Why regular backups are essential for your website - and how often you actually need them

A moment of inattention, a failed update or an outside attack. Before you know it, your entire website is gone or damaged. And then the question arises: do you have a recent backup?

In this article, we explain why backups are essential for any website - big or small - and how often you should ideally make them.

What is a backup anyway?

A backup is a copy of your website files and - if applicable - the database. Think of your texts, images, plugins, settings, user data, and so on. If something goes wrong, you can restore the site to a working version.

Why are backups so important?

Here are some common scenarios in which backups make all the difference:

• Plugin or theme updates causing errors
• Hacking attempts or malware infections
• Human error, such as accidentally deleting files
• Problems with migrations or experiments with code
• Problems with the hosting environment itself

Without backup, in the worst case scenario, you lose everything - and have to start all over again.

How often should you make backups?

It depends on how often your site changes. A blog with weekly updates may suffice with a daily backup. But for an online store with orders, user data or content that changes constantly, multiple backups per day are recommended.

💡 Rule of thumb: the more dynamic your site, the more often you need to back up.

Automatic vs. manual

You can make backups manually, such as via FTP or a WordPress plugin. But much safer (and easier) is if your hosting provider offers automatic backups - preferably several a day and stored for a longer period of time.

What if you need to restore a backup?

Restoring a backup should be easy. Ideally, you should do this through a control panel or dashboard with a few clicks. Also, check if your provider offers restore support.

Check with your hosting provider:

• How often are automatic backups made?
• How long are these kept?
• Can you restore files or databases separately yourself?
• Is there support if you need help?

Final thought

A good backup strategy is not a luxury - it is a basic requirement for peace of mind. Your website is often the heart of your online presence. So protect it well.

When was the last time you checked that your website is really safe to restore?

📦 Want to know more? Check out our web hosting packages with automatic backups.