WordPress is an excellent platform for your website. It’s also a popular target for hackers trying to break into sites. We will show you how to prevent WordPress site security breaches and keep your site safe.
There are a few essential things you should do from day one.
The best way to protect your WordPress site is to simply keep it up-to-date. For new website owners, having your site running smoothly and free from security breaches can be a real challenge.
You should also use a good WordPress security plugin. A security plugin helps on-site attacks be prevented. You will also be alerted when your blog needs to be updated.
Another critical step is to create strong passwords and keep them confidential.
If you’re using an older version of WordPress, you should visit the Dashboard Updates page for the latest update. Make sure you back your site up before you run any updates.
Getting started the right way with a new website.
There are many web hosting platforms on the internet, including Wix, Weebly and Squarespace. These are all excellent platforms but can be restrictive in how you want your website to function.
If you are looking for a new website, you can also decide to develop your own WordPress and have your own web hosting. In our opinion, and for the most flexible and scalable approach, your best option is to install WordPress on your own server, with lower fees than with a service like Wix or Squarespace.
As you learn how to install and work with WordPress, you can install WordPress plugins and themes. These themes and plugins are what give you the ultimate flexibility in the design and functionality of your website. However, you must ensure that you install plugins from trusted sources and keep up-to-date. This will keep your site secure and ensure your site is online.
Protect your new WordPress website against attacks with regular backups and automated vulnerabilities.
It’s essential to be prepared for the worst. Regular backups make a big difference. A WordPress backup plugin is an easy way to back up your site. You can also use WP-CLI, a tool that provides many options, as it’s for the more advanced user. Our recommendation is a daily backup so that you can recover from no more than a day’s lost work. We actually have hourly backups running for our clients to minimise the impact of a security breach even more.
Another way to protect your site is by using plugins that monitor your site. A great example is the WordPress Security plugin. It monitors your site for common vulnerabilities and alerts you when they occur.
Pro Tip: We recommend installing a WordPress Security plugin on your server. Something like Wordfence is a good option.
Most web hosting providers offer you the option of third-party add-ons. Sometimes they will offer a firewall as additional protection. This is an excellent option to protect the IP address of your web server from the bots that scan and look for vulnerabilities in your website. Cloudflare is an excellent choice as it offers a robust firewall with a free plan.
WordPress itself offers automatic updates too. Updating your WordPress core software installation ensures that malicious attacks have nowhere to hide on your web pages and ensures you are on the most up-to-date version of the code. Security patches are issued and installed urgently without you having to do anything if your site is set to auto-update.
Weak passwords
Weak passwords are a big problem for websites. They are the most common security problem. Hackers will browse through login pages and try many combinations of usernames and passwords to see if they work. Sometimes bots can try as many as hundreds of combinations per minute. Once they succeed, the hacker has open-door access to your website and can steal data and your website traffic.
Conclusion
WordPress is a quick and easy way to get a nice new website up and running. However, security issues can be daunting to an inexperienced admin. WordPress security issues can be resolved by listening to expert advice. A basic understanding of the security settings you’ve chosen (or guessed) will help keep your website secure.
As you can see, once you have your WordPress website up and running, your work isn’t done. It’s important to be vigilant and to keep your site regularly maintained and defended from hackers.
Suppose you need support or help in securing, updating or backing up your WordPress website. In that case, Nimble Digital offers a range of services and specialises in WordPress website design and development.
