Your Site Will Fail. Be Ready.

Why Website Crashes Are Normal: The Reality of WordPress Sites

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 a proper WordPress backup and restore system, recovery becomes guesswork.

A WordPress site backup removes fear. It turns a crash into a routine task. Restore. Check. Move on. That's why learning how to backup WordPress site properly is the most important skill for any website owner.

Best WordPress Backup Plugin: Choosing the Right Solution

While there are many WordPress backup plugins available, not all are created equal. Some are lightweight and reliable, while others can slow down your site or cause conflicts. Choosing the best WordPress backup plugin is crucial for effective backup management and peace of mind.

How to Backup WordPress Site: Your First Backup with WPvivid

Despite all of WPvivid's capabilities, 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.

How to Restore WordPress from Backup: Testing Your Backup Works

Congratulations! You've successfully created your first WordPress site backup. Now comes the critical part: testing that you can restore WordPress from backup. This is where most people fail—they create backups but never verify they work until disaster strikes.

"An untested backup is the same as no backup at all."

Common Backup Restoration Issues I've Encountered

This entire test process takes 5-60 minutes (depending on the size of your site) and is worth every second. I test my backups every couple of months, and there have been times when:

• File corrupted during transfer - Backup downloaded fine but wouldn't restore
• PHP timeout during restore - Server couldn't handle large backup in one go
• Incompatible plugin files - Old plugin versions conflicting with new WordPress
• Invalid backup file format - Backup created on different server architecture
• Database charset mismatch - UTF-8 vs UTF8MB4 encoding issues
• File permission problems - Restored files had wrong ownership

That's why for every website I have/make - I create a test website to verify the backup works. For example:

• This Website has a copy on a test.kolodych.com
• Bubacatcity.com has a copy on a Test Server 1 (Bubacat)
• Vent Build website has a copy on a test.vent-build.com
• And you can be sure, that all other websites as well.

This practice gives me peace of mind and ensures that my clients' websites are always protected and recoverable. Knowing how to restore WordPress website before you need it is like having insurance — you hope you never use it, but you're glad it's there.

Setting Up Remote Storage for WordPress Backups

I hope you now understand the importance of having your WordPress site backup NOT in the same place as your website. If this WordPress backup and restore process using WPvivid worked out well for your website - I can share with you my settings and best practices for even smoother and more reliable backups.

Configuring Remote Storage for WordPress Backups

1. Step 1: Navigate to Remote Storage Tab
   • Go to WPvivid → Remote Storage
   • You'll see options for various cloud services
2. Step 2: Choose Your Cloud Service
   • Google Drive: 15GB free, easy setup
   • Dropbox: 2GB free, reliable
   • Microsoft OneDrive: 5GB free, great for Microsoft users
   • Amazon S3: Pay-as-you-go, professional-grade
   • FTP/SFTP: Use any FTP server
3. Step 3: Authenticate Your Account
   • Click on your chosen cloud service
   • Click "Authenticate" button
   • Log in to your cloud account when prompted
   • Grant WPvivid permission to access your storage
4. Step 4: Name Your Storage Location
   • Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "My Site - Google Drive")
   • This helps when you have multiple sites or storage locations
   • Click "Save" to complete setup

Automatic WordPress Backup: Set It and Forget It

Now that you have remote storage configured, let's set up automatic WordPress backup so you never have to remember to do it manually. This is what separates professionals from amateurs — automated, tested backups that run whether you remember or not.

Configuring Automatic WordPress Backup Schedule

1. Step 1: Navigate to Schedule Tab
   • Go to WPvivid → Schedule
   • This is where you configure automatic backups
2. Step 2: Enable Backup Schedule
   • Tick the checkbox "Enable backup schedule"
   • Choose backup frequency: daily, weekly, or monthly
   • Recommendation: Daily for active sites, weekly for static sites
3. Step 3: Select Backup Type
   • Choose "Database + Files" for complete protection
   • Select "Send backups to remote storage"
   • Your authenticated cloud service icon should be active (e.g., Google Drive icon)
4. Step 4: Save Your Schedule
   • Most important: Click "Save Changes"!
   • Many people forget this step and wonder why backups don't run.

Optimizing WPvivid General Settings

One last step to optimize your WordPress backup plugin configuration:

1. Navigate to Settings: Go to WPvivid → Settings → General Settings
2. Set Backup Retention: Set "Maximum number of backups retained" to 7
   • This keeps one week of rolling backups
   • Prevents your storage from filling up
   • Gives you multiple restore points
3. Enable Backup Merging: Tick "Merge all the backup files into single package"
   • Makes downloading and restoration easier
   • Prevents issues with split backup files
   • Recommended for most sites
4. Save Settings: Click "Save" at the bottom

Frequently Asked Questions About WordPress Backups

How often should I backup my WordPress site?

