This week I am reposting some popular Blogkeeping posts to help you prepare your blog for 2013. This post first appeared on July 28, 2012 and has updated with new information.

Can I tell you a secret? I forget to back up my blog. You probably do too, but the difference between me and you is that I’m constantly telling others to do it (and I feel a little ridiculous considering how easy it is!). So let’s take a few minutes this weekend and back up our blogs, shall we?

WordPress

1. Install the BackUpWordpress plugin (it’s free!).
2. Create a backup schedule under Tools > Backups. You can create multiple schedules — I recommend running a daily backup of your database (where your posts, comments, settings, etc are stored) and a weekly backup of your database and files (this will actually create a backup of everything on your server, not just your WordPress installation. Handy!).
3. That’s it! Backups will run automatically and be stored on your server. I would also recommend occasionally downloading your full backups to your computer, just in case something happens with your server. You can set an email notification if you forget to check.

Blogger

1. To back up your posts, go to Settings > Other, and click on Export Blog.
2. To back up your design, go to Template, and click on the Backup/Restore button in the upper right corner.

Not on Blogger or self-hosted WordPress? Check out Code it Pretty’s post on backing up your blog.

Update 4.19.13

The BackupWordPress plugin stores backups on your server, which is against terms of use for some hosts. I’m now using BackWPup, which allows you to send your backups to Dropbox or a number of other storage options instead.