Earlier this year, one of my connections emailed me.

She wanted a website redesign.

We spoke on the phone a few times. We can’t meet because of the pandemic.

She explained, “I want to update my website. I also want to move the website to a new host because the existing hosting company will no longer be providing the service.”

She also had great concern for her emails. She didn’t want to lose her existing emails and the email service she was using during the move.

I recommended a new hosting company and advised it would all be ok.

It took a few months to finalise the website design due to the client’s busy schedule.

Once done, the client contacted the new host to begin moving the website.

The new hosting company also provided full tech support with moving the email service the client was keen to keep.

They told me to download the website pages from the old hosting provider and advised us to wait for 72 hours for the move to be completed.

It took the whole weekend for the move to happen, and I uploaded the files to the new provider as advised.

BUT, when I went to look at the site, none of the client’s blog posts were visible.

I contacted the new hosting company via chat and enquired why I couldn’t see the clients old blog posts. I had followed their instructions, “What was the problem?” I asked.

“Oh, you just need to upload the database.” the chat advisor typed.

“But your tech support agent only asked me to download the files?” There must be another way I thought to myself. The friendly tech support guy who had helped with the move wouldn’t have forgotten about the issue of the database, would he?

“Isn’t there another way?” I asked the chat advisor.

The response I received was to go back to the previous hosting company and ask for the database.

Going back to the old hosting provider was not something I wanted to do. I wasn’t feeling optimistic about going back to the old host as we had already completed the move.

I felt dreadful.

The client was so clear that she didn’t want to lose her emails. How much more all of her website content.

And then I remembered.

A few months ago, when I had first had a look over the site, I discovered there were no backups. My instinct had told me to set up a monthly backup routine on the entire site before I touched it.

I frantically searched for the backup in my files.

I found the database.

Relief.

And smiles.

I uploaded it.

One of the biggest mistakes on your website will be not having any backups. Make sure your hosting company or web developer sets up your website to perform back-ups at regular intervals. Experience has taught me that if anything can go wrong, it will.