5 Ways To Backup Your Website – And My #1 Choice!

You may or may not want to find ways to backup your website to safeguard your data. and it could be because you’re confident that nothing can go wrong. But when something happens unexpectedly, you’ll find yourself in the worst possible situation.

Anything can happen like a simple coding error which can be disastrous, a new app integration error, or lost content due to the ill intentions of other people who have access to your website. Furthermore, your website could also be susceptible to cyber-attacks, ransomware, or any other online threats that your security measures were not able to prevent from happening.

Why you should back up your website?

• Lost content – Your files, images, and everything you’ve uploaded to your website could be gone. You may have saved them on your hard drive or your cloud services however, uploading them all once again will be time-consuming and difficult.
• Years of hard work are gone – Aside from losing your content, the lengthy time you’ve spent and the tons of hard work you’ve exerted on building your website just seemingly disappeared.
• Possible loss of revenue and customers – The most devastating part is losing your customers and potential revenue because your website is down and inaccessible.
• Back to zero – You could be building from scratch again, imagine the recovery expenses that you will be spending and the amount of work you need to put in which could be doubled to get your website up and running once again.
• Cost of professional fees – If you hired a website developer before, the possibility is you’ll end up hiring another one since you need to recover your website as soon as possible. The average rate for a skilled website developer ranges from $30 to $80 per hour, and the cost to develop a website is separate and ranges from $100 up to $180 per hour.

All of these unfortunate events can be prevented by backing up your website. A website backup stores a copy of all your website content. It is recommended that you back up your website whenever you make any changes. If you’re uploading content daily then it is just reasonable to do a website backup daily as well.

Here are 5 ways On how to backup your website

1. Back-up Cloud Services

Back-up cloud services are different from cloud storage services such as Dropbox or OneDrive. These services are also known as Online backup services. These are iDrive Personal, Backblaze, Acronis True Image, and many others that can back up your files and other data automatically.

Here are the things to consider when selecting a Back-up Cloud Service:

• What it can back up –Files and photos are the usual things that these services can back up. However, some services may not back up video files or large files and you could end up paying for a service that can’t accommodate your backup needs.
• Automated Backup – If you don’t have the time to back up your website manually you can look for a backup cloud service where you can set the schedule for when to back up your website and can do it regularly.
• System and Application backup – If there’s also a need for you to back these up you can find services that include them.
• Ease of use – Look for a service that you find easy to navigate from installation up to file restoration.
• Storage limit – There are backup cloud services that offer unlimited storage space, but they are far more expensive than those with storage limits.
• The number of devices it can back up – You may have several computers or you would want to have your mobile device backed up as well. Some backup cloud services can offer unlimited devices.
• Upload speed – If you have a big website, your backup process can take longer. It’s best to look for a service that can guarantee faster upload speed.
• Hard drive availability – Some services can mail you a hard drive where all your data is saved. This is helpful for those who prefer to have a hard drive to restore their data.
• Security Features – This is one of the essential things that you should be looking for when choosing your backup cloud service. Usually, you can find two-factor authentication as the security feature while others can also include antivirus software.
• Offsite and redundant backups – This additional security can give you more peace of mind that your backup website data is stored in an off-site location and multiple servers are protected from single server failures and hackers.
• Fair Pricing – Depending on the cloud service you’ve chosen, the setup can cost somewhere around $50 or more for a yearly subscription. Another pricing scheme is monthly which can cost around $6 or higher.

2. iDrive Personal

Possibly the most money-worth among paid online backup services as it cost only $3.48 for 5 TB of cloud backup for the first year and then $69.50 for the succeeding years of subscription. It offers an unlimited number of devices, external drive backup, mobile device backup, system and application backup, two-factor authentication for security, and fast upload speed.

3. Back up using WordPress Plugin

If you’re using WordPress, you can choose from several plugins available to back up your website. Once the plugin is activated you can select options such as back up, restore, migrate your website, etc. Some of these free or paid plugins are Updraft Plus, VaultPress, BackupBuddy, and many more.

