Backing Up Your WordPress Website: A Crucial Task

As a WordPress user, it is paramount to know the ins and outs of backing up your website. A backup is an exact copy of your website’s content comprising your posts, pages, images, and other media. It is incredibly crucial to have a backup of your website as you run the risk of losing all your content in the event of a hack or a crash.

Different Ways to Backup WordPress

There are several methods of backing up WordPress, ranging from utilizing backup plugins to utilizing managed WordPress hosting platforms that automatically backup your website. However, In this article, we’ll cover how to manually backup WordPress – the most reliable and secure method of guaranteeing that you always have a backup of your website’s content.

Step 1: Access Your Website’s Files

To locate your website’s files, you need to utilize an FTP client. Some of the best FTP clients include FileZilla, Cyberduck, and WinSCP. Once you’ve established your preferred FTP client, connect to your website by entering your website’s hostname, FTP username, and password. This step gets you one step closer to keeping your content safe and secure.

Step 2: Download Your Website’s Files

After establishing a connection to your website using an FTP client, navigate to your website’s root folder. To back up your WordPress files, you’ll need to download all the files in the root folder to your computer. This step plays a significant role in ensuring that if there is ever any issue or you need to restore your backup, you can effortlessly do it from your computer.

Step 3: Backup Your WordPress Database

To back up your database, you need to access your website’s control panel (cPanel). You can achieve this by adding /cpanel to your website’s URL. Once inside your website’s cPanel, go to the backups section and click on the ‘Backup Wizard’ or ‘phpMyAdmin’ icon.

Once you’ve clicked on the icon, in the backup wizard or phpMyAdmin, select your website’s database and then click on the ‘Export’ tab. In the Export tab, pick the ‘Quick’ option, then click on the ‘Go’ button. This step will download a backup copy of your WordPress database to your computer.

Step 4: Store Your Backup Files

After downloading both your WordPress files and database, store them in a safe and secure location. If you have a computer, create a folder dedicated to storing your backups. If not, there are several cloud-based storage solutions like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3 that you can use. This fourth and final step is essential as it ensures that you always have access to your backup whenever necessary.

The Big Picture

While backing up your WordPress website manually can seem daunting, it is the safest and most secure way to guarantee that your content stays safe and sound. The process involves four straightforward steps: accessing your website’s files using an FTP client, downloading your website’s files, backing up your WordPress database, and storing your backup files securely. By following these steps, you can significantly minimize the risk of losing your website’s content and ensure that your website remains secure and reliable.