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Websites rarely break dramatically. They break because an update clashed with a theme, because a plugin was abandoned by its developer, because someone deleted the wrong file, or because a weak password finally found the wrong visitor. What separates a ten-minute annoyance from a fortnight of lost enquiries is not luck or technical skill — it is whether a restorable copy of the site existed before anything went wrong.
What matters here
- Both halves must be backed up — files and database; a files-only copy restores an empty shell.
- Automation beats intention — manual backup routines fail in exactly the busy weeks when most changes happen.
- The restore is the product — a backup nobody knows how to restore is a hope, not a plan.
- Recency sets the damage — the gap between copies is precisely what you stand to lose.
The main options
the website backups guide covers what a real backup contains, how often it should run, and why hosting-level automation — ideally twice daily — is the foundation rather than an add-on. Layer two habits on top: an on-demand backup immediately before any major change, and a periodic full copy downloaded to your own storage for the scenarios platform backups cannot cover. Prevention reduces how often you need any of it: keeping WordPress and its plugins updated on suitable hosting closes most of the common doors, and HTTPS protects data in transit. If your current host offers no included backups at all, that belongs on the list of reasons to reconsider.
How to choose
Spend one calm afternoon on this and never think about it again. Confirm what your host backs up automatically and how often. Find the restore screen and read how it works before you need it. Take one manual backup and download it. Then write three lines somewhere your team can find them: where backups live, how to restore, who to call. That document is the entire difference between an incident and a crisis.