Web Hosting with Daily Backups

Are you in search of the perfect backup solution for your WordPress website? You’ve probably realized that not all backups are created equal and there are numerous options to choose from. It’s understandable to feel stressed about this decision as the safety of your site relies on it.

While you can manually back up your site, this can be time-consuming and prone to human error due to the technical details involved. It can also be impractical if your site has dynamic content that changes frequently. Using an automated backup method for your WordPress site will not only save you time and money, but it will also provide more consistent and reliable backups.

In this post, we will explore the importance of backups and discuss the pros and cons of two automated backup options: backup plugins and hosting-level backups. We will explain why using a backup plugin is almost always the best choice. Let’s dive in!

Why Backups Are Important

There are numerous scenarios in which a backup of your WordPress website can save the day. While WordPress is a secure and optimized platform, errors and hacks can still damage your site.

Backups are especially crucial if your business and livelihood depend on your website. Broken features and downtime can drive away potential visitors, leading to a decrease in sales, ad revenue, and followers.

Here are a few reasons why backups are essential:

1. Human error: People make mistakes that can impact the safety of your website. The more people who have access, the higher the risk.
2. Security: Cyber attacks and hacks are becoming more common and can erase or compromise your site’s information.
3. Data loss: Access to data is crucial for your business. Losing data can affect your marketing and sales strategy, and therefore your profits.
4. Hosting issues: Unfortunately, your hosting provider may sometimes fail you. This is beyond your control, but a backup can mitigate the negative effects on your website and business.
5. Market research: If your website is linked to your eCommerce business, you may want to test different elements of your business model. With a backup system in place, you can run these tests without worrying about losing your website’s content.
6. Sentimental value: If your website is a hobby blog or is built for a personal event like a wedding, losing all the images, content, and associated memories can be devastating.

In summary, if you don’t back up your WordPress website, you run the risk of losing all the content and data it holds. It’s important to have an updated copy of your site in case of emergencies. This way, you can quickly restore your backup and continue with your life and business.

Automated WordPress Backup Options

There are two ways to implement automatic backups for your WordPress website: relying on your hosting provider’s backup services or using a backup plugin.

Every website needs a web host to give it a “home” online and make it available for visitors. Most reputable hosting services offer some type of backup feature, either as part of their core services or as a paid add-on.

The other option for automating your site’s backups is installing a backup plugin. If you’re new to WordPress and unfamiliar with plugins, a plugin is software that you can download to your WordPress website to enhance its capabilities. There are plugins available for almost anything you need, including backup management. You can compare the best WordPress backup plugins to find the right fit for you.

Most backup plugins will make copies of your site, either manually or at scheduled intervals, and save them to your server, a third-party cloud hosting environment, or their own proprietary storage solution.

So, how do these methods work and what are their advantages and disadvantages? Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons of hosting-level backups and backup plugins.

Pros and Cons of Using Your Hosting Provider’s Backup Service

Not only does your hosting provider display your site to the world, but they also offer a variety of other services. Some may provide email hosting, security scans, performance optimization, and more.

Most importantly, the majority of hosting providers offer some form of backup solution. Hosting-level backups can be great, especially if they are included in your plan. However, they also have some serious downsides. Here are the pros and cons of relying on your hosting company for WordPress backups:

Pros:

• Simplicity: Backing up through your hosting provider means you don’t need to find a third-party tool for the job. You can manage your backups from the same place as your hosting plan.
• Guaranteed backups and restores: Not all backup plugins offer both backups and restores, but most hosting-related backup services make both tasks easy.
• Storage options: Some hosting providers offer remote storage options for your backups in addition to their own storage solution.
• Off-site backups: As long as there isn’t an issue with your server or your web host’s backup system, they can back up your site’s files if it’s completely down.

Cons:

• Cost: While some WordPress hosting companies offer free backups, often this service comes with an extra fee. This is especially true if you want to perform regular backups.
• Limited lifespan: Hosting providers rarely save backups indefinitely. They often only store copies of your website for a limited period, such as 30 days.
• Risk: Since hosting backups are at the discretion of your provider, there is more potential risk involved. If your web hosting service goes down and doesn’t offer remote storage options for your backups, you might be unable to access them. Additionally, most hosting providers offer limited guarantees when it comes to your backups.
• Vulnerability to hackers: If a hacker injects malware on your server and your backups are stored there as well, they could also be compromised. Restoring one of those backups would not help you recover in the event of a hack.
• Lack of control: Hosting providers rarely offer much control over how your backups are performed and don’t always provide options for external storage. You have to settle for the schedule and storage location they determine.

