The question is not IF you will need a backup, but WHEN: a hack, a bad update, a deleted file, or the classic I just wanted to fix one small thing. Here is the rule professionals use.
The 3-2-1 rule
- 3 copies of your data (the original plus two backups)
- 2 different media (e.g. the server plus an external drive or cloud)
- 1 copy off-site — if the server dies, a backup on that same server dies with it
What that means for your site in practice
- Copy 1: the live site
- Copy 2: your host's automatic daily backups (standard with us)
- Copy 3: your own — UpdraftPlus to Google Drive, or a manual cPanel download before any bigger change
The only test that counts
A backup you have never RESTORED is not a backup — it is hope. Once a year (or at least once): restore it to a test location and check the site actually works. We do this for maintenance clients.
The common illusions
- The host has backups, that is enough — it is, if you know how far back and how fast a restore takes
- A plugin makes backups — yes, but if it stores them on the SAME server, that is one basket for all your eggs
- I will make one before the change — that is exactly the moment everyone forgets
Before every risky move
A theme update, a new plugin, a PHP change: backup first. Five minutes that save five days of panic.