Write a useful website backup and recovery plan
A useful backup plan describes what you need back after a problem, not just whether a dashboard displays a green tick. Write down the information your business depends on and agree who will protect it, check it and organise recovery. The answers depend on your actual website and providers.
Before you start
- List the website platform, hosting provider and any separate booking, email or payment systems.
- Choose a business owner who can approve recovery work and speak for the business if the usual editor is unavailable.
What to do
Start with what the business could lose
For a brochure site, this may be approved wording, photographs and recent menu changes. For a site collecting enquiries, include where those enquiries actually live. State which systems are separate so that a website copy is not mistaken for a backup of every business record.
Describe an acceptable gap
Ask how much recently changed information you could realistically recreate. A seasonal price-list edit and a stream of new orders have different consequences. Use this discussion to request a suitable schedule and retention arrangement, rather than choosing a frequency because it sounds reassuring.
Ask for the recovery details
Confirm the available restore points, who can request them, what access is needed and whether a restoration costs extra. Ask what happens if the hosting account itself becomes unavailable. Keep the answers in your handover, with the date and the provider who confirmed them.
Give checking a named owner
Agree who notices a failed backup and who verifies a recovery rehearsal. Set a review date after major website or supplier changes. A short, current record that someone can use is more helpful than a long policy copied from a service you do not actually have.
What to check
- Each important system has an owner and a stated recovery route.
- Frequency, retention, access and possible charges are confirmed rather than assumed.
- There is an agreed way to review whether the arrangement still fits.
Sources and further reading
Platform features can change. Check the provider’s current guidance before changing a live service.