So why is there a picture of me and my boys kicking back in the mountains the other day on a post about backing up your blog?

Simple.

It illustrates how easy I’ve made it for my blog to be backed up. I figure this is where I was the other day right about the time my computer kicked on and backed up my blog for me.

How easy have I made this process? As easy as me doing nothing after the initial set up.

Yep, that’s right. My entire blog’s backup process is on autopilot and takes no further work from me to do–and in this article, I’m going to show you how I do it. (Note that SyncBackSE links are affiliate links)

2 Methods You Can Use To Automate Back Ups

The best two methods I know of to automate your blog’s full backup process is either:

1. A combination of a free database backup plugin and the program SyncBackSE . . . or
2. The BackupBuddy plugin

Each method will cost you a little money up front, but hey… your blog is worth it, right?

I use method #1; but let me first explain how these two methods work and then I’ll explain why I use method #1.

Method 1: Using SyncBackSE and a Plugin (way I do it)

Cost: $30

Backing up the database on autopilot

There are a number of database backup plugins for WordPress you can use. If you don’t already have one, Google “WordPress database backup plugins” and I’m sure you’ll find a few. I use the WP-DB-Backup plugin by filosofo.

Make sure whichever database backup plugin you install lets you run “Scheduled backups” and then set up the plugin to email you your database backup once or twice a week.

Okay… database backup set on autopilot, now let’s move on to your web hosting files.

Backing up your hosting files

To create a full backup of your site, you need both your database backed up and your web hosting files.

SyncBackSE is an AWESOME program.

There’s a one time fee of $30 to buy the program (free to try) and it’s well worth the money. Imagine one day if you or a developer mess up your blog, or your blog gets hacked… this one time charge of $30 could save you hundreds, if not more, down the road.

Here’s a screenshot from their site of some of the things you can do with SyncBackSE

Once you got the program, use the scheduling feature to automatically download all the files on your web hosting account to your computer. You can even have it zipped up. The scheduling can be set to back up your site however often you want, and it’s so easy to set up.

One question you might have is, “How does this program automatically back up my hosting files if my computer is turned off?”

Yes this is a program which runs on your computer, not your web hosting account like plugins do. So the way around this is to simply tell your computer to “Hibernate” rather than do a full shut down when you turn off your computer. It’s perfectly safe.

This will let SyncBackSE automatically turn on your computer and run its scheduled backup.

Pros: For $30 you can back up an unlimited number of any kind of website–yours, your clients, test blogs, html sites, blogs, etc. Also, you don’t have to store backups online, they can be downloaded to your computer automatically.

Cons: You’ll have to make sure your computer is on for a scheduled back up. This can be worked around through the use of putting your computer in hibernation mode.

Method 2: Using the BackupBuddy Plugin

Cost: $45-$150

This is an excellent premium plugin (hence the cost) and it will back up your web hosting files and database. You can even set it up to run on autopilot. Here’s a screenshot:

Backing up the database

Just like other database back up plugins, make sure to set this one to regularly email you backups of your database. Database file sizes are usually small enough to do this.

Backing up your files

Have the plugin scheduled to automatically back up your hosting files and store them on a web server. From there, you’ll then be able to manually download this zip file to your computer. For security purposes, I highly recommend that you don’t leave full backups of your site on a web hosting server, so be sure to delete the backup which is stored online once downloaded.

PROS: Since the plugin resides on your web hosting account, it doesn’t matter if your computer is turned on or off, the script will run either way.

CONS:

More expensive to set up than Method 1 and without shelling out $150, you’re limited to a specific number of sites you can use this plugin for. Also, this plugin only works if you have a WordPress blog. If one of your other sites is an HTML site on another domain, it won’t back it up.

Conclusion

If you don’t have a good system in place for backing up your blog, find one! Keeping regular backups is extremely important and as a blogger it’s something you need to put on your to-do list.

I personally use Method #1 because for $30, I can use a plugin and SyncBackSE to automate the back up of however many sites I want, regardless if they’re a WordPress site or not. BackupBuddy is still a good option, though.

So pick a method and check that item off your blogger’s “to-do” list.

Related posts:

1. How To Fully Backup WordPress Anytime With Just A Few Clicks
2. More Web Tools To Make Your Life Easier & More Profitable Online
3. Blog Hacking Alert and What You Need to Do Today!