Serhii Kolodych

Posted on Dec 16

Your WordPress Site Will Fail. Be Ready.

#wordpress #backup #tutorial #beginners

After losing two weeks of work to a crash, I spent years perfecting my backup strategy. Here's everything I learned managing 10+ client sites.

Why I'm Writing This

Three years ago, I lost two weeks of work because I trusted backups I never tested. The panic, the scrambling, the realization that my "backup solution" was just an empty promise — I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Since then, I've done 20+ website restorations, tested every major backup plugin, and built a system that works so well I actually sleep at night. I documented the complete process on my site, but wanted to share it here with the Dev.to community too.

Because if there's one thing I've learned: hope is not a backup strategy.

Website Crashes Are Normal

Updates fail. Plugins conflict. Servers go down. Themes break layouts. Hackers exploit weak spots.

You do not control when this happens. You control how fast you recover.

Most site owners panic. They search logs. They contact hosting. They wait. Hours pass. Sometimes days. Without backups, recovery becomes guesswork.

A backup removes fear. It turns a crash into a routine task. Restore. Check. Move on.

The WordPress Backup Plugin Solution

While there are many backup plugins available, not all are created equal. Some are lightweight and reliable, while others can slow down your site or cause conflicts.

I've tried them all: UpdraftPlus, Backuply, Jetpack, BackWPup, WPvivid, Duplicator, All-in-One WP Migration.

After 20+ website restorations, WPvivid is my choice. It strikes the perfect balance between comprehensive protection and ease of use, without the complexity that makes you need a computer science degree to configure it properly.

What WPvivid Can Do For You

✅ Full website backups
✅ Database-only backups
✅ Files-only backups
✅ Manual backups on demand
✅ Automatic scheduled backups
✅ One-click restore
✅ Website migration
✅ Staging site creation
✅ Remote storage support (Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, Amazon S3, FTP, SFTP)
✅ Backup splitting for large sites
✅ Incremental backups in Pro version

Your First Backup with WPvivid

Here's the critical part most tutorials skip: you need to verify that it works correctly for YOUR specific setup.

Every website is unique — different themes, plugins, hosting environments and configurations. Backups mean nothing if restore fails.

Never trust blindly — test once, then relax.

Step 1: Create Your First Backup

Install and activate WPvivid plugin
Open WPvivid Backup in WordPress, tab "Backup & Restore"
Choose "Database + Files"
Choose "Save to Local"
Click "Backup Now"
Wait for the backup to complete
Reload the page, click "Scan uploaded backup or received backup", then click "Download"

Congratulations! You have your first backup. But we're not done yet.

Testing the Restore Process (THE MOST IMPORTANT PART)

This is where most people stop. Don't be most people.

Step 2: Test on a Blank WordPress Site

Create a blank test WordPress site (use a subdomain or local environment)
Install and activate WPvivid plugin on the test site
In the test site, open WPvivid, tab "Backup & Restore"
Scroll down to find the "Upload" section
Click 'Upload' and select the backup file from your local machine
Wait for "The upload has completed" message - click "OK"
Click the "Backups" button (located next to the 'Upload' button)
You should see the uploaded backup - click "Restore" and then "Restore" again
Click "OK"

Important: Don't close or switch to other tabs during the restore process.

When finished you'll get the message "Restore completed successfully" - click "OK".

Step 3: Verify Everything Works

Reload the page. Go to different pages and sections of your website. Confirm everything is working as expected.

This entire test process takes 5-60 minutes (depending on the size of your site) and is worth every second.

Why Testing Matters (My Hard-Learned Lessons)

I test my backups every couple of months. Here are issues I've caught BEFORE they became disasters:

❌ File corrupted during transfer
❌ PHP timeout during restore
❌ Incompatible plugin files
❌ Invalid backup file format
...and so much more that can go wrong

That's why for every website I have or make, I create a test website to verify the backup works. This practice gives me peace of mind and ensures my clients' websites are always protected and recoverable.

Setting Up Remote Storage (CRITICAL)

I hope you now understand the importance of having your backups NOT in the same place as your website.

Configure Remote Storage:

Go to tab "Remote Storage"
Click on the cloud service you prefer (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.)
Click "Authenticate" (log in to your account)
Give it a descriptive name so you'll know where to find your backups later

Automating Your Backups

Now let's set it and forget it:

Schedule Settings:

Go to tab "Schedule"
Tick "Enable backup schedule"
Choose frequency (daily or weekly - I recommend daily for active sites)
Choose "Database + Files"
Select "Send backups to remote storage" (your authenticated service will show as active)
Most importantly: Click "Save"

General Settings:

Go to tab "Settings" → "General settings"
Set maximum backups retained = 7 (keeps one week of daily backups)
Tick "Merge all the backup files into single package"
Click "Save"

FAQ

How often should I backup my WordPress site?

Most websites: Daily backups
E-commerce sites: Multiple times per day
Blogs with infrequent updates: Weekly backups
The key: Always backup before any major changes

Why should I test my WordPress backups?

Testing backups ensures they actually work when disaster strikes. Many website owners discover their backups are corrupted or incomplete only after they need them.

Is WPvivid free?

Yes! WPvivid has a robust free version that includes full site backups, scheduling, cloud storage integration, and one-click restore. The premium version adds incremental backups, staging sites, and advanced features for $79/year.