Most website owners only think about backups after disaster strikes. A plugin update breaks the homepage the night before a big promotion, a staff member deletes the product pages, or hackers inject spam links that Google flags. If you know how to back up your website correctly and have practised restoring it, these problems become a short inconvenience instead of a business crisis. This guide covers what to back up, the best methods for WordPress and cPanel sites, and a fast recovery plan.
What exactly needs backing up
A website is usually made of two parts, and you need both:
- Files: the website code, themes, plugins, uploaded images, PDFs and configuration files such as wp-config.php or .htaccess.
- Database: the content and settings, including posts, pages, products, orders, user accounts and form entries. For WordPress, this is a MySQL or MariaDB database.
If you host email on the same account, consider your mailboxes too. Email is often forgotten until someone needs an old invoice from last year.
The 3 2 1 rule for website backups
A widely recommended principle is to keep at least three copies of your data, on two different types of storage, with one copy stored off site. For a website, this could mean:
- The live website on your hosting server.
- Automatic daily backups kept by your hosting provider.
- Your own copy stored in Google Drive, Dropbox or an external disk at the office.
Relying only on one backup stored on the same server as the website is risky. If the account is compromised or closed, you may lose both.
How often should you back up?
It depends on how often your site changes:
- Brochure websites for clinics, law firms or schools that change monthly: weekly backups plus a manual backup before any big change.
- Blogs and news sites: daily backups.
- Online shops and booking sites: daily at minimum, and more frequent database backups if you receive many orders, because every order is new data.
Keep several restore points, such as the last 7 to 30 days, so you can go back to a clean copy if a problem was only noticed after some time.
Method 1: Hosting provider backups
Many hosts run automatic backups. Baasa Cloud, for example, provides daily backups on its hosting plans, which you can restore from your control panel or with help from our support team. Check with your host:
- How often are backups taken and how many days are kept?
- Are files, databases and email all included?
- Can you restore a single file or database yourself?
- Are backups stored on a separate server?
Method 2: Manual backup in cPanel
If your hosting uses cPanel, you can download your own copy:
- Log in to cPanel and open Backup or Backup Wizard.
- Under partial backups, click your home directory to download the files as a compressed archive.
- Download each MySQL database listed under the databases section.
- Optionally download email forwarders and filters.
- Upload the files to Google Drive or another safe location and label them with the date, for example "mysite-files-2025-04-26".
If your hosting uses JetBackup inside cPanel, you can also browse daily snapshots and restore specific files, folders or databases with a few clicks.
Method 3: WordPress backup plugins
For WordPress sites, plugins such as UpdraftPlus, BackWPup, Duplicator or All in One WP Migration make scheduled backups easy. A sensible setup with UpdraftPlus looks like this:
- Install and activate the plugin from Plugins then Add New.
- Open its settings and set files to back up weekly and the database daily, or both daily for shops.
- Choose how many backups to retain.
- Connect remote storage such as Google Drive or Dropbox so backups are stored off the server.
- Run a first backup manually and confirm the files appear in your remote storage.
Large sites with many images can produce big backups. Exclude cache folders and old unused files to save space.
Always back up before changes
Make a fresh backup before you:
- Update WordPress core, your theme or major plugins.
- Install a new plugin you have not tested.
- Change PHP version on the server.
- Edit theme files or custom code.
- Migrate to a new host or domain.
A staging site, which is a private copy where you test changes first, adds another layer of safety.
How to restore your website fast
When something goes wrong, stay calm and follow a plan.
Step 1: Identify the problem and the right restore point
Was it a broken update this morning, or a hack that might have started weeks ago? Choose the most recent backup taken before the problem began. For hacks, an older backup may be necessary.
Step 2: Restore from hosting backups first
Hosting restores are usually the quickest, because the data is already on the backup server. In JetBackup or your host's backup tool, select the date and restore files and database together so they match.
Step 3: Use your plugin or manual backup if needed
With UpdraftPlus you can restore directly from the dashboard. If you cannot log in, install a fresh WordPress, install the plugin, connect your remote storage and restore from there. For manual backups, upload the files via File Manager or FTP and import the database through phpMyAdmin.
Step 4: Secure and test
- Change all admin, hosting and database passwords, especially after a hack.
- Update everything to the latest versions so the original weakness is closed.
- Check the homepage, forms, checkout and key pages on a phone and computer.
- Clear your cache and any CDN cache.
Test your backups regularly
A backup you have never restored is only a hope. Every few months, restore a recent backup to a staging site or subdomain and confirm everything works. Keep a short written recovery document listing where backups are stored, who has access and the steps to restore.
Frequently asked questions
Is my host's backup enough on its own?
It is a strong first layer, but keeping your own off site copy protects you if you lose access to the hosting account.
Can backups slow down my website?
Backups of large sites can use server resources. Schedule them at night when traffic in Uganda is lower.
How long does a restore take?
A small site can be restored in minutes. Large shops with gigabytes of images may take longer, depending on server and connection speed.
Conclusion
Backing up your website is cheap insurance. Make sure you have automatic daily backups, keep your own off site copy, back up before every major change and practise restoring. If you would like hosting with daily backups already built in and local support to help you restore, talk to Baasa Cloud.