Cyber security is a significant threat to businesses globally. According to recent data, an average of 30,000 websites get hacked daily, with a preference for WordPress websites.

Cybercriminals are hellbent on attacking any unprotected website.

What do I mean, then?

Every business is at risk of a cyber attack, whether directly or indirectly. That’s why we’ve compiled this guide for you. With six practical tips, we discuss why website security is essential and how to guard your business against fraud or bugs.

Why Website Security is Important

There are lots of reasons why you must secure your business. Apart from crashing and identity theft, your brand reputation is at risk. More importantly, you might lose money if fraudsters access your site.

An insecure website is a red flag to search engines. Google, plus other search engines, will warn your visitors against interacting with your website.

It’s easy for personal information to leak on the internet and get stolen. So if you have an e-commerce website, you want to be sure that sensitive data is safe from fraud.

Basic Security Measures to Guard Your Website

Protecting your business is not a one-time activity that you do and forget. Your website needs regular maintenance as an essential part of the administration. While no method guarantees total immunity from hackers, you can do much to reduce your website’s vulnerability.

Here are a few security strategies to help you stay safe.

1. Get an SSL Certificate

If you’re building a new website, one of the essential things you need to secure your Website is to install an SSL (Secure Sockets Certificate). An SSL certificate allows you to encrypt data that passes between users and your Website.

Check if your web address or website starts with HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) not HTTP. Ensure you can see a symbol of a padlock on the address bar. If your site lacks an SSL, Google warns users as they try to access your website.

Worse still, the search engine will push you down the search results.

2. Keep Your WordPress Version Updated

Keep your website updated by running updates as soon as they launch. Outdated software and plugins are vulnerable to bugs, and hackers will find an easy target.

While it’s easier and safer to set automatic updates on your dashboard, regular checks are necessary to ensure you stay on top of vulnerabilities.

Your choice of plugins should, first of all, be careful and deliberate. Ensure the developers are authentic, provide regular updates, and offer support whenever you need help.

3. Look for Unique Passwords

However obvious it may sound, your account password is the barrier between you and a potential hacker. If a hacker gets your login credentials, they might end up stealing personal information and using it to steal money or your identity.

So having a complex password is an essential step toward increasing the security of your site. If you think your account is compromised, you can change the password. Typically, ensure you don’t use a similar password for several accounts.

Moreover, your password should not include personal information like your phone number. Avoid passwords that are obvious like 1234, or your name. Use a password manager to help store users’ passwords and usernames and only allow master passwords or biometrics access to accounts.

4. Choose a Reputable Web Host

In simple terms, your host is the online home of your website. You need to find a secure home for your website if you want to protect your files. Choosing a high-security hosting service is an excellent idea, particularly if your business deals with lots of personal data and online payments.

While most small businesses use shared hosting, which is easier to use, it’s not the best choice regarding security. Cloud hosting and VPNs (Virtual Private Servers) are preferable alternatives. These high-end options, however, require decent user knowledge to manage.

Whichever your host of choice, you need to understand the security features it offers before you subscribe. Among other aspects, it should have an active server monitoring ability to check malicious activities. It should also have a powerful web firewall to mitigate attacks.

5. Regulate Maximum Login Attempts

One of the simplest ways to regulate attacks, especially brute force attacks on your business, is to limit access to your IP address. If you’re using WordPress, you can log in as often as you want. But this opens you up to hackers as they can guess it until they find access. There should be a limit on how many times a user can attempt to log in.

As a general rule, reject access to your account if a user enters a wrong password after several attempts. You can do that in the Settings on your admin panel.

The system will then block a hacker before they complete an attack. If you find the exact address trying to log into your site, you can stop the IP permanently.

6. Create Backups for Your Website

No doubt, hackers can break into your website and render it inaccessible. To keep your website secure, you must back up your data and files. Storing them in a safe off-site location is a brilliant idea.

Avoid storing your backup data on the same server as your website since it’s also vulnerable. You have the option to schedule a daily automatic backup so you can access your site in case of an attack. You should have more than one backup option. When setting your backups, ensure they run daily and consistently.

Protecting your website is your responsibility. Luckily, it’s not as complicated as many think. While this is by no means a complete list, you have learned how to keep your WordPress website secure.

Now go ahead and ensure you put everything in place. Get an SSL certificate, choose the right host service provider and create strong passwords. You also need to ensure you have a fallback plan in case something goes wrong. Securing your website ensures your business is safe and that it remains relevant and profitable.