How to back up your website and why it matters

Knowing how to back up your website correctly is one of those things that feels optional right up until the moment it is not. The backup that saves a site is always the one someone set up quietly in the background weeks or months before anything went wrong. Getting it right is not just about creating a backup. It is about knowing what the backup needs to include, where it should live, and how to be sure it will actually work when it counts.

A lot can go wrong with a website. A harmful attack, a failed update, an accidentally deleted file, a server problem that takes down everything on it. In any of these situations, a backup is the difference between recovering in minutes and rebuilding from scratch. The sites that recover fastest are the ones where backups were already running before the problem appeared. For the full picture on what puts a website at risk, see the article on why website security is important.

Why website backups matter more than most people think

What a backup protects you from

• If harmful code is placed on a site, restoring a clean backup removes it entirely, including any hidden access points the attacker may have left behind. For more on what harmful code does to a site, see the article on what website malware is and how it affects your site
• If an update breaks the site, a backup from before the update restores everything to a working state immediately
• If content or data is lost through a server problem or accidental deletion, a backup is the only reliable way to get it back

What happens when there is no backup

• Without a backup, recovery depends on whatever is still on the server. If the server is the problem, nothing remains to work with
• In a ransomware attack, where the site's files are locked and access is blocked, a clean backup stored away from the server removes the attacker's power entirely. Without one, the options are paying the ransom or rebuilding the site from nothing
• Every hour the site is down and not showing up in search results is time visitors and potential customers are going elsewhere

What does a website backup include?

Files

• A website is made up of files: the files that control how it looks, the plugin or extension files that add features, any images or media that have been uploaded, and any custom code
• A file backup captures all of this. Without it, restoring the site's look and features would mean reinstalling and reconfiguring everything from scratch

Database

• Most websites store their content and settings in a database. Pages, blog posts, product listings, orders, and account information all live there
• A backup of the files alone is not a full backup if the database is not included. All the design files in the world do not help if the content is gone
• A complete website backup includes both the files and the database together

Full backups versus smaller ones

• A full backup copies everything: all files and the complete database at once
• An incremental backup only copies what has changed since the last backup. These are smaller and faster to create, but you need the full chain of previous backups for a restore to work correctly
• For most small and mid-sized websites, full backups are simpler and more reliable

How to back up your website

When your platform handles it

• Many managed hosting platforms and website builders run backups automatically in the background on a set schedule. No action is needed from the site owner
• On these platforms, restoring a backup is usually a simple process available through the dashboard
• If you are not sure whether your platform includes automatic backups, check the account or hosting settings. Confirm what is backed up, how often, and how far back the history goes

When you manage your own hosting

• On self-managed hosting, backups need to be set up manually. The hosting control panel often includes a backup option, but these may only cover part of the site and may store everything on the same server
• Setting up automated backups through the server's scheduling tools is more reliable than relying on someone to remember to do it by hand
• The backup process should run on its own without depending on anyone

Using a backup plugin or service

• Backup plugins and services connect to your site, run backups on a schedule you choose, and send copies to a separate storage location automatically
• These are a good fit for sites where the hosting does not include built-in backup management, or where backups are stored on the same server as the site

Where should a website backup be stored?

Not on the same server

• A backup stored on the same server as the site is not really useful in the situations that matter most. If the server goes down, the backup goes down with it. If the site is attacked and files are locked, the backup is locked too
• The backup needs to be somewhere completely separate, somewhere that is not affected by anything that happens to the server

Off-site storage

• Cloud storage makes off-site backup simple. Backups can be sent automatically to a cloud account on the same schedule they are created
• Keeping at least one copy somewhere you control directly, separate from the hosting account, is the most reliable setup
• Many backup services handle this automatically, sending each backup directly to a connected cloud storage account

How many copies to keep

• Keeping only the most recent backup is risky. If a problem was not noticed right away, the latest backup may already include the issue
• Keeping several previous versions gives you restore points to choose from, not just the most recent state
• A common setup is daily backups stored for 30 days, giving a full month of options if something needs to be undone

How often should you back up your website?

Match the frequency to how the site changes

• A site that publishes new content, takes orders, or collects form submissions every day needs daily backups. A gap longer than a day means a day's worth of content or data is at risk
• A site that changes rarely can back up less often, but should still be backed up before any major change, such as a platform update or new plugin install
• For sites with heavy traffic and frequent updates, more frequent backups reduce what could potentially be lost

Back up before making changes

• Regardless of the regular schedule, always take a fresh backup before making any significant changes to the site. An update that breaks something is much easier to deal with when a clean backup from just before the change is available
• This applies to platform updates, new plugin installs, changes to the theme, and any other modifications that could have unexpected effects

How to check that a backup actually works

Why testing is necessary

• A backup that has never been tested is a backup that has never been proven to work. Files can be incomplete. Backup processes can fail without showing an obvious error. The worst time to find out a backup is broken is the moment you need to use it
• Testing is the only way to know with real confidence that the backup will work

What to test

• Run a test restore on a staging or test setup, not on the live site. This confirms the backup includes everything needed and that the restore process works from start to finish
• Check that content, settings, and account information are all present after the restore
• Run a test once after setting up a new backup system, and again periodically to make sure nothing has changed that would affect the restore

For the full breakdown of how backups fit alongside firewalls, software updates, and access controls as part of a complete setup, see the article on how to protect your website from hackers. For how two-factor authentication protects admin access as a first line of defense before backups are ever needed, see the article on what two-factor authentication is and why your website needs it.

How WEMASY handles website backups

Backups are included on all WEMASY plans and run automatically. There is no backup schedule to set up and no external storage to connect. Restore options are available directly through the dashboard, so getting a site back to a previous state requires no technical steps.

Backups are stored separately from the site's server, so they are not affected by anything that happens to the site itself. The platform manages the full process, including how long backup history is kept, without any action needed from the site owner.

See what is included at the WEMASY website builder, or review plan options on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions