Regular backups, and we check they work.
A backup is a complete copy of your website: every page, photo, setting and form entry. We make them regularly, store them away from your server, take an extra one before updates, and we check the copies work by actually restoring one. A backup nobody has tested is only a hope.
In one sentence: regular backups mean that if something happens to your website, a bad update, a hack or a mistake, we can usually put back a complete, working copy from before the problem started, because we keep regular copies, store them somewhere separate, and check that they really restore.
What can go wrong, and how does a backup save you?
Owners tend to think about backups once, on the day they need one. Here are three situations where the difference between "we have a backup" and "we have a tested backup, stored somewhere else" is the difference between a lost hour and a lost website:
- An update breaks the site. A routine update on a Friday afternoon clashes with your booking plugin. The home page turns into a jumble. With a copy taken minutes before the update, we put the site back as it was and try the update again later on a test copy.
- A hack that nobody noticed for weeks. Hackers often hide quietly, adding spam pages or redirecting some visitors. By the time it's found, yesterday's backup is infected too. You need a clean copy from before the break-in, which means keeping weeks of history, not just last night.
- The backups vanish with the server. Many sites keep their backups on the same server, or inside the same hosting account. If that account is suspended, hacked or deleted, the backups go with it. If your hosting has already expired, here's what to do before the copies are deleted. Some hosting companies also charge a fee for each restore, and some backup files turn out to be missing the database, discovered only when it's too late.
That's why our backups follow three simple rules: made regularly, stored somewhere else, and checked.
What do we do to keep your backups safe?
| What we do | When | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Full backup: files, photos, settings and the database | Regularly, at quiet times | That your backups are up to date |
| Extra backup right before an update or change | Before updates and changes | Mentioned with the update it protected |
| Store each copy away from your server, in separate storage | Each copy | "Stored away from the server" |
| Keep a rolling history, so we can go back weeks, not just a day | Ongoing | The oldest copy we could restore |
| Check each backup finished and is complete | Automatic checks, read by a person | Any backup that failed, and the retry |
| Test restore to a separate test space, then check pages and forms | Regularly | Date, result, and how long it took |
| Full copy handed to you if you leave | If you leave, free | A recent backup, with your logins |
What's a test restore, and why does it matter?
A test restore means taking a real backup and rebuilding your whole website from it, in a separate, private space that visitors can't see. Then we click through it: does the home page load, are the photos there, does the contact form work, does the booking button open? If yes, we know the backup is good. If anything is missing, we fix the backup process before you need it. Doing this regularly helps us catch a problem early, and the result goes in your note.
What's in a backup, and what isn't?
- In it: every page and post, every photo and file you've uploaded, your design and plugins, your settings, and form entries saved on the website.
- Not in it: your email mailboxes, data held inside your booking or practice software (those companies keep their own), your Google listing and reviews, your social media, and files on your office computers.
When something breaks, here's what happens.
You don't need to do anything except read the note. These are the steps we follow.
We find the last good copy
We work out when the problem started, then pick the newest backup from before it. For a hack, that may be weeks back.
Step 1We save what's new
Before restoring, we copy anything added since, like recent form entries or a page you edited, so as little as possible is lost.
Step 2We put it back
We restore the site, then add back the new bits that are safe. For a typical small site, the restore itself is usually quick.
Step 3We check and explain
Pages, forms and booking tested. Then a short note: what happened, which copy we used, and what we changed so it doesn't happen again.
Step 4Monday, 8:00
Hi Marcus, all safe. Your restore check passed.
- Backups up to date, stored away from your server
- Restore check: we rebuilt your whole site from Wednesday's backup in a private space. Pages, photos, contact form and booking button all worked. It took 22 minutes
- Extra backup taken before Thursday's update
- Next restore check: January
What you see, week by week.
Every Monday, your note says whether your backups are up to date and where they're kept. When we run a restore check, it reports which copy we used, what we checked, and how long it took. If a backup fails, you'll read that too, along with when we retried it.
