The problem
Most sites have backups.
Far fewer have backups that restore.
Backups usually fail in one of four ways, and nobody finds out until the day they're needed.
| How backups fail | What happens | How ours avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Stored on the same server | The server fails or is hacked, and the backups go with it. | Stored off-site, away from your hosting account. |
| Never tested | The backup file is corrupt or incomplete, and nobody knew. | Restores tested to a staging copy. |
| Too old | The only clean copy is from months ago, before the content you care about. | Daily, kept for 30 days. |
| Files or database only | Half a site: the images without the content, or the content without the theme. | Files and database backed up together. |
What's included
Website backups in every
maintenance plan.
Your options
Backup plugin, host backups
or a backup service?
Most WordPress sites already have one of these. The question is who checks that it works, and where the copies live when something goes wrong.
| Backup plugin, set up yourself | Your host's backups | Our WordPress backup service | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where copies live | Wherever it was set up to send them; often the same server by default. | Usually on the host's own infrastructure. | Off-site, away from your hosting account. |
| How long they're kept | Whatever was configured, if storage hasn't filled up. | Set by the host's plan. | 30 days. |
| Before updates | Only if you remember. | Rarely. | Every time. |
| Tested restores | Up to you. | Rarely. | Restored to a staging copy. |
| When one fails | Often nobody notices. | Depends on the host. | An alert, and it's fixed. |
| Who restores | You. | You, usually through a control panel. | We do, and fix the cause. |
A plugin is fine if someone checks it. Host backups are a useful extra copy. What a service adds is the checking, the testing and a person who does the restore.
When it goes wrong
How a restore actually
happens.
Pick the right restore point
The last clean backup before the problem, not just the most recent one.
Restore and check
Restored and checked, with anything added since the backup (orders, form entries) preserved where possible.
Fix the cause
The update, hack or error that caused it fixed, so it doesn't happen again.
When backups save you
The situations backups
are for.
Who you're dealing with
Who looks after
your backups.
You're handing someone the keys to your website. You should know who they are.
Naveen Kumar
Founder & lead engineer · Based in Chennai, India, working 9am–6pm US Eastern with clients across the US, UK, Europe and Australia
I built and ran WordPress, WooCommerce and custom-coded sites for clients directly for years before starting PixelGravitas — writing the code, managing the servers, staying on call when something broke. If your site goes down, you're talking to the person who fixes it, not a support queue. More about how I work →
Questions, answered
Website backups:
common questions.
How often are website backups taken?
Daily, plus an extra backup immediately before every update, so any update can be rolled back.
How long are backups kept?
30 days, which gives a month of restore points if a problem is noticed late.
Where are the backups stored?
Off-site, away from your hosting account, so a server failure or a hack on the host doesn't take the backups with it.
Are my host's backups enough?
Often not. Host backups usually sit on the same infrastructure, may not be kept long, and are rarely tested. They're a useful extra, not a replacement.
Do you test that backups restore?
Yes. Backups are restored to a staging copy to prove they work, rather than assuming the file is good.
Can you restore one page instead of the whole site?
Often, yes. A single page, file or table can usually be brought back without rolling the whole site back, which protects anything added since.
Are backups included in every plan?
Yes. Daily off-site backups with 30-day retention are part of every maintenance plan.
How much does a WordPress backup service cost?
Our WordPress backup service isn't sold on its own: it is part of every maintenance plan, alongside updates, monitoring and reporting. The plan prices are published on our pricing page.
Should I restore from a backup after a hack?
Not blindly. A backup taken after the infection started is infected too, and a restore leaves the way in open. Find out when the hack began, restore from a copy older than that, then close the entry point.
Can you back up a site that isn't on WordPress?
Yes. Webflow sites use Webflow's own backups plus checks; static and custom-coded sites are backed up at file and database level.