Introduction

Like other websites, a WordPress website is continually vulnerable to hacking, which can lead to the loss of confidential information, monetary loss, and reputational harm to a company. WordPress websites are typically more secure than other types of websites, but company owners should still take precautions to guard their website against hackers and other online threats.

Every business owner who has an online presence understands the importance of website security. To preserve the safety and integrity of their online presence, company owners must take precautions to safeguard their WordPress website from hackers and other online dangers.

4 Simple Steps for Securing Your WordPress Website

We’ll go over the best precautions that any business owner, regardless of level of technical proficiency, may do to protect their WordPress website from hackers and other online dangers in this blog. The security of your website can be significantly improved by implementing these simple procedures.

We’ll go through the value of utilising strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and security plugins, as well as updating WordPress and all plugins. Without having to have extensive technical knowledge, you may efficiently secure your WordPress website and your company’s online exposure by adhering to these best practises.

The 5 steps are as follows; 

1. Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication 
2. Keep WordPress and plugins up to date 
3. Use a security plugin
4. Use secure hosting

1. Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication 

Importance of strong passwords and two-factor authentication (TFA)

Use of robust, one-of-a-kind passwords for all user accounts is one of the most crucial steps business owners can take to secure their WordPress website. Weak passwords, such “password” or “123456,” are simple to guess and are straightforward targets for automated systems. Strong passwords, on the other hand, are far more difficult to decipher since they are at least 8 characters long and contain a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters.

Additionally, it’s crucial to use different passwords for every user account, as using the same password for several accounts raises the possibility of one of them becoming compromised.

Business owners can increase security by implementing two-factor authentication in addition to adopting secure passwords. In addition to their password, users are required to input a code that is delivered to their phone or email when logging into their accounts.

Even if hackers are able to guess user passwords, it will be far more difficult for them to access user accounts as a result. A quick yet effective technique to increase the security of your WordPress website is to enable two-factor authentication.

Practical tips for setting strong passwords and enabling TFA

Business owners can safeguard their WordPress website with easy but crucial steps like creating strong passwords and enabling two-factor authentication. Here are some pointers to help you set up two-factor authentication and develop secure passwords.:

• Use a password management: A password manager is a programme that helps you create and store secure, one-of-a-kind passwords. A built-in password manager in Google Chrome can create secure passwords for you and store them for you.
  • As a result, it is simpler to generate and use secure passwords because you don’t have to keep track of them. The security of your passwords can be further increased by using features like automatic password updates and password strength checks, which are available in many password managers.
• Longer passwords are more difficult to crack than shorter ones, so make sure your password is at least 8 characters long. A password with at least 8 characters and a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters is ideal.
• Keeping personal information private: Avoid using personal information in your password, such as your name, address, or phone number. Hackers frequently have access to this information, which makes it simpler for them to guess your password.
• Enable two-factor authentication: The majority of WordPress websites have the option to enable two-factor authentication, which asks users to log in with both their password and a code that is delivered to their phone or email. This increases security and makes it much more difficult for hackers to access user accounts.

By following these tips, you can create strong passwords and set up two-factor authentication to help secure your WordPress website.

2. Keep WordPress and plugins up to date

Important of keeping your WordPress website plugins up to date

Maintaining the security and integrity of a WordPress website requires updating both WordPress and all installed plugins. Keep the website and plugins updated to ensure that the website has the most recent security measures in place. WordPress frequently releases updates that contain security fixes and new features.

A website may become subject to security risks and exploits if WordPress and plugins are not updated, as hackers frequently target well-known flaws in out-of-date software. Updating the website and its plugins can help guarantee that it functions properly and has the newest features in addition to enhancing security.

How to check for and apply updates on your WordPress Website

Updating WordPress and plugins is an easy process that only takes a few minutes to complete. To update the core WordPress software and any installed plugins, follow these steps:

1. Log into the WordPress dashboard.
2. In the left-hand menu, click on the “Updates” link.
3. Click the “Update Now” button to begin the update (if there are any)
4. WordPress will download and install the updates, which may take a few minutes.
5. Once the updates are finished installing, you will see a message indicating that the update was successful.

To make sure that your website has the most recent security updates and features, it is a good idea to often check for updates and apply them as soon as they become available. By heading to the “General Settings” section of the dashboard and selecting the “Enable auto-updates” option, you can also set up WordPress to automatically apply updates.

It’s important to note that some hosting companies include automatic plugin updates in their hosting plans. Considering that the hosting company will take care of updating the plugins for you, this might be a convenient approach to guarantee that your website is constantly current.

One example of a hosting provider that offers automatic plugin updates is Bluehost, which is a popular choice among WordPress users. In fact, Gorg Digital, as a web development agency, uses Bluehost as its preferred hosting provider because of the convenient automatic updates and excellent uptime.

3. Use a security plugin

Security plugins and their role in protecting your WordPress website

WordPress security plugins are a crucial piece of equipment for defending websites against various assaults. To assist defend your website from attacks, these plugins can offer a variety of security features like malware scanning, firewall security, and brute force attack avoidance.

In order to defend WordPress websites from numerous threats, security plugins are essential. Here are a few ways security plugins can keep your website safe:

• Security plugins can scan your website for malware and other malicious code, letting you know if there are any problems and giving you choices for getting rid of the infection. By doing this, you can lessen the chance that malware may corrupt your website or be used to infect users with malware.
• Protection from a firewall: Security plugins may come with a firewall that keeps an eye on and obstructs malicious traffic to your website. By blocking known malicious IP addresses and stopping attacks like SQL injection and cross-site scripting, this can help keep your website safe from hackers (XSS).
• Prevention of brute force attacks: Brute force attacks attempt to guess a website’s login information by attempting many username and password combinations. Limiting the amount of login attempts and blocking IP addresses that regularly try to guess login credentials are two ways security plugins can stop these attacks.
• Monitoring of file integrity: Some security plugins may keep track of the files on your website and notify you of any alterations that can portend a security breach. This can assist you in swiftly locating and resolving any security problems with your website.

By using a security plugin and properly configuring its settings, you can significantly improve the security of your WordPress website and protect it from various types of attacks.

Security plugin recommendations

It’s crucial to pick a security plugin for WordPress that has received positive reviews and is frequently updated. Wordfence, Sucuri Security, and All In One WP Security & Firewall are a few well-known security plugins.

To set up and configure a security plugin, follow these steps:

1. Install the plugin through the WordPress plugin repository or by uploading the plugin files to your website.
2. Activate the plugin.
3. Configure the plugin’s settings to your desired security level. This may include options such as enabling malware scanning, setting up a firewall, and configuring brute force attack prevention.
4. Test the plugin to ensure that it is working properly and that it does not interfere with the functionality of your website.

By using a security plugin and properly configuring its settings, you can significantly improve the security of your WordPress website and protect it from various types of attacks.

4. Use secure hosting

Risks for using an unsecured hosting provider

One of the most crucial factors in preserving the security and integrity of your WordPress website is selecting a secure hosting company. A hosting company is in charge of maintaining the physical security of the servers that house your website as well as the safety of the programmes and hardware that power it.

Your website may be infiltrated by hackers if your hosting company is not secure, which could result in the theft of confidential information, financial loss, and reputational harm to your company.

Your website can be susceptible to data breaches, ransomware attacks, or other security concerns, for instance, if your hosting provider does not have enough security measures in place. Additionally, a vulnerable hosting provider could not have the appropriate safeguards in place to stop downtime, which could make your website unavailable and result in lost sales and irate customers.

It’s crucial to pick a hosting provider that takes security seriously and has the appropriate systems and processes in place to safeguard your website from potential threats if you want to guarantee the security and integrity of your WordPress website.

When choosing a hosting service, some features to consider are SSL/TLS certificates, firewall protection, DDoS protection, and data backup. You may greatly enhance your website’s security and safeguard it from many types of attacks by selecting a hosting company with these security measures.

Choosing the right hosting provider

When selecting a hosting provider, it’s important to look for the following security features:

• SSL/TLS certificates: By encrypting data sent between your website and its visitors, these certificates assist guard against data eavesdropping and tampering. Find a hosting company that includes SSL/TLS certificates as a regular feature or as an extra-cost option.
• Protection from external threats such as malicious IP addresses, SQL injection attacks, and cross-site scripting is provided by a hosting provider’s firewall (XSS).
• DDoS protection: Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks can overwhelm a website’s servers and cause it to crash. A hosting provider with DDoS protection can help prevent these attacks and keep your website up and running.
• Data backup: It’s critical to have a copy of your website’s data in case of a security breach or other catastrophe. Choose a hosting company that includes regular data backups as a standard service.

By choosing a hosting provider with these security features, you can significantly improve the security of your WordPress website and protect it from various types of attacks.

Conclusion

In order to safeguard their WordPress website against various forms of attacks, business owners must take the necessary precautions. Employing strong, one-of-a-kind passwords, setting up two-factor authentication, upgrading WordPress and plugins frequently, using security plugins, and selecting a safe hosting provider are some of the crucial precautions to take. You may greatly enhance your website’s security and shield it from attackers by following these measures.

If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to securing your WordPress website, there are many resources available to help you. You can find more information on website security best practices on the WordPress website.

Remember that maintaining website security is a continuous process, therefore updating your security protocols on a regular basis is essential to keeping your website safe from attackers. Take action right away to secure your WordPress website and guard your company against hacking hazards. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Final Word

As a web development agency, Gorg Digital understands the importance of website security and takes every measure to ensure that our clients’ websites are fully protected from potential threats. We have the most up-to-date security standards and are constantly staying abreast of the latest developments in website security to ensure that our clients’ websites are as secure as possible.

When you work with Gorg Digital, you can trust that we will take care of all of your website security needs. We will handle all of the necessary security measures to keep your website safe, so you can focus on running your business.

If you’re looking for a web development agency that fully understands the importance of website security and takes every measure to ensure that your website is fully protected, look no further than Gorg Digital. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you keep your website secure and protected.