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10 Ways to Keep Your WordPress Site Safe

10 Ways to Keep Your WordPress Site Safe

If you’re running a WordPress site, there are various ways you can ensure that it remains secure and protected. 

You can get your site monitored with a third-party security monitoring service. Or, you can set up daily backups of your site using a third-party backup service. 

In addition to having your site monitored and backed up, you also need to be vigilant about keeping your site updated with the latest versions of WordPress. This is important because hackers might try to infect your site with malicious software if you don’t update it regularly.

WordPress is the world’s most popular content management system, powering over 455 million of the world’s websites. 

Its ease of use, robust feature set, and extensive community has made it a go-to platform for small and large businesses alike. If you run your business on WordPress, you should know that you’re already leaving yourself wide open to attack.

Hackers have found that it’s relatively easy to break into WordPress sites. Hackers can use brute force attacks or targeted phishing emails to get into your site. They can steal credit card numbers and user logins, or worse, hijack your entire site and leave your customers stranded and exposed. 

Hackers will try to exploit weaknesses in your site to steal valuable information or disrupt service, so it’s critical that you keep your WordPress site safe.

How can you protect yourself and your site from hackers? This article will cover the essentials you need to know to keep your WordPress site safe.

1 – Choose a secure hosting plan

Inkbot Design Krystal Web Host

If you’re going to be using WordPress on a hosted web server, you’ll want to make sure that you choose a hosting provider that offers you the services you need for security. 

Your host should offer protection for your website, but it should also be able to help you quickly and efficiently respond to any potential threats and help keep your website safe. 

When choosing a hosting provider, you need to check whether the company offers web hosting services, including domain names and email addresses, webspace, databases and email accounts, and bandwidth. 

If you have no idea what these terms mean, you probably won’t be able to use WordPress very well. The next thing you need to consider when choosing a hosting provider is whether it provides a dedicated server or a virtual server. 

A virtual server is a system that runs your website off of a program that simulates a computer on a server. The advantage of a virtual server is that you get more processing power than if you were running the website on a single computer. 

You also have to worry about more security issues with a virtual server. Lastly, it would help ensure that your hosting provider has suitable security measures. 

Some hosting providers include antivirus programs and firewalls. You should also make sure that your hosting provider offers 24/7 support.

When deciding on the hosting plan for your site, make sure you’re aware of how secure your data is and whether there are any hidden fees you should be aware of. 

There are some excellent, affordable options available, and the one that will suit you best will depend on your goals, how much traffic you hope to attract and how you want to spend your money. The best option is the one that gives you a reliable, efficient, high-performance service that is designed with your budget in mind.

2 – Disable all plugins except for the ones you need

If you’re running WordPress, you’re already using many plugins. Plugins are usually necessary to make WordPress do things it doesn’t normally do. 

However, it’s not always possible to disable all plugins at once because some critical parts of WordPress use them. You can learn more about what a plugin does by looking at its description or visiting its site.

When you choose to install new plugins, it is vital that you know what you are getting into. It can be easy to go overboard with installing plugins. There is a plugin for almost anything you can think of, so it can be hard to keep up. 

However, some plugins can slow down your website, so you need to make sure that you only install the plugins you need. Don’t install more than is necessary because that will cause your site speed to be slow. 

3 – Install the latest version of WordPress

Updating Wordpress

For those looking for the latest version of WordPress, head over to the WordPress site and download the latest version, which is usually updated within a couple of weeks after it’s released. Update it regularly via the dashboard. 

Don’t wait until the last minute to update it if you can avoid it. Most people forget about updating software, and if a hacker does find a vulnerability, it can take down your entire site in seconds.

When you install the latest version of WordPress, you should also install a plugin that will automatically update all your plugins. WordPress updates will fix any bugs that may arise in the future. 

And if you’re using a popular plugin that you use frequently, you’ll want to make sure that it’s always up-to-date. This is where the power of automatic updates kicks in.

4 – Enable two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication (2FA) has become increasingly popular in recent years. Customers can log in to an account via a secure password and another form of identification, like a physical code or app-based code sent to a smartphone. 

Related:  The 6 Keys to Successful Branding

2FA adds an extra layer of security because even if someone gets hold of the password, it’s difficult to log into the account without the second form of verification. This method is considered more robust than the old way of entering a username and password, which relied solely on password protection.

We don’t necessarily recommend implementing two-factor authentication for every one of your user accounts, but it’s certainly something to consider when allowing access to a particular account. 