While backing up your WordPress website with your hosting provider isn’t a bad idea, it should be used with caution. If you’re implementing more than one backup solution, using your hosting provider’s backup service can provide redundancy in your strategy.

However, if you’re considering it as the only backup solution for your WordPress site, you might want to think twice. We suggest carefully examining your host’s policies, weighing the risks, and considering whether their services can truly meet your needs.

Pros and Cons of Using a Backup Plugin

As a WordPress user, you have access to a wide range of plugins. From affiliate marketing to search engine optimization (SEO) and two-factor authentication (2FA), there’s a plugin for almost anything you need, including backup management. Let’s explore the advantages and drawbacks of using a backup plugin:

Pros:

• Variety: There are many backup plugins to choose from, increasing the likelihood of finding the perfect option for your needs.
• Automation: Most backup plugins allow you to schedule automatic backups on a weekly, daily, hourly, or real-time basis.
• Ease of use: If you’re already familiar with using plugins for your other business needs, using a backup plugin will be straightforward. You can perform and restore backups from within the WordPress dashboard, and most plugins offer an intuitive and user-friendly interface.
• Customization: You can decide exactly which elements of your website you want to save. You can choose to back up files, databases, configurations, or make a complete copy of your site, which is often the safest option.
• Remote storage: Instead of saving backups only to your computer or server, most plugins offer remote storage options using popular platforms like Google Drive, Rackspace, Amazon S3, or Dropbox.
• Cost: There are many affordable backup plugins available for WordPress, with some even being free. The majority of popular WordPress backup plugins cost between $22 and $150 per year, fitting into most budgets.

Cons:

• Security: When a plugin backs up your website, it first makes a copy and then usually sends that copy to a remote storage location for safekeeping. However, if your WordPress site is down or experiencing issues that prevent your backup plugin from working, your backups won’t be completed. Backup plugins make a copy of your site before an emergency occurs, not during. If you don’t notice the issue right away, you might go without a backup for days or weeks.
• Performance: Every plugin you install adds new code to your site. The more plugins you have, the more likely you are to experience performance issues. A well-optimized backup plugin shouldn’t have a noticeable impact on your loading times, but some users prefer to minimize plugin usage for this reason.

Backup plugins are a practical choice for managing backups. They are easy to use and can usually be set up within minutes. If you’re already familiar with WordPress, this may be the best option for you.

How to Choose the Right Backup Solution for Your Website

While the backup options offered by your hosting provider may be sufficient for your needs, it’s recommended to opt for a dedicated backup plugin. Managing this critical task with a plugin offers many benefits. It’s quick, easy, affordable, and often automatic. You have numerous options to choose from, and you can personalize your backups to meet your specific needs.

In particular, backups are a must-have for eCommerce businesses. If you run an online business or monetize your website in any way, a plugin is likely the best option for you. Fortunately, there are plenty of WordPress backup plugins to choose from, such as VaultPress Backup.

VaultPress Backup includes real-time backups, saving every change, order, and comment immediately. Backups are stored off-site on WordPress’ secure servers. If anything happens, you can restore your site with a single click, even from the Jetpack mobile app. Jetpack Backup also comes with cool features like the WordPress activity log, allowing you to review what actions may have caused your site to go down.

VaultPress Backup: A Reliable Solution for Every Site

We understand that managing your WordPress website can be daunting, with many things to worry about, especially if you run an online business. The good news is that you can automate and simplify key tasks like backups, giving you more time to focus on your passion.

Implementing a reliable and robust backup solution for your website is essential. While your hosting provider may offer this feature, we recommend having your own backup tool as well. A WordPress backup plugin like VaultPress Backup can provide you with simple, customizable backups that you can always rely on.

With VaultPress Backup, you can have peace of mind knowing that your website is protected and you have a reliable backup solution in place. Don’t leave the safety of your website to chance. Choose a backup solution that meets your needs and gives you the confidence to focus on what you do best.