Home WordPress How to Backup WordPress Site: Expert Guide

How to Backup WordPress Site: Expert Guide

By Aman Bhati

7 min

May 14, 2024

Are you looking to back up your WordPress website?

On a WordPress website, your data is at risk because of security threats and errors. A backup of the website data helps you restore a saved version of the website.

This blog post helps you learn new ways to back up your WordPress website.

Why Backup is Essential for Your Site

A website backup is of the utmost importance. A backup helps you retrieve all data, as it is a saved copy of your website and files. You can save the following data in a backup, including:

WordPress core files include wp-includes, wp-config.php, wp-admin, and wp-content.
Plugin and theme files
Uploaded files, including images and videos
WordPress database tables

If your website crashes in the event of an unexpected malware attack or human error, you can restore a recent backup. You may install a new theme or plugin that interacts with the rest of your website. All you need to do is revert to a backup without error, and you’re all set to go.

Backups are an essential WordPress maintenance task that gives you peace of mind and keeps your site secure. You can achieve the following benefits by rolling back to the earlier version:

Restore all the corrupted or deleted data by the malware.
Remove malware.
Resolve server crashes.
Remove any human errors.
Roll back unsuccessful software updates.

Once you back up your website, you get an error-free copy of the site. This helps you avoid any data loss from malware attacks, errors, or crashes.

Consequences of not having regular backups

Data loss

Data loss can be devastating for your WordPress website. It may cause the loss of customer data, essential files, or valuable content. The consequences of data loss may dent your brand and user trust, leading to immediate setbacks.

Protect your website with regular WordPress backups. A backup works as a safety net that helps you restore your lost or corrupt files and ensures your online presence remains intact.

Downtime

Website downtime may cause reputational and financial damage. It may impact your brand image negatively.

Backups at regular intervals can minimize downtime. It helps to retain the website in its functional and original state.

This recovery helps your website get back online swiftly and reduces the financial and reputational consequences caused by the downtime.

Negative impact on SEO

Search engines keep user experience a top priority. An unstable website may harm your SEO rankings on the search engine result pages. Slow loading times, missing content, or broken links can add to a negative perception by search engines and may harm organic traffic and online rankings.

Maintain your high ranks on the search engines by scheduling a regular backup. It helps your website stay intact and functional. Regular backups help you address critical issues promptly and avoid any negative impact on the search engine rankings.

How to Backup WordPress Site

Are you searching for the answer to your unanswered question: How to backup your WordPress site?

WordPress is a specialized website. It is simple but needs expert support to perform specific tasks like data migration, backup or any other task that may need technical expertise. In such a case, if you are a newbie, hire WordPress Developer.

However, the following section has four different methods to help you out with the question, “How to backup WordPress site.” Keep reading

Method 1: How to Backup WordPress Site (with a Plugin)

WordPress plugins are more than handy when it comes to website backup. These plugins are helpful as they add valuable functionality to the website without coding. UpdraftPlus is the most preferred WordPress plugin for backing up a website.

It offers a range of features that work well for a wide range of WordPress sites. It has a free version, which is another advantage. Follow the following steps to complete a WordPress backups with the help of the UpdraftPlus plugin:

Log into your WP dashboard.
Click the Add New button.
Search for “UpdraftPlus,” click the Install Now button, and click Activate.
Configure the plugin’s settings. You might encounter a pop-up with a ‘Press here to start’ button.
Click the Backup Now button. Set your backup schedule under the Settings tab for auto backups.
Select a remote storage provider to save your backups.
A new section will appear with a link to authenticate your account with the provider after you save your settings and make your selection. No action is necessary now.
Select which files you want to include in your backups.
Click on the Save Changes button.
Once you click Save Changes, a pop-up window will appear, asking you to verify your account with whichever remote provider you selected.
Click on the link to get redirected to a new window asking you to fill in your account information.
Grant UpdraftPlus.com access to your remote provider and click Complete Setup. You’ll get a success message when authenticating your account.

