How to Back Up a Website You Cannot Find or Restore
How to back up a website when you cannot name the copy or prove it restores. I keep a daily backup stored separately on every plan, from $99 a month.
In this article· 6 sections
A backup you have never put back is a rumor. How to back up a website starts with two facts: where yesterday’s copy sits, and whether anyone has restored it.
If you cannot name the place, you do not have a copy you can use. A host checkbox, a plugin screen, and an old email from the person who built the site are three different stories.
Short answer: How to back up a website is to keep a full copy off the live site and to know it can be restored. I store a daily backup separately from the site on every plan, and restoring that backup is included. Managed Website Hosting & Care starts at $99 a month, and you can cancel any time.
How to back up a website when you cannot find the copy?
How to back up a website is to keep a full copy off the live site and know it can go back. I store a daily backup separately, and restoring it is included, from $99 a month. You can cancel any time.
The live site is not the backup. If that folder is the only copy, a bad update, a deleted page, or a hack takes the only version with it. A note that says “backups are on” does not name the file.
I keep a daily backup stored separately from the site. Restoring it is included. Fixing something that broke on my watch is included too.
You can keep your current hosting. Same plans, same price. Your host keeps billing you for hosting. I look after the site on the existing account and keep my own daily backup stored separately. Priority’s dedicated server applies only when I host.
The WordPress maintenance page is that same care for a WordPress site: updates, backups, and small changes.
Say you run a flower shop. The person who built the site wrote that backups were handled. You cannot find the file, and you have never seen a page put back. The site still loads. That is not a copy you can use.
How do I know a backup would actually restore?
A file you have never put back is an untested copy. On every plan, restoring a backup is included, and the daily copy is stored separately from the site. Ask where it lives before you need it on a bad day.
A download you have never opened does not answer the question. The useful test is a restore: the pages, the photos, and the forms come back as a site someone can open.
I will not invent a drill schedule the page does not list. The daily backup is stored separately from the site. Restoring a backup is included. If the live copy is the one that broke, that separate copy is what I put back.
You keep the domain and the content. You can ask for a complete copy of the site any time. You do not get a server login or a control panel to manage.
A restore is not a small edit. Text, photos, hours, a new post, or a section go by email to michael@michaelheredia.com. A link or a screenshot helps. Those changes use the monthly time first, then $125 an hour, and I tell you before going over. Unused time does not roll over.
What can I check before I pay for the copies?
Ask whoever holds the site where yesterday’s copy is, whether it sits apart from the live files, and whether anyone has restored it. A free lookup shows the host and the registrar so you know who to ask. Do not delete the live site to find out.
Write three answers down, even when two of them are “I do not know.” Where is the newest copy, and is it stored apart from the live site? Has anyone restored it? Who can log in if the site breaks tonight?
A free lookup will not find the backup file. It shows who holds the site, so you know who to ask. Open the host lookup and note the host, the registrar, and the domain expiry date. Then ask that host, or the person who set the site up.
If you use WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, or Shopify, open the export or backup area in the account you already have. Save what you can download. If you cannot log in, say that in the email.
What does the plan do with the backup?
Every plan includes a daily backup stored separately, plus hosting, SSL, updates, monitoring, and security hardening. Essentials is $99 a month, Business is $249, and Priority is $499. Restoring a backup, or fixing a break on my watch, is included.
Security hardening means locked-down logins, firewall rules, and safe defaults. Updates cover core, plugins, and themes. The site is monitored around the clock. On Essentials and Business, an outage goes to the front of the line during business hours. Priority gets 24/7 response if the site goes down.
Moving one standard site in is included. I copy it, test it, then switch the domain at a quiet time. A large online store or a custom app gets a fixed quote before any work starts.
Which plan fits if the missing copy is the problem?
Essentials fits a simple site that needs the separate daily copy and 30 minutes of changes. Business fits a site that should test updates on a staging copy, with malware cleanup included. Priority fits a site that needs 24/7 response if it goes down.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $99 a month | Hosting and SSL, separate daily backups, updates, monitoring, security hardening, 30 minutes of changes, a reply within 2 business days. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour. Fixes and restores are included. |
| Business (most popular) | $249 a month | Everything in Essentials, 1 hour of changes, updates tested on a staging copy before they go live, malware cleanup included. |
| Priority | $499 a month | Everything in Business, 3 hours of changes, a dedicated server when I host, and 24/7 response if the site goes down. |
“Most popular” is only the label on Business. See the plans.
When this isn’t the right fit
This is the wrong fit if someone on your staff already keeps a separate copy and has restored it. It is also the wrong fit when the site needs a redesign, a new feature, an online store, or an integration before a backup plan is the useful next step.
If the pages themselves are the problem, start with web development. Redesigns, new features, online stores, and integrations are a fixed quote before any work starts.
On cancel, the plan runs to the end of the paid month. Before it ends, you get a full copy of the site and help pointing the domain to a new host.
See the plans or send a question through the hosting form. You pick a plan and check out in a couple of minutes. An email arrives within 1 business day to start onboarding.
FAQ
How do I back up a website if I cannot find the copy? +
A useful backup is a full copy stored apart from the live site, plus a restore you can actually run. On every plan I keep a daily backup stored separately, and restoring it is included. You keep the domain and the content, and you can ask for a complete copy of the site any time.
What do the monthly plans cost? +
Essentials is $99 a month, Business is $249 a month, and Priority is $499 a month. You can cancel any time. Every plan includes hosting, SSL, daily backups stored separately, updates, monitoring around the clock, and security hardening. Malware cleanup is $125 an hour on Essentials and included on Business and Priority.
Do I have to leave my current host to get the backup? +
No. You can keep your current hosting at the same price. Your host keeps billing you, and I look after the site there with my own daily backup stored separately. Priority's dedicated server applies only when I host. Moving one standard site is included: I copy it, test it, then switch the domain at a quiet time.
What do I get if I cancel? +
The plan runs to the end of the paid month. Before it ends, you get a full copy of the site and help pointing the domain to a new host. You can ask for a complete copy any time while the plan is active. You do not manage a server login or a control panel.
