Every WordPress site owner should have a reliable backup strategy. Whether you’re running a personal blog, an e-commerce store, or a business website, losing your data can be devastating. Yet, according to recent studies, over 60% of WordPress sites don’t have a proper backup system in place. If you’re in that 60%, this guide will show you how to create bulletproof WordPress backups using Migratico Lite—even if you’ve never created a backup before.
Why WordPress Backups Are Non-Negotiable
Before we dive into the “how,” let’s understand the “why.” Here are real scenarios where backups saved the day:
Scenario 1: The Plugin Update Disaster
Sarah updated a popular SEO plugin on her blog. Within minutes, her site displayed a white screen of death. Panic set in—she had 500+ articles and years of work on that site. With a backup: She restored her site from yesterday’s backup in 10 minutes. Total downtime: 15 minutes. Without a backup: She would have needed to hire a developer ($200-500), potentially losing days of work and revenue.
Scenario 2: The Hacking Incident
Mike’s WooCommerce store was hacked. The attacker injected malicious code, deleted products, and corrupted the database. His store was offline during the busiest shopping season. With a backup: He restored a clean backup from before the hack, changed all passwords, and was back online in 2 hours. Lost revenue: minimal. Without a backup: Complete site rebuild would take weeks, costing thousands in lost sales and development fees.
Scenario 3: The Hosting Failure
Emma’s hosting provider experienced a catastrophic server failure. They lost all data and had no backups. Her entire website—5 years of content—was gone. With a backup: She moved to a new host and restored her site from her own backup. Total downtime: 4 hours. Without a backup: Complete loss. She would have to rebuild from scratch or abandon the site entirely.
What Makes a Good WordPress Backup?
Not all backups are created equal. A good WordPress backup must include:
1. Complete Database Export
Your WordPress database contains:
– All posts, pages, and custom post types
– User accounts and permissions
– Comments and comment metadata
– Plugin and theme settings
– WooCommerce orders and customer data
– Form submissions and custom data
Migratico Lite approach: Exports your entire database to a compressed SQL file, preserving all data including serialized settings that other tools often corrupt.
2. All WordPress Files
This includes:
– Core WordPress files (wp-admin, wp-includes)
– All themes (active and inactive)
– All plugins (active and inactive)
– Uploads directory (images, PDFs, videos)
– Custom files (robots.txt, .htaccess, custom scripts)
Migratico Lite approach: Scans and exports every file in your WordPress installation, automatically splitting large sites into manageable chunks.
3. Proper Compression
Large sites can be 10+ GB. Proper compression:
– Reduces file size by 60-90%
– Makes downloads faster
– Saves storage space
– Speeds up uploads to new servers
Migratico Lite approach: Uses ZIP compression with intelligent file handling—already compressed files (images, videos) aren’t re-compressed, saving time.
4. Easy Restoration
A backup is useless if you can’t restore it. Good backups should:
– Include an installation wizard
– Work on any hosting provider
– Handle URL changes automatically
– Update database credentials automatically
Migratico Lite approach: Includes a self-contained installation wizard that works on any server, no WordPress installation required.
Step-by-Step: Creating Your First Backup
Let’s create a complete backup of your WordPress site using Migratico Lite.
Step 1: Install Migratico Lite
Option A: Via WordPress Admin (Easiest)
1. Go to Plugins > Add New
2. Search for “Migratico Lite”
3. Click Install Now
4. Click Activate
Option B: Manual Upload
1. Download Migratico Lite from WordPress.org
2. Go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin
3. Choose the downloaded ZIP file
4. Click Install Now then Activate
Step 2: Navigate to Migratico Lite
After activation, you’ll see a new menu item: Migratico Lite
Click it to access the main dashboard.
Step 3: Create Your First Package
Click the Create Package button. You’ll see a simple form:
Package Name: Enter a descriptive name
– Good examples: “mysite-backup-jan-2025”, “before-update-backup”, “weekly-backup-week-3”
– Bad examples: “backup”, “test”, “aaa”
Pro tip: Include the date in the name so you know when the backup was created.
Maximum ZIP Size: Use the slider to set the maximum size for each ZIP file
– Small sites (<1 GB): 500-1000 MB
– Medium sites (1-5 GB): 500 MB
– Large sites (5+ GB): 300-500 MB
– Shared hosting: 200-300 MB (conservative)
Why split into multiple files?
– Prevents timeout errors
– Makes downloads more reliable
– Easier to upload to new server
– Better for slow internet connections
Step 4: Start the Scan
Click Start Scan . Migratico Lite will:
1. Scan your entire WordPress installation
2. Count all files and calculate total size
3. Identify your database size
4. Show you a summary
What you’ll see:
📦 Scanning complete!
Files: 45,234
Total Size: 3.8 GB
Database: 156 MB
Estimated ZIP files: 8
Estimated time: 15-20 minutes
Step 5: Review and Filter (Optional)
After scanning, you can optionally exclude directories you don’t need to backup:
Common exclusions:
– `/wp-content/cache/` – Cache is regenerated automatically
– `/wp-content/backup/` – No need to backup other backups
– `/wp-content/ai1wm-backups/` – Backups from other plugins
When to exclude:
– You’re running low on disk space
– You want faster backups
– You’re only backing up content, not cache
When NOT to exclude:
– You’re migrating to a new server (backup everything)
– You’re creating a disaster recovery backup
– You’re unsure what a directory contains
Step 6: Start Export
Click Start Export . Now sit back and watch the progress:
💾 Exporting database…
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 100%
✓ Database exported (156 MB)
📁 Exporting files…
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░░░░░░░░░░ 52%
Exported 23,500 of 45,234 files (2.1 GB of 3.8 GB)
Estimated time remaining: 8 minutes
What’s happening behind the scenes:
1. Database is exported to SQL and compressed to ZIP
2. Files are scanned and added to ZIP archives
3. When a ZIP reaches the size limit, a new one is created
4. Progress is saved every few seconds (safe to close browser)
5. If timeout occurs, export automatically resumes
Can I close the browser?