Things to consider when choosing the right plugin

• Know what you need – Some plugins have tons of features that can be attractive to you, try to identify them first if you need all of them. There are free plugins that can already back up your website’s content. Other plugins offer additional features such as up to 10 backup locations or built-in staging features but you may have to pay for the monthly subscription.
• On-Demand backup – Since all plugins automatically back up your website, if you prefer selecting which files you would like to back up then look for a service that offers on-demand backup to save time.
• Unlimited backup archive – You might want to look for a plugin that doesn’t have limited time for storage. Some plugins only offer 30 days of storage which can be cheaper compared to others; however, you don’t want to have membership issues when a mishap happens after the said time.
• Multiple storage locations – Perhaps the most important of all is to choose a plugin that can store your website data to multiple cloud storage services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, FTP, Rackspace, and others that allows you to not only have one location for your website data.
• Support availability – There should be support available in case something went wrong. There’s also priority support available on premium plans. Otherwise, there are support forums where you can find the solution to your issues.
• Free or Paid – As mentioned earlier there are free plugins that already offer enough features for your website backup needs. However, if you feel that paid plugin features are necessary for you, it can cost somewhere around $30 to $90 or more for a yearly subscription and can be affordable on a monthly payment scheme.

4. UpdraftPlus

It is the most popular and widely used WordPress plugin in the market. The free plugin version already has a complete manual and automatic backup of all your website data which includes plugins, databases, and themes. It is also easy to restore your files with a pretty straightforward process as it directly restores your WordPress control panel.

It also offers cloning and migration, incremental backups, fast support, and many more. UpdraftPlus also has many cloud storage selections such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon web services, etc. The premium plan costs $42 per year which includes all add-ons, updates, and support.

Back up your website using the website host service

Not all website host service offers a complete and reliable website backup feature. Upgrade issues and host failures can happen with undependable web hosting sites. If you’re looking for a website hosting service, you might want to look for one that is a trusted website host service such as Bluehost, InMotion, GoDaddy, or Wealthy Affiliate.

Choosing the right Website Hosting Service

• Automatic Website backup – In most website hosting services, you will need to manually back up your website on the cPanel which you might forget when you’re busy. You would want to look for a service that does this automatically.
• Website builder feature – If you’re a novice when it comes to building a website, or you just don’t have enough time to spend on building it, you can use the website builder feature to speed up the process. It can also save you money instead of hiring a website developer.
• Easy-to-use interface – The website host must have an interface that can be easily navigated for important functions in managing your website.
• Offers 99% uptime – Although regular maintenance is necessary to ensure that the servers are properly working, you might want to look for a website hosting service that doesn’t take your website offline on most of its maintenance schedule.
• Supported migration – You may not be satisfied with your chosen website hosting service so it’s best to check if it supports website migration before you sign up.
• 24/7 Customer Support – Website hosting should offer real-time support or a fast inquiry response. You’d prefer available support whenever you need help regardless of the time. The last thing you want is delays in fixing an issue since their support is only available during business hours.
• Plenty of resources – Aside from customer support availability, your website hosting service should also have enough resources, an active support community, or forums.
• Reasonable Pricing – Most plans offer around $3 or more for their monthly membership.

5. Wealthy Affiliate Website Backup Service

Perhaps the best about this web hosting service is that it automatically backs up your website daily. The joining process is also really easy. There are plenty of tools and training available for setting up your website, designing, monetizing, and traffic generation. The starter membership is free while the premium membership is $19 in the first month and then $49 monthly thereafter.

It offers a free website builder as well. When you sign up for their premium services, you will also be able to build an unlimited WordPress website. It offers 24/7 support and you can also reach out to the community for help.

Final Thoughts

It’s best to know what you are paying for and what else is there for you in case you would like to upgrade and get more website backup features. Our list above will help you figure out what will be the right backup service available for your website or websites, and what will work out best for your budget. The most important thing is your website’s content is safely stored, secured, and can easily be recovered.

If you need help on how to get started, check out my #1 recommendation on building a successful business online. You can get access to hundreds of training videos, 24/7 support, professional consultations, private access to training guides, tools, personal private assistance, my personal help, and much more.

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