Website Maintenance
WordPress Backups and Updates: A Practical Checklist
Updates and backups serve different purposes: updates maintain software, while backups provide a recovery copy. A reliable maintenance routine needs both, plus checks that the website still works afterwards.
Back up files and the database
A WordPress website includes files such as themes, plugins and uploads, alongside a database containing posts and settings. Ensure your backup covers both. Keep a protected copy separate from the live website and choose a schedule that reflects how often its content changes.
Prepare before applying updates
WordPress recommends a backup before updating. Review updates for WordPress, themes and plugins, and check compatibility. For business-critical sites, test changes on a separate staging copy before applying them to the live website.
Check recovery and customer journeys
Periodically test a restore in a safe environment; the presence of a backup file alone does not prove that recovery will work. After updates, check important pages, contact forms and checkout journeys. Protect any customer information included in backups.
Sources and further reading
CQANET website maintenance can help keep updates, backups and routine checks organised.
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