Setting up a WordPress website is not an easy feat but having to deal with the security issues will be much harder than that. It is better to manage these issues right from the beginning and take the necessary measure before going live instead of facing the hardships later on.

Keeping your website secure is not only an essential element of managing your website, but it also demands a certain level of responsibility; after all, it is the safety of your data that we are talking about. Keeping a website secure is not a one-time job but is a never-ending process.

You have to take into account every action that in some way affects your site, whether it is the plugins you install, the themes you use or the other aspects that you do not think of but you should. Security is an ongoing process should always be under your radar. All the website owners complain about the security of their site but what matters is whether you are capable of securing it or not. Is it going to be easy for a hacker to get access to your account? Usually, it is thought that any open source script is vulnerable to hacks and attacks when, in fact, the burden mostly falls on the user. When you own a website, you have some responsibilities and needs to be met. How you choose to approach the issue and take security measure will play a part in the security of your website. There are some security tips which help you add layers to the safety of your data, so it becomes harