Your website is running fine. Traffic is steady, sales are coming in, everything works. Then your site gets hacked, your hosting server fails, or you accidentally delete critical files. Without a recent backup, you’ve lost everything: years of content, customer data, SEO rankings, and revenue.
Most businesses don’t think about backups until it’s too late. Here’s what you need to know about backing up your website properly, so you’re never caught unprepared.
Why Backups Matter: Real Disaster Scenarios
Let’s look at what actually happens when sites go down without backups.
Scenario 1: Ransomware Attack
A Sydney e-commerce store gets hit with ransomware in October 2024. Hackers encrypt all files on the server and demand $8,000 in Bitcoin to decrypt them. The business doesn’t have backups from the past 6 months.
They have two choices: pay the ransom (with no guarantee the hackers will actually decrypt the files), or rebuild the entire site from scratch. They choose to rebuild. It takes 8 weeks and costs $15,000 in developer fees, plus they lose $30,000 in revenue while the site is down.
If they’d had daily backups, they could’ve restored the site in 2-4 hours and lost almost nothing.
Scenario 2: Bad Plugin Update
A WordPress site automatically updates a plugin overnight. The new version conflicts with the theme and crashes the entire site. Visitors see a white screen. The site owner wakes up to 50 emails from confused customers.
Without a backup, fixing this means troubleshooting the conflict, possibly hiring a developer, and potentially losing hours or days of uptime. With a backup, you restore to the previous day’s version and the site is back online in 10 minutes.
Scenario 3: Hosting Provider Failure
A small Australian hosting company experiences a catastrophic server failure in 2025. Their backup system also fails. Every website on that server is gone permanently.
Customers who relied solely on the host’s backups lost everything. Customers who maintained their own offsite backups were back online within hours, just on a different host.
Scenario 4: Human Error
A business owner’s assistant accidentally deletes an entire section of the website while trying to remove an old page. They don’t realise until 3 days later, when customers start asking where the product catalogue went.
With backups, you restore the deleted section in minutes. Without them, you’re manually recreating content from memory or old screenshots.
Backup Frequency Recommendations
How often you need backups depends on how often your site changes and how much data you can afford to lose.
Daily Backups
You need daily backups if:
- You publish new content daily (blogs, news sites, e-commerce product updates)
- You process customer orders or transactions
- Users upload content (reviews, forum posts, user profiles)
- Losing one day of data would be costly or difficult to recover
Most active business websites fall into this category. Daily backups mean you’ll never lose more than 24 hours of changes, which is acceptable for most businesses.
Weekly Backups
Weekly backups work if:
- Your site is mostly static (brochure sites, portfolio sites)
- Content changes infrequently
- You don’t handle transactions or customer data
- Losing a week of changes wouldn’t be catastrophic
A typical small business brochure site that’s updated once a month can get away with weekly backups.
Real-Time or Hourly Backups
Real-time or hourly backups are necessary for:
- High-traffic e-commerce sites processing hundreds of orders per day
- Membership sites with constant user activity
- Sites where losing even an hour of data would mean significant financial loss
Most small businesses don’t need this level of frequency. Daily is sufficient for 90% of Australian websites.
Keep Multiple Versions
Don’t just keep one backup. Keep at least 7-30 daily backups, so you can restore from a week or month ago if needed.
Why? Sometimes problems aren’t immediately obvious. Your site might get hacked on Monday, but you don’t notice until Friday. If you only keep one backup, and it’s from Thursday (after the hack), you can’t restore to a clean version.
With 30 daily backups, you can restore to a version from before the hack happened.
What to Backup
A complete backup includes three parts: files, database, and settings. Miss one, and you can’t fully restore your site.
Files
This includes:
- Theme files (your site’s design and layout)
- Plugin files (all functionality added to your site)
- Uploaded media (images, PDFs, videos, documents)
- Core CMS files (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, etc.)
- Configuration files (.htaccess, wp-config.php, etc.)
File backups can be large (especially if you have lots of images or videos), so compression helps. Most backup tools automatically compress files to save storage space.
Database
Your database stores:
- All page and post content
- Site settings and configuration
- User accounts and passwords
- Comments and form submissions
- Product information (for e-commerce sites)
- Order history and customer data
Database backups are smaller than file backups (usually 5-50 MB for most sites), but they’re more critical. Without a database backup, your site is just empty template files.
Settings and Configuration
This includes:
- Server configuration (if you have access)
- DNS settings (records for email, subdomains, etc.)
- Plugin and theme settings
- API keys and integration credentials
Most backup tools include these automatically, but it’s worth checking. Some settings are stored outside the database and need to be backed up separately.
Backup Storage Locations: The 3-2-1 Rule
Having one backup stored on the same server as your website isn’t good enough. If the server fails or gets hacked, you lose both your site and your backup.
The 3-2-1 rule is the gold standard for backup safety:
3 Copies of Your Data
Keep three copies total: the original (live site) plus two backups. This protects you if one backup becomes corrupted or inaccessible.
