Imagine logging into your website after a busy workday, only to find out it’s been hacked. Now, on top of already being exhausted you have a broken website to deal with.
Getting your website hacked can end up being a pretty traumatic experience. Precious customer data can be stolen. Your site can be offline during peak hours of the day. And customer trust can be diminished, if the issue isn’t handled swiftly.
Luckily, there are a few ways you can avoid this from happening in the first place. How? By having proper security measures and protocols in place.
Below we offer five ways you can improve the security of your WordPress website.
1. Keep Up with Updates
Failing to update your core WordPress framework, along with associated plugins will only make your site that much easier to hack. Updates are very easy to do, but for that reason they can be easy to neglect.
To remedy this simply set aside a time every week to login to your WordPress dashboard and see if any updates are available. This will only take a minute or two. And this tiny time investment can go a long way towards patching any existing security holes.
2. Use Less Plugins
The more plugins you’re using the greater the chances of being hacked. Not every plugin uses top notch code, or takes the time to secure their plugins. Also, make sure you’re only using plugins from reputable sources.
It can be helpful to go through your list of installed plugins and delete any plugins that aren’t absolutely crucial for the success of your site.
3. Utilize a Security Plugin
There are dozens of WordPress security plugins for you to choose from. When you start searching it can actually get a bit overwhelming trying to find the right one.
For that reason we offer your one of our favorites. Best of all, it’s free. So you don’t have to spend a pretty penny to improve your site’s security.
The plugin is called All In One WP Security & Firewall.
4. Hide Your Login Page
Your login page can be vulnerable to brute force attacks. Although you can’t reduce this risk entirely, you can make it harder for hackers to find your login page. One way to do this is to install a plugin called Lockdown WP Admin.
This plugin will change the location of your login page, so it’ll be much more of a challenge for hackers to find your login page.
Also, remember to use strong passwords for your user accounts. It can also be helpful to implement two-step authentication using a plugin like Google Authenticator or Clef.
5. Use a Secure Host
The web host you choose will be the backbone of your security efforts. All of the extra security you add with WordPress won’t be any good if your host isn’t secure. It’s usually recommended to go with the highest level hosting you can afford.
If your budget only allows for shared hosting, then make sure your plan includes account isolation, which protects your site from other vulnerable sites on the server.
Interested in taking your WordPress website to the next level? Then reach out to our team of professionals today.