Yes! The export runs on the server. If you close the browser:
1. Go back to Migratico Lite dashboard
2. You’ll see “Export in progress”
3. Click to view progress
4. Export continues from where it was
Step 7: Download Your Backup
When export completes, you’ll see:
✅ Export complete!
Download your backup files:
📥 migratico.php (Installation wizard)
📥 database.sql.zip (156 MB)
📥 files_001.zip (500 MB)
📥 files_002.zip (500 MB)
📥 files_003.zip (500 MB)
📥 files_004.zip (500 MB)
📥 files_005.zip (500 MB)
📥 files_006.zip (500 MB)
📥 files_007.zip (500 MB)
📥 files_008.zip (356 MB)
Total: 3.9 GB
[Download All] button
Important: Download ALL files. Missing even one ZIP file will cause restoration to fail.
Download tips:
– Use a download manager for large files
– Verify file sizes after download
– Don’t rename the files
– Keep all files in the same folder
Step 8: Store Your Backup Safely
Now that you have your backup, store it securely:
Local Storage:
– External hard drive
– USB flash drive
– NAS (Network Attached Storage)
Cloud Storage:
– Google Drive
– Dropbox
– Microsoft OneDrive
– Amazon S3
– Backblaze B2
Best practice: Follow the 3-2-1 rule:
– 3 copies of your data
– 2 different storage types
– 1 off-site copy
Example:
1. Original site (on server)
2. External hard drive (at home)
3. Google Drive (cloud)
Step 9: Clean Up (Optional)
After downloading, you can delete the backup from your server:
1. Go to Migratico Lite dashboard
2. Find your package
3. Click Delete
4. Confirm deletion
Why delete?
– Frees up disk space
– Reduces security risk (backups contain sensitive data)
– Keeps your server clean
When to keep:
– You’re about to perform a risky operation (plugin update, theme change)
– You want quick access to restore
– You have plenty of disk space
How Often Should You Back Up?
The answer depends on how often your site changes:
Daily backups:
– E-commerce stores (new orders daily)
– News sites (new content daily)
– Membership sites (new users daily)
– High-traffic blogs
Weekly backups:
– Regular blogs (2-3 posts per week)
– Business sites (occasional updates)
– Portfolio sites
Monthly backups:
– Static sites (rarely updated)
– Brochure sites
– Personal sites
Before major changes:
– Plugin updates
– Theme updates
– WordPress core updates
– Major content changes
– Design overhauls
Pro tip: Set a recurring calendar reminder for your backup schedule.
Testing Your Backups
A backup you haven’t tested is a backup you can’t trust. Here’s how to test:
Option 1: Local Testing
1. Install Local by Flywheel or XAMPP
2. Create a new local WordPress site
3. Use Migratico Lite’s installation wizard to restore your backup
4. Verify everything works
Option 2: Staging Server
1. Create a staging subdomain (staging.yoursite.com)
2. Upload your backup files
3. Run the installation wizard
4. Test thoroughly
Option 3: Test Restoration
Once a quarter, do a full restoration test:
1. Restore to a test server
2. Check all pages load correctly
3. Verify images display
4. Test forms and functionality
5. Check WooCommerce orders (if applicable)
Automating Your Backups
While Migratico Lite doesn’t have built-in scheduling (yet), you can create a backup routine:
Weekly Backup Routine:
1. Set a calendar reminder for every Sunday at 10 PM
2. Create a new backup with Migratico Lite
3. Download to your computer
4. Upload to Google Drive
5. Delete old backups (keep last 4 weeks)
Total time: 10-15 minutes per week
Peace of mind: Priceless
What to Do When Disaster Strikes
If your site goes down and you need to restore from backup:
Step 1: Don’t Panic
You have a backup. Your site can be restored. Take a deep breath.
Step 2: Assess the Damage
– Is the site completely down?
– Is it hacked?
– Is it just a plugin conflict?
– Can you access WordPress admin?
Step 3: Decide: Fix or Restore
Try to fix if:
– It’s a simple plugin conflict
– You can access WordPress admin
– The issue is recent (last few hours)
Restore from backup if:
– Site is completely broken
– You’ve been hacked
– Database is corrupted
– You can’t access admin
– Fixing would take longer than restoring
Step 4: Restore Your Backup
Follow the installation wizard (covered in detail in our “How to Migrate a WordPress Site” article):
1. Upload all backup files to your server
2. Open migratico.php in browser
3. Follow the 4-step wizard
4. Your site is restored!
Time to restore: 15-30 minutes for most sites
The Bottom Line
Creating WordPress backups with Migratico Lite is:
– Simple: Click a few buttons and wait
– Fast: Most sites backup in 10-30 minutes
– Reliable: Automatic resume if timeout occurs
– Complete: Database + all files
– Restorable: Includes installation wizard
Don’t wait for disaster to strike. Create your first backup today and sleep better tonight knowing your site is protected. Ready to protect your WordPress site? Download Migratico Lite and create your first backup in the next 10 minutes.