Instructions:

1. Go to your website’s control panel (eg http://your-website-name/wp-admin/) and sign in.
2. Look on the left hand side menu towards Tools and click Export.
3. Choose to export All content and click [Download Export File].
4. Wait a few seconds and you will be prompted to save a file (named something like your-website-name.wordpress.yyyy-mm-dd.xml
5. Save this file in a safe place. A place that you will remember in the future when you need it*.
6. Once the file is saved, check that you can see the file on your file system & that it’s in a place that you can recall in the future*.

You have now backed up your website’s contents.

Time to put an entry in your diary to do this (a) regularly and (b) once every time you make changes to your website.

*This part is very important. If you tend not to think where files are stored, then you might wish to give very careful consideration about this. Write a reminder on a post-it note and sellotape it to your computer if it helps.

Content on your website is stored in Posts and Pages (click to read about Posts and Pages).

To Create a New Post/Page:

1. Log into your website administration panel:
   1. Address will be http://yourdomain/wp-admin (for example, http://DeanRichardson.com/wp-admin)
   2. Enter the username and password you were previously sent.
   3. You will be shown the WordPress dashboard.
2. Click on either the Posts panel, or the Pages panel on the left hand side.
3. Click Add New.

To Edit an existing Post/Page:

1. Log into your website administration panel:
   1. Address will be http://yourdomain/wp-admin (for example, http://DeanRichardson.com/wp-admin)
   2. Enter the username and password you were previously sent.
   3. You will be shown the WordPress dashboard.
2. Click on either the Posts panel, or the Pages panel on the left hand side.
3. You will see a list of existing pages/posts – click on the one you wish to modify.

The rest of the instructions are common to both procedures.

• Edit your content as required.
• When ready to send the changes to your website, click Publish (right hand side).
• If you wish to save your changes so far, but are not ready to send the changes back to the website (eg more work to do later) click Save Draft (right hand side) instead … and follow the instructions to Edit an existing post/page later on.