This type of authentication requires the user to provide two different pieces of information (the first factor) and a second factor from a set of choices (e.g., a security code sent via SMS). The second factor can come from various sources, including Google Authenticator, a hardware token, etc.

5 – Remove the default admin login credentials

We can’t stress enough how important it is to remove the default credentials for an administrator account. You should do this for all of your sites, not just your admin panel. This is especially true for web applications, but it can apply to any site that uses basic usernames and passwords.

An often overlooked part of security is logging out. When users log in, a process automatically logs them back in after a timeout period, even if they close the browser or switch devices. 

The automatic login is a convenience feature designed to help you save time. However, if a user doesn’t log out properly, the process can create a security risk. The easiest way to protect yourself is to make sure the admin login credentials are never available.

6 – Set a strong password

Lastpass Mobile App

We all know that strong passwords are essential, but many people don’t follow basic security rules. Most people are terrible at choosing strong passwords, especially when prompted to make one. 

The first thing to remember is that you shouldn’t choose your password; instead, use a password manager like Dashlane or LastPass. 

The password should be long (at least ten characters) and unique and must be a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and symbols.

This is something that I wish I had known earlier in life, but I didn’t realise the importance of a strong password until later. Even if I knew the importance of a strong password, I probably wouldn’t have been as diligent as I should have been in making sure that it was strong. 

So, here are a few tips for creating a strong password: Don’t share your password with anyone, including your spouse, children, co-workers, or friends. If you need to give someone access to a website, you’re better off using their email address rather than sharing a direct link to their login page.

7 – Block unwanted visitors using an antivirus plugin

If you use WordPress, install antivirus plugins. This one is super easy. It would be best to have antivirus on your blog because, even though a firewall protects your site, you don’t know who might access your blog via the Internet. So, it’s wise to use an antivirus plugin to block these visits from occurring.

Whether you’re a developer or just a user, blocking unwanted website visitors is always essential, primarily if you use online banking or other services. An anti-malware program can protect you from viruses, malware, and other malicious software.

8 – Install SSL on All of Your WordPress Pages

Secure Website Ssl

Your website has an SSL certificate. It tells your visitors that you’re trustworthy because you’re giving them the security that it’s secure. 

SSL certificates are usually free. They’re like a stamp of approval from the browsers themselves that you’re telling the browser, “Yeah, I’m legit. Trust me.” But, if you’re a business owner, you want your site to be safe for everyone who comes to visit. You don’t want visitors to see any errors or warnings while trying to use your site.

This process has two parts: the first part is installing the SSL certificates, and the second part is configuring your site’s host to support HTTPS connections. These two steps will ensure that all data sent through your site will be encrypted and secured using a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol. 

SSL is used to transmit over the Internet, typically in electronic transactions, and is the same technology banks use to protect credit card information when customers visit secure online banking sites.

9 – Block Malicious Bot Traffic

If you want to protect yourself from being hacked, you don’t just need to secure your system from hackers. You also need to block malicious bot traffic. 

To stop bots from stealing your content, you need to block the IP addresses of those who crawl and scrape your website. Many bots use proxy IP addresses. So you need to prevent your site from being indexed by those IPs.

Many people struggle with keeping malicious bots from getting into their websites. Bots that send spam steal personal information, and redirect search engines and customers to dangerous websites are a growing problem for business owners everywhere.

10 – Turn Off Direct Access to FTP

Using the WordPress FTP system to upload files, your site’s home directory is your FTP password. By default, FTP access is set to be completely direct. 

Anyone who knows your FTP password could log into your site directly without knowing your login credentials. Log into your FTP program and turn off direct access to prevent this from happening.

Conclusion

Hackers can easily compromise your website if you are not careful about your security measures. 

Hacking is not just a one-time thing. Hackers can easily access your computer and steal information from it. Therefore, you must take the necessary steps to protect your website from hacking. 

Hackers may be able to steal your personal information, including credit card numbers, account information, etc. 

It is imperative to use the proper encryption methods when communicating online. Hackers can also quickly delete files and change the code you have put in place to protect your website. 

They may also destroy the links to your site. It is essential always to use a secure connection to your server. Your website needs to be protected against hackers.

Keeping a WordPress site safe is one of the biggest concerns when running a website. You should know what precautions you need to take.

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Stuart Crawford

Stuart Crawford is an award-winning creative director and brand strategist with over 15 years of experience building memorable and influential brands. As Creative Director at Inkbot Design, a leading branding agency, Stuart oversees all creative projects and ensures each client receives a customised brand strategy and visual identity.

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