2 Different Storage Media
Store backups on at least two different types of storage. For example:
- One backup on your web server
- One backup in cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon S3, Backblaze)
Or:
- One backup in cloud storage
- One backup on an external hard drive or NAS device in your office
Different storage types protect you from different failure scenarios. If your server crashes, you have the cloud backup. If your cloud account gets compromised, you have the local backup.
1 Offsite Copy
At least one backup must be stored offsite (not on your web server). This protects you if your hosting provider has a catastrophic failure or goes out of business.
Cloud storage services like Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon S3, or Backblaze count as offsite. So does an external hard drive kept at home (if your web server is in a data centre).
Real Example
A Sydney marketing agency uses this backup strategy:
- Automated daily backups stored on their web server (kept for 7 days)
- Automated daily backups sent to Amazon S3 (kept for 30 days)
- Weekly manual backups downloaded to an external hard drive in their office (kept for 6 months)
Total cost: $4 per month for S3 storage, plus a $120 one-time cost for a 2TB external hard drive. Total time: 10 minutes per week to download the manual backup.
This setup has saved them twice: once when a plugin update crashed their site (restored from yesterday’s backup in 15 minutes), and once when their hosting provider had a server failure (switched to a new host and restored from S3 backup in 2 hours).
Automated vs Manual Backups
You can backup your site manually or set up automated backups. Both have their place.
Automated Backups
Automated backups run on a schedule without you doing anything. Set it up once, and backups happen daily, weekly, or hourly in the background.
Advantages:
- Never forget to backup
- Consistent backup schedule
- No ongoing time commitment
- Backups happen even when you’re on holiday or busy
Disadvantages:
- Costs money (most automated backup services charge $5-$30 per month)
- Requires initial setup and testing
- Can fill storage if you don’t manage retention (how many backups to keep)
Automated backups are what most businesses should use. They’re reliable, consistent, and remove human error from the equation.
Manual Backups
Manual backups mean you (or someone on your team) manually exports files and database on a schedule.
Advantages:
- Free (no subscription costs)
- Full control over what gets backed up and when
- Good for one-off backups before major changes
Disadvantages:
- Easy to forget
- Time-consuming (10-30 minutes per backup)
- Human error (forgetting to back up the database, missing files, etc.)
- Doesn’t help if disaster strikes between manual backups
Use manual backups as a supplement to automated backups, not a replacement. For example, run automated daily backups, but also take a manual backup before installing a new plugin or making major site changes.
Best Approach
Set up automated daily backups for peace of mind, then take manual backups before any major changes (theme updates, large plugin installations, site redesigns, etc.).
Backup Tools Worth Using
Here are the backup tools that actually work well for Australian businesses.
For WordPress Sites
UpdraftPlus (Free and Premium)
UpdraftPlus is the most popular WordPress backup plugin, with over 3 million active installations.
Free version includes:
- Automated scheduled backups
- Manual backups
- Database and file backups
- Cloud storage integration (Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon S3, etc.)
- Easy restoration
Premium version ($70 USD per year) adds:
- Incremental backups (only backs up what’s changed, saving storage space)
- Multi-site support
- Database encryption
- Priority support
UpdraftPlus is simple, reliable, and works with most hosting environments. Good choice for most small to medium WordPress sites.
BackupBuddy ($80-$199 USD per year)
BackupBuddy is a premium WordPress backup plugin with more features than UpdraftPlus.
Includes:
- Automated scheduled backups
- Real-time database backups (premium plans)
- 1TB cloud storage (included with higher-tier plans)
- Malware scanning
- Site migration tools
More expensive than UpdraftPlus, but the included cloud storage can be worth it if you’d otherwise pay for Dropbox or S3.
VaultPress (from $99 USD per year)
VaultPress is made by Automattic (the company behind WordPress) and is part of their Jetpack plugin suite.
Includes:
- Real-time backups (backs up every change as it happens)
- Easy one-click restoration
- Security scanning
- Spam filtering
Best for high-traffic sites or e-commerce stores where losing even an hour of data would be costly.
For Non-WordPress Sites
Hosting Control Panel Backups
Most cPanel or Plesk hosts include backup tools in the control panel. You can schedule automatic backups or run manual backups through the interface.
These backups usually stay on the server, so make sure you also download copies offsite.
CodeGuard ($3-$18 USD per month)
CodeGuard is a cloud backup service that works with any website (WordPress, Joomla, custom sites, etc.).
Connects to your site via FTP or SFTP and backs up files and databases automatically. Includes:
- Daily automated backups
- Cloud storage (amounts vary by plan)
- Change monitoring (alerts you when files change)
- One-click restoration
Good option if you’re not on WordPress or if you want backups completely separate from your site’s plugins.
For Managed WordPress Hosts
Many managed WordPress hosts (WP Engine, Kinsta, Flywheel) include daily automated backups as part of their hosting. You can usually restore from backups through your hosting dashboard.
