As standard we install the DB backup plugin and set this to email a database backup weekly.
This backup is vital in restoring your website / blog should some unforeseen disaster happen.
Obviously, we don’t expect disaster to strike and we make provisions for our own backups. This is administered by the company(s) that we use for hosting and is done weekly.
Although we feel secure in this knowledge we think it is always good to have a second independent backup and that is why we set our WordPress websites to email a backup.
What is this backup file?
The file that arrives in your email is a zip’d archive containing a database of your posts, pages, comments and more.
If you only had this file you could restore all of your pages / posts, however, none of the design elements are included in this backup. This kind of back up would be much, much larger.
Full back up
A full back up, i.e. one that would enable you to restore or move your website requires a full copy of the websites graphics, pages, photos, media content etc.
This requires a big download from the server and would be large compared to the database backup.
This download along with your database form your complete website.
Now, ideally you should never need to use this but in my opinion it is a good insurance policy to have this on DVD. This way if an unforeseen disaster occurred you have a copy of your website.
If you are updating and adding posts with pictures / media content on a regular basis you may consider having the backup repeated every few months as your website grows.
As a service to our clients we offer a full website backup delivered on a physical medium such as a DVD or memory stick. Prices start at £60 +vat. Get in touch for more information.