Method 2: How to Backup WordPress Site (Manually Using the cPanel Backup Tool)

In pursuit of an answer to the question of how to backup WordPress site, we came across cPanel. The question arises: What is a cPanel? A cPanel is the website hosting control panel. It helps users with an easy-to-use interface. cPanel offers easy manual backup with its specialized Backup Wizard tool.

Log in to cPanel at your host.
Under Files, click Backup Wizard.
Click Backup in the backup wizard.
Click the Full Backup option.
Click Generate Backup to create your backup.
Once the backup is finished, download it to your local computer.
Repeat the process to take a new backup.

Method 3: How to Backup WordPress Site (Manually with FTP and phpMyAdmin)

Follow the below-mentioned steps to back up your WordPress website manually with FTP and phpMyAdmin.

Connect to your site using FTP.
Download all the files from your website and send them to your local computer.
Access your site’s database using phpMyAdmin.
Export the database of your website and download a copy to your local computer.
Initiate the process by connecting your servers with the help of an FTP client like FileZilla and getting your hosting dashboard.
Browse to the folder that contains the files on the site. It is named public or public_html. Download the public or public_html files to save a copy of them.
Log in to your hosting dashboard and access the phpMyAdmin tool.
Select your site’s database in phpMyAdmin.
Select Quick as the export method under the Export tab on the top menu bar. Download a copy of the database.

Method 4: How to Backup WordPress Site (Using Managed WordPress Hosting)

Most managed hosting providers offer customized backup tools that create on-demand backups as required. The hosts also run regular backups on a daily basis.

These hosting providers store the backups in a secure off-site location, which is different from cPanels, which stores the backups on the same server as the website by default.

Let’s take an example of Kinsta – A popular WordPress hosting provider. It will help you understand the general idea of the process.

Log in to your hosting dashboard.
Go to the backup tool.
Find the manual backup option via the Manual tab.
Click the purple Backup Now button to create a backup.
After a short wait, the backup should appear on the list.

For added peace of mind, some hosts will also let you download the backup to your local computer.

The Bottom Line: How to Backup WordPress Site

Now that you know how to backup WordPress site, you can protect your website against unexpected problems!

At TRooInbound, we offer automated daily WordPress backups with every plan. If that’s not enough, you can create manual backups at will or connect TRooInbound to set up local copies of your website.

The significance of knowing the answers to how to backup a WordPress site can never be overstated. The backup of your WordPress site is crucial to keeping your website secure and providing a safety net against the potential threats and risks of malware attacks, downtime, and data loss.

WordPress backups safeguard essential website data, including pages, posts, user information, and configurations. In case of data loss or any malware attack, these backups ensure a swift and prompt recovery to minimize downtime and negative impacts.

If you are looking forward to building a website on WordPress or developing it, avoid doing it by yourself if you are a newbie or inexperienced. This may cause data loss or corrupt your site. In case, hire a renowned WordPress development agency like TRooInbound.

Take the initiative today to implement a comprehensive backup strategy, and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your WordPress site is secure and well-protected with a client-centric WordPress website development company.

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Why Backup is Essential for Your Site
Consequences of not having regular backups
How to Backup WordPress Site
Method 1: How to Backup WordPress Site (with a Plugin)
Method 2: How to Backup WordPress Site (Manually Using the cPanel Backup Tool)
Method 3: How to Backup WordPress Site (Manually with FTP and phpMyAdmin)
Method 4: How to Backup WordPress Site (Using Managed WordPress Hosting)
The Bottom Line: How to Backup WordPress Site

Switch From Conversion Funnel To Flywheel

Public Relations As Inbound Marketing

Aman Bhati

Aman Bhati is a Digital Marketing Manager, possesses a diverse range of skills and knowledge to effectively tackle a broad spectrum of digital marketing challenges. His expertise extends from the development of project strategies and timelines to the optimization of website design and content, conducting comprehensive market research, and efficiently setting up and managing paid advertising campaigns.

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