Do you own a website that you have put hours of time and effort into? If so, could you ever imagine waking up one day, only to realise that your entire website has crashed and that you have no backups, leaving you completely stranded and needing to start everything up from scratch again? Oh, what a painful and terrible situation that would be! Of course, whilst website crashes cannot be 100% avoided, website owners can indeed take active measures to ensure that all the data on their website has been backed up, so that in the instance of an unfortunate crash, you at least haven’t lost everything you have worked so hard on. With an increasing number of website threats out there, it is more crucial now than ever to backup your website in a bid to safeguard yourself against those threats. In this article we will look at the 6 reasons why you should back up your website, so read on to find out more.
1. Those Darn Hackers
Unfortunately, with the internet also comes internet hackers. Whilst the main aim of many hackers may be to steal your credit card number, passwords and other classified/sensitive information, there are also those who choose to hack websites for the sole purpose of causing trouble. If you own a website, there is always that chance that it may become compromised, which is why backing up your website is a crucial step to take.
2. In Case Of A Computer Crash
We all store our files on the computer – after all, that is what a computer is for! But how many times have you experienced a computer crash or a hard drive malfunction, only to realise that you have now lost all your precious files? Baking up your files both on an external hard drive and remotely is a wise idea that can help prevent a meltdown should your computer crash.
3. Malware and Viruses
Computer viruses, malware and Trojan Horses are yet another reason why backing up your website is so crucial. These annoying little buggers can find their way to your website via third party sites or if you download a corrupted/infected file. You can even accidentally download them unknowingly when you install a theme or plugin, and they can also slip in through a chink in your firewall’s armour. Having backup files ensures that you are prepared should anything of the sort happen or if your website starts acting mysteriously weird.
4. Human Error
We all make mistakes. It is perfectly possible that sometimes, an employee or even you could make a mistake when trying to update your website, change its layout and so forth. Instead of panicking when mistakes are made, having a backup ensures that you will be able to restore your website to its original state, without permanently changing its accidental layout or settings. This will give you peace of mind.
5. Minimise Damage
What if you log into your website one day, and are suddenly faces by an unfamiliar error page?You just may get a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach as you realise that something has gone terribly wrong. Instead of going into a worried tailspin of stress, having a backup of your website can ensure that you don’t have to go into crazy stress mode. You’ll be able to restore your website, knowing that none of your precious content has been lost in the vast space of the internet.
__________
We hope that these 5 reasons encourage you to backup your website – it is truly an essential step that anyone should take.