These are convenient, but don’t rely on them exclusively. Host-provided backups are stored on the host’s servers. If the host has a catastrophic failure or goes out of business, those backups could be lost.
Even with managed hosting, set up a secondary backup to offsite storage (Dropbox, S3, etc.) using a plugin like UpdraftPlus.
How to Test Your Backups Actually Work
Having backups doesn’t mean much if you can’t restore from them. Many businesses discover their backups are corrupted, incomplete, or unusable only after a disaster strikes.
Here’s how to test your backups properly.
Test Restoration at Least Twice a Year
Every 6 months, actually restore your website from a backup to a test environment (staging site, local development, or separate domain).
This confirms:
- The backup files aren’t corrupted
- You know how to perform a restoration
- The restored site actually works (images load, forms submit, etc.)
- All necessary files and database tables are included
Set a calendar reminder for January and July. Block out 30-60 minutes to run a test restoration.
Check Backup Logs Weekly
Most backup plugins and services send email notifications when backups complete or fail. Actually read these emails.
If a backup fails and you don’t notice for weeks, you could be running without backups and not realise it until you need one.
Verify Backup File Sizes
Check that backup files are roughly the size you expect. If your site is 500 MB and your backup is 2 MB, something is wrong.
Backup sizes should be fairly consistent. If they suddenly drop (or spike) by 50%+, investigate why.
Test Restoration Speed
During your test restoration, time how long it takes. This tells you how long your site would be down in a real disaster.
If restoration takes 6 hours, you know you’d be offline for most of a business day. If that’s unacceptable, you might need faster restoration tools (like real-time backups with one-click restoration).
Restoration Time Estimates
How long does it take to restore a website from backup? It depends on your site size and backup method.
Small Site (Under 1 GB)
Restoration time: 10-30 minutes
This includes downloading the backup, uploading files to the server, importing the database, and testing that everything works.
Medium Site (1-5 GB)
Restoration time: 30-90 minutes
Larger file sizes mean longer download and upload times, especially if your internet connection isn’t fast.
Large Site (5-20 GB)
Restoration time: 1-4 hours
At this size, file transfer is the bottleneck. You might need to restore overnight or during off-peak hours.
E-commerce or High-Traffic Sites
If downtime costs you significant revenue, consider real-time backup solutions with instant restoration. VaultPress, BackupBuddy, and managed WordPress hosts often offer one-click restoration that works in 5-15 minutes.
Backup Storage Costs
Where you store backups affects cost. Here’s what to expect.
On-Server Storage
Cost: Usually included with hosting, but uses your allocated disk space.
If your hosting plan includes 10 GB of storage and you use 4 GB for your site, you have 6 GB available for backups. At 500 MB per backup, that’s 12 backups before you run out of space.
Dropbox
Free plan: 2 GB (enough for 2-4 backups of a small site)
Plus plan: $14.99 AUD per month for 2 TB (plenty for most websites)
Google Drive
Free plan: 15 GB (shared with Gmail and Google Photos)
Google One 100 GB: $2.49 AUD per month
Google One 200 GB: $4.49 AUD per month
Amazon S3
Pay-as-you-go: $0.023 USD per GB per month
For a typical small business site with 30 daily backups at 500 MB each (15 GB total), that’s about $0.35 USD ($0.50 AUD) per month.
Extremely cheap for automated backups, but requires some technical knowledge to set up.
Backblaze B2
Pay-as-you-go: $0.005 USD per GB per month
Even cheaper than S3. For the same 15 GB of backups, you’d pay about $0.08 USD ($0.12 AUD) per month.
Good alternative to S3 with simpler pricing.
External Hard Drive
One-time cost: $80-$200 for a 1-4 TB external drive
Good for local backups stored in your office. No ongoing costs, but you need to manually connect and download backups (or set up automated backups over your local network).
Common Backup Mistakes
Only Backing Up Files, Not Database
Your database contains all your content. Without it, you have empty theme files and no actual pages or posts. Always backup both files and database.
Storing Backups Only on the Same Server
If your server crashes or gets hacked, backups stored on that server are gone too. Always keep at least one offsite copy.
Never Testing Restores
You won’t know if your backups work until you try to use them. Test at least twice a year.
Not Automating Backups
Manual backups are easy to forget. Automate them so they happen consistently without your intervention.
Keeping Backups Forever
Old backups fill up storage and cost money. Set a retention policy: keep daily backups for 7-30 days, weekly backups for 3 months, monthly backups for a year. Delete older backups to save space.
Final Thoughts
Backups are insurance. You hope you never need them, but when disaster strikes, they’re invaluable.
Set up automated daily backups to offsite storage (cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, or S3). Keep at least 30 days of backups, and test restoration twice a year.
For most Australian businesses, this costs $2-$15 per month and takes 1-2 hours to set up. That’s a tiny investment compared to the cost of losing your entire website.
Need help setting up reliable backups for your website? Sites By Design can configure automated backups, test them, and make sure you’re protected. Get in touch and we’ll get your site backed up properly.