For most websites, daily automatic WordPress backup is recommended. E-commerce sites or sites with frequent content updates should backup multiple times per day. Blogs with infrequent updates can use weekly backups. The key is backing up before any major changes—always create a manual backup before updating themes, plugins, or WordPress core.

Why should I test my WordPress backups?

Testing your WordPress backup and restore process ensures they actually work when disaster strikes. Many website owners discover their backups are corrupted, incomplete, or incompatible only after they desperately need them. Testing on a staging site verifies your backup restoration process works correctly. An untested backup is the same as having no backup at all.

Is WPvivid free? What about WPvivid Backup Pro?

Yes, WPvivid has a robust free version that includes full site backups, scheduling, cloud storage integration, and one-click restore — everything most users need. The WPvivid Backup Pro version ($79/year for single site) adds incremental backups, unused image cleaner, staging sites, white label options, and priority support. For most small to medium sites, the free version is sufficient.

What's the best WordPress backup plugin free option?

Based on testing all major options, WPvivid is the best free WordPress backup plugin for most users. It offers the best balance of features, ease of use, and reliability. UpdraftPlus is also excellent but has a steeper learning curve. Duplicator is best specifically for WordPress migration rather than regular backups. Avoid plugins that limit backup size or require paid upgrades for essential features like remote storage.

How do I backup WordPress database separately?

To backup WordPress database only, use WPvivid and select "Database" instead of "Database + Files" when creating a backup. This creates a smaller, faster backup containing only your posts, pages, settings, and user data. Database-only backups are useful for quick daily backups between full site backups, or before making configuration changes that don't affect files.

Can I use WPvivid for WordPress migration to a new host?

Yes! WPvivid is excellent for WordPress migration. Create a full backup on your old host, download it, then upload and restore it on your new host using WPvivid. The plugin handles URL changes and database updates automatically. This makes moving WordPress sites between hosts simple and reliable without manual database editing or file transfers.

Where should I store my WordPress backups?

Never store backups ONLY on the same server as your website. If the server crashes, you lose both. Best practice: Store backups in at least two locations — one remote cloud service (Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3) and one local download on your computer. For critical sites, use multiple remote storage locations. Always test that you can download and restore from your remote storage.

How long does it take to restore WordPress from backup?

Using WPvivid, most sites restore WordPress from backup in 5-20 minutes. Small sites (under 500MB) restore in 5-10 minutes. Medium sites (500MB-2GB) take 10-20 minutes. Large sites (2GB+) may take 20-60 minutes. Restoration time depends on your hosting server speed, site size, and database complexity. The one-click restore process is significantly faster than manual restoration methods.

What's included in a complete WordPress site backup?

A complete WordPress site backup includes:

1. WordPress core files,
2. All themes and theme customizations,
3. All plugins and their settings,
4. Media library (images, videos, PDFs),
5. Complete database (posts, pages, comments, users, settings),
6. wp-config.php and configuration files,
7. Custom code and modifications.

When using WPvivid's "Database + Files" option, you get everything needed to completely restore your site.

Summary: The Best WordPress Backup Plugin Strategy

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.

That's why I'm so insistent about testing. That's why I have test websites for every client site I manage. That's why I check my backup logs monthly and run quarterly restore tests.

Not because I'm paranoid. Because I learned the hard way that hope is not a backup strategy.

You just invested an hour setting this up properly. Testing. Configuring. Connecting remote storage. That hour is worth years of peace of mind.

I've had servers crash. Hard drives fail. Hosting accounts suspended due to billing errors. Security breaches that required immediate rollback. Plugin updates that broke entire sites.

Every single time, I restored from backup and was back online within 20 minutes.

My clients never knew there was a problem. My visitors never saw downtime. I never lost sleep or spent hours on emergency support calls.

That's what you just set up for yourself.

The next time something breaks — and something will break — you'll remember this article. You'll go to WPvivid. You'll click restore. And 15 minutes later, you'll be back to work.

Welcome to the small group of website owners who actually sleep well at night.

Your website will fail eventually. Updates will break things. Plugins will conflict. Servers will crash. But now, you're ready. You know how to backup WordPress site, you know how to restore WordPress from backup, and you have the best WordPress backup plugin configured and tested.

That's not paranoia. That's professionalism. That's being prepared. And that's exactly what separates website owners who panic from those who simply restore and move on.