On this episode we will be focusing on tools and techniques to backing up a WordPress installation and how to backup before a major upgrade.

Backups are really important, and everyone should backup their sites.

It doesn’t matter what platform you’re using, you need to be checking your restores every now and then to make sure that in the event of a site crash, your backups will work. Make sure your backup is going to a separate server and NOT on the same server your site is on.

How often should you backup?

• It really depends on the site and how your site changes.
• It’s content dependent. If you have a site that puts out content all day, your would do well to back up several times a day.
• Many sites back up nightly.
• If you’re in e-commerce and having a lot of customer transactions in a day, you need to back up multiple times a day.
• Back up every time you make any change whether it’s upgrading WordPress, a plugin, activating a plugin, updating a theme, anything.

Ways to test your backup/restore:

Restore it locally on a desktop server – DesktopServer is built for just about anyone. It’s a single solution you install on your computer. It creates an entire environment for a WordPress site.

On Migration:

If you pick a host, and your site fails, having a backup is important so you can migrate to another server.  The same infrastructure can be used to get you to a different server/solution/company. Some hosts will do the migration for you if you give them a good backup

Solutions for Backing Up in WordPress

• Backup Buddy
• Sucuri
• VaultPress – will restore a backup to a new site
• WP Engine – Provides instant restore points with 1 click
• WordPress backup to Dropbox (Free option)
• BackWPUp
• Desktop Server

Other Mentions:

• Host Gator
• AutoMattic
• Dropbox
• Amazon S3
• WPMigrate DB
• Server Press
• 1&1 WebHosting
• Site Ground
• GoDaddy
• MediaTemple

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