on them unusable. Malicious actors then demand ransom in exchange for decryption.”

That is, someone else has control of your WordPress files and data, and they’re holding your site for ransom! You can learn more about ransomware attacks on the CISA website.  

Backups Allow You to Restore Your Site After Attack or Infection

When you have an accurate back up of your WordPress site, you can erase and restore the data. You’ll get your site back up and running again, plus you’ll completely foil the efforts of your attackers!

Ransomware is a specific kind of malware, but backups can also be used to restore your site after any kind of malware attack or virus infection. Routine backups ensure your site is always working and accurate.

Basic Rules for Backing Up Your WordPress Site

Now that we’ve convinced you to perform backups, let’s cover some basic rules for when and how to back up your WordPress site. Here are the three top rules:

  1.     Backup regularly. How often you backup is up to you. For businesses that have a lot of activity on their sites, daily backups are a good idea. For others, weekly or even monthly backups are sufficient. But make sure you have a schedule and don’t miss a backup.
  2.     Backup before every upgrade. If something goes wrong during the upgrade, having a backup ensures you don’t lose files or data.
  3.     Keep at least 3 copies for each backup. You’ll want to have multiple copies and keep them in different places and media. For example, a copy in your email, on a thumb drive, and on a CD. That way, if one gets corrupted for some reason, you have two more.  

At the End of the Day

Backing up your WordPress site is critical for ensuring your WordPress site – and the business behind it! – are safe and secure. If you have an online store, you won’t be able to take online orders if something happens to your site. You’ll lose money and frustrate your customers. And even if you don’t use your site to directly sell your products or services, losing control of your site will impact your web and foot traffic, as well as your reputation.

Now that you know how important WordPress backups are, consider handing it off to us to manage it for you by investing in a Care Plan. (Which include more benefits than just backups, btw.) You’ll have peace of mind that your site is secure because you won’t even have to think about it!

Otherwise, come back next time when we’ll walk you through the various methods for backing up your site.

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