Why every blogger should take content backup seriously
Have you ever thought about what would happen if the blogging platform you have been using for years suddenly announced that it was closing?
I have.
After spending many years blogging, I have seen several familiar names in the internet world change, disappear or move in completely different directions. Homestead, Typepad and SiteSell are examples of platforms and services I have encountered along my blogging journey.
Some companies survive, some change ownership, some reinvent themselves, and others eventually close their doors.
Typepad is a particularly good reminder. It officially shut down on September 30, 2025, after serving bloggers for many years.
It made me stop and think.
What happens to all those articles, photographs, comments and countless hours of work when a blogging platform disappears?
More importantly, what happens to our own work?
A blog represents years of work
When I look at AI123.ca, I don't see just a website.
I see hundreds of articles, personal experiences, technology reviews, research, experiments and conversations about artificial intelligence.
Some articles took only an hour to prepare. Others involved days of reading, testing, editing and rewriting.
Every article represents an investment of time and effort.
I suspect many bloggers feel the same way. We start with an idea, develop it into an article, add photographs, publish it and perhaps spend years updating it.
But there is one uncomfortable truth:
Publishing an article online does not mean we have secured it permanently.
A hosting company can change its business direction. A service can become outdated. A platform can be discontinued. Even a well-established technology company cannot promise that every service will operate forever.
We should enjoy the convenience of these platforms, but we should not depend on them as our only storage facility.
What happens when a blogging platform closes?
There are several possibilities.
Some providers give users advance notice and an opportunity to download their content. Others offer migration tools to help bloggers move to another platform.
Sometimes the process works smoothly. Sometimes it doesn't.
Images, comments, formatting and other website elements may not transfer properly. If users miss the download deadline, their original content may become inaccessible.
There is another important distinction worth remembering.
Owning your domain name does not mean you own a backup of your website.
For example, I own the AI123.ca domain. If my hosting platform were discontinued, I might still retain control of my domain name. But that would not automatically restore my articles, photographs, pages or website design.
Your domain is your online address. Your content is what makes that address valuable.
My approach: Don't put all your eggs in one basket
Fortunately, bloggers using Google's Blogger platform have a straightforward way to back up their work.
Google provides a content backup facility through Blogger and Google Takeout.
For Blogger users, the general process is:
Sign in to Blogger and select your blog.
Go to Settings.
Find the Manage blog section.
Select Back up content.
Follow the instructions to download your content archive.
I would also recommend backing up your blog theme separately. This helps preserve the design and layout of your website.
Remember, content and theme backups are two different things.
Google's official instructions are available here:
Back up or import your blog – Blogger Help
But downloading a backup is only the beginning. Where do we keep it?
I prefer a simple three-layer approach:
First copy: Keep the downloaded backup on your computer.
Second copy: Store another copy on an external USB drive or hard drive.
Third copy: Keep an additional copy in a separate cloud storage location.
This follows the familiar 3-2-1 backup principle: three copies, two different types of storage and one copy kept separately.
I would also preserve particularly important articles in Word or PDF format. This makes them easier to read, edit and reuse even if the original blogging platform is no longer available.
One more thing: occasionally check that your backup files are usable. A backup that cannot be opened or restored is not much protection.
How often should we back up?
My suggestion is to establish a simple routine.
For a personal or educational blog, a quarterly backup is a reasonable starting point. If you publish frequently or make major changes, back up more often.
Keep a small record of:
The date of each backup.
The blog name.
The content backup file.
The theme backup file.
Where the copies are stored.
It doesn't need to become another complicated technical project.
A few minutes of preparation can save years of work.
A final thought
I am now 80, and I still enjoy learning, experimenting with AI and writing for AI123.ca.
I don't know how long any particular blogging platform will remain available. Neither do you.
But I do know that the articles we write, the knowledge we share and the experiences we document deserve better protection than simply trusting that a hosting company will always be there.
Technology changes. Companies come and go. Websites are redesigned and platforms are replaced.
Our content, however, can continue to live beyond the technology that originally published it.
My advice to fellow bloggers is simple: Don't wait for a platform to announce its closure before thinking about backup. Protect your work while you still have full access to it.
After all, creating content takes time. Protecting it is part of being a responsible publisher.
AI123.ca — Exploring → Learning → Documenting.
Read this:
Grandpa 's Journey: Our Memories Deserve a Safe Place
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