Backing up our personal data on our computers is something we all know we should do, yet I know for a fact that millions of people do not follow a regular backup schedule. Now that you are a blog author and site developer, you have even more data to worry about. Here are my 5 steps that I use to manage the backup on my sites.

1. First thing to do is to set a regular blog backup schedule that you follow religiously. Backups are useless unless done consistently. I backup my data weekly and have a Google calendar reminder email send to me on this day (Thursday) so that I remember.

2. Download Wordpress Database Backup from here, and install it to you plugin directory using you FTP client. On you scheduled backup day, go into the backup management pane (Manage > Backup) in Wordpress admin and select how you want to have the file delivered to you. Do not backup items such as Spam Killer data or blacklists as this will create huge files - in my opinion you don’t need to back this data up. Click the ‘Backup’ button and let the program do the work. You will need to do this for each Wordpress blog you run. Once you receive the backup file, burn it to a disc, transfer it to a external hard drive, or store it online (I recommend Mozy: 2GB Totally Free Online Backup! Compliments of Mozy) to keep the file safe.

3. Backup the other data that Wordpress Database Backup missed. That tool backs up things like you posts and comments which of course are crucial. However, it doesn’t backup up things like you site design and layout. If you are like me, you spend A LOT of time on the look and feel of you blog (such as on The Dividend Guy) and it would be disastrous if I lost this work.

So the next step is copying your wp-content file to your computer so you can then burn it or store it online. This will ensure you also have a copy of your site format and layout. Again, make sure this data is backed up to disc, external hard drive, or online storage (Mozy Online Backup - 2GB Free).

4. You may have other sites that are not Wordpress based as I do (Alberta Tourist) - these need to be backed up as well. The methods for doing this will vary depending on your site structure. For me, it simply means using an FTP program to transfer all the files from my server to my local computer. Once again, I move this data to a CD/DVD, external hard drive or Mozy.

5. Verify that you data was backed up properly. Go into your backups and spot view them to ensure you backed it all up. Try opening a couple of them to ensure they are not corrupt or something. This step ensures you have a good backup.

6. Rinse and repeat. Complete this process according to the backup schedule you set up in step 1. Do this every week and you will be covered for WHEN you run into issues.

This process has worked well for me in the past and I encourage you to follow a similar one.