- Backup status in your note, not "should be fine"
- Real restore checks, with the result
- A copy for you whenever you ask
See the weekly note and monthly page
Names and numbers changed for illustration.
Backups are in every plan.
Regular backups, and checks that they work, come with every plan, from Keep upwards.
Keep
$100 / month
Regular backups with all of Protect, plus your enquiries by name.
- Regular full copies
- Stored away from the server
- Restore checks, reported
Grow Recommended
$250 / month
The same backups, plus Capture: more of your visitors call or book.
- Everything in Keep
- Fixes where visitors give up
- Review replies, approved by you
Full Care
$500 / month
The same backups, with all three pillars and a full handover file.
- Everything in Grow
- Handover file kept up to date
- Review requests to your customers
Where backups end.
We back up your website. These live somewhere else, and their owners look after them.
Email mailboxes
Your emails sit with your email provider, such as Google or Microsoft, which keeps its own copies. Archiving old mailboxes is office IT, which we don't do.
Booking and practice software
Appointments, client records and payments inside your booking or practice software are stored and backed up by that company, not on your website.
Office files and computers
Files on your laptop, shared drives and office computers aren't part of your website, so they aren't in our backups.
A backup plugin, a freelancer, or us.
Lots of sites have "a backup". Far fewer have one that's stored safely, kept long enough, and proven to work.
| What matters | Do it yourself | A freelancer | Penguina |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular automatic backups | If set up right | Usually | Yes |
| Stored away from your server | Often not | Sometimes | Yes |
| Extra copy before updates | Rarely | Sometimes | Yes |
| History going back weeks | Depends on settings | Depends | Yes |
| Regular test restores | Rarely | Rarely | Yes, reported |
| Someone does the restore for you | You do | When they're free | Yes |
| A full copy is yours to keep | Yes | If you ask | Any time you ask |
What a lost website would really cost you.
Wedding photographers
Your portfolio pages and blog posts of past weddings took years to build. They're on your website, so they're in your backups. Client galleries on separate gallery services are backed up by those services.
Chiropractors
New patient forms and service pages change often. We take a copy before changes, and keep health details out of website form entries where we can, so backups hold as little sensitive data as possible.
Farm stays
Seasonal prices, availability notes and photo pages change every few months. If an update goes wrong just before summer, a recent copy puts it all back quickly.
Questions about backups.
Something else? Ask in the chat, email hello@penguina.website or WhatsApp us.
Doesn't my hosting company already back up my site?
Maybe. Some do, some don't, and many keep those copies on the same server or account as your site, keep them only a few days, or charge to restore one. Check your plan's small print. Ours are stored separately, kept for weeks, and we check they work.
How far back can you restore?
We keep a rolling history of copies going back weeks, so we can restore to before a problem started even if nobody noticed it straight away. If you need a copy from a specific date, ask, and we'll tell you what we have.
Will restoring a backup lose my newest enquiries?
Not if we can help it. Before restoring, we save anything new since the backup, like recent form entries, and add back what's safe. Form alerts also arrive in your inbox, so you have a second copy of your enquiries. Bookings inside your booking software aren't affected at all.
How long does a restore take?
For a typical small business site, the restore itself is usually quick. Finding the right copy after a hack can take longer, because we need to be sure we're going back to before the break-in. A site that's down goes to the front of the queue.
Can I have a copy of my backup?
Yes, any time you ask. It's your website. If you ever leave, a recent full backup is part of the handover, free.
Where are my backups stored, and who can see them?
In separate, private storage, away from the server your site runs on, so a problem with your hosting can't take your backups with it. Only the people looking after your site can reach them. Read more in security and privacy.
My site is on Wix or Squarespace. Can you back it up?
Hosted builders work differently. They keep the site on their own systems, and most don't let anyone download a complete, restorable copy. We tell you what's possible on your builder, use its own history and restore features where they exist, and keep copies of what we can, like your text, images and form settings.
Not sure where to start? Send us your website.
We look at it the way a customer would, find up to 3 real problems, and fix one of them free. No call needed.