Most small business owners assume the answer is yes. Someone set the website up, so surely backups are taken care of. The hosting company probably does something. The developer mentioned it at some point.
But “probably” and “I think so” are not the same as knowing – and when something goes wrong, the difference matters enormously.
Here’s how to find out for certain, in under a minute.
Backed Up? How to Check in 60 Seconds
Log into your WordPress dashboard. In the left-hand menu, look for a plugin called UpdraftPlus, Jetpack, or All-in-One WP Migration. If one of these is installed, click on it and look for a “last backup” date.
If you can see a recent date – within the last 24 to 48 hours – that’s a good sign. If the last backup was weeks ago, or you can’t find any backup plug in at all, that’s worth investigating.
If you’re not sure how to log into your WordPress dashboard, or you don’t have access – that’s a separate but equally important issue worth sorting out.
Is your hosting company's backup enough?
Possibly – but probably not on its own, and here’s why.
Most hosting providers do take some form of backup. But those backups are typically stored on the same server as your website. If that server is compromised, goes down, or gets hacked, your backup goes with it.
Think of it like keeping a spare key inside the house you’ve just locked yourself out of.
A proper backup should be stored somewhere completely separate – a different provider, a different location – so that whatever happens to your hosting environment, your backup is completely unaffected.
Three questions worth asking right now
Whether you manage your own site or pay someone to look after it, these are the three questions that actually matter:
How often is it backed up? Daily is the standard for any site that generates enquiries or takes regular updates. Weekly is the minimum. If nobody knows the answer, that tells you something.
Where is the backup stored? On the same server as your site, or somewhere completely separate? If it’s the former, it’s better than nothing – but not by much.
Has it ever been tested? A backup that’s never been restored is a backup you don’t actually know works. Professionals test theirs. Most people never do.
What happens without a proper backup
If your WordPress site is hacked, corrupted by a plug in update, or lost due to a hosting failure, and there’s no clean off site backup to restore from, your options are limited. You’re either rebuilding from scratch or paying a developer to piece together what they can find.
Neither is quick, neither is cheap, and neither is a situation any business owner should be in – especially when proper backup protection costs a fraction of what recovery work does.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my WordPress site is being backed up? Log into your WordPress dashboard and look for a backup plug in such as UpdraftPlus or Jetpack. Check when the last backup was taken and where it’s stored. If you can’t find one, ask your developer or hosting provider directly.
Is my hosting provider’s backup enough? It depends on your provider, but in most cases, hosting backups alone are not sufficient. They’re often stored on the same server as your site, meaning a single incident can affect both. An independent off site backup is strongly recommended alongside any hosting backup.
How often should a WordPress site be backed up? Daily is the standard for any active business website. If your site changes frequently – a WooCommerce store, for example – more frequent backups are worth considering.
What’s the difference between a server backup and an offsite backup? A server backup is stored on or near the same infrastructure as your website. An offsite backup is stored with a completely separate provider, often in a different location. If something happens to your server, an offsite backup is unaffected – which is the point.
UK-based servers
99.99% uptime
100% renewable energy
every 24 hours
Encrypted in transit
Encrypted transfer
Swiss data protection law
If this raised a question you’re not sure of the answer to, it’s worth getting it sorted before something forces the issue. The post below covers why ongoing maintenance matters and what proper site care actually looks like day to day.