Client Resource
Your Off-Site Website Backups
Your site is backed up automatically, but I also want you to be able to access those backups independently — so you're never dependent on me alone.
I keep automatic backups of your website. They run on a regular schedule, and copies go off-site to a separate location. (Currently this is usually Amazon S3 sorage, or Backblaze s3 compatible.)
I keep a rolling set of backups, so in almost every scenario, if something goes wrong with your site, I can restore it quickly from those backups.
I have been using Updraft Plus for this purpose as my tool of choice for well over a decade. Updraft Plus has been so widely used for so many years, it’s essentially an industry standard. I trust it, and I know how to use it.
But there’s always the beer truck scenario.
Really? A Beer Truck?
Back in the day, in the late 80s and early 90s, when I was in the corporate world, there was a guy in the IT department who occasionally talked about what would happen to systems and support if he got hit by a beer truck.
Honestly, I’m not quite that morbid, but I do want you to be prepared for what happens if something happens to me.
Bottom line
If anything ever happens to me, you should be able to hand your backup files to any qualified WordPress developer and have them rebuild your site exactly as it was.
Where your copy will live
It is my strong recommendation that we set up a location for backup files to be placed so that you will always have access to them. There are about a dozen options. If you want to suggest something not in this list, please let me know and I’ll see if we can make it happen. To keep the conversation simple, these are three excellent options:
Whatever you choose initially can be changed later, so it’s not worth stressing over. Just pick one and let me know and I’ll take care of the setup.
What the backup contains
It’s two pieces:
- The site files. Your WordPress theme, plugins, and media (images, PDFs, etc.)
- The database. All of your pages, posts, settings, and form data, and much more.
Together, these are a complete snapshot of your site at a moment in time. Any WordPress developer will know what to do with them.
How to access your backups
1
Open the cloud folder we have agreed upon for your backups
Whether this is Google Drive or Dropbox, OneDrive or BackBlaze, access should be easy but if you’re not sure how to get there, reach out and I’ll happily help.
2
Look for dated backup files inside
You’ll see files named something like backup-2026-06-23.zip and backup-2026-06-23.sql.gz. Don’t worry about opening or modifying them — just keep them safe.
3
That’s it
You don’t need to do anything with these files unless you ever need them. Just knowing where they are is the point.
If you ever need to use them
If you’re working with a new WordPress developer, here’s what to tell them:
What to say
“I have UpdraftPlus backup files for my WordPress site — a zip of the site files and a sql.gz of the database. Can you restore these to a new WordPress installation?”
Any WordPress developer worth hiring will know exactly what this means.
One thing to check
If I ever send you a new backup link, make sure you’ve got access to it before the old one changes. Worth checking in with me once a year or so to confirm your access is current.
All that said, this whole guide is “just in case” territory. I am not sick, and I’m not about to retire. Day to day, your backups are handled automatically, and I’m keeping an eye on them. You don’t need to do anything. But you do need to know where things are if you ever need them.
Questions about this? Reach out — I'm happy to walk you through it.