A backup exists. But is it actually working? Is it complete? Has it ever been tested? A backups audit answers these questions before you need them answered under pressure.
Auditing your backup setup is not a one-time task — it should happen regularly as part of site maintenance. Here is what to check.
What a backups audit covers
- Is a backup actually running? — Check the backup logs or dashboard. Confirm the last successful backup completed recently and at the expected frequency
- Is the backup complete? — Verify that both the database and files are included. A database-only or files-only backup cannot fully restore a site
- Where is it stored? — Confirm backups are stored off-site, not only on the hosting server. Check that the storage destination is accessible and has sufficient space
- How many restore points exist? — A single recent backup is not enough. You should have multiple restore points covering at least the past week, ideally longer
- When was a restore last tested? — If no one has ever verified a restore works, you do not actually know your backup is usable. Testing is part of the audit
- Are failure notifications configured? — If a backup fails, someone should be alerted. Silent failures are the most dangerous kind
How often should you audit?
Quarterly is a reasonable baseline for most business sites. After major changes — a platform update, a migration, a new hosting environment — audit immediately to confirm backups are still functioning correctly in the new setup.
A backups audit is included in our website checkup and covered as part of ongoing WordPress maintenance. See the full backups knowledge base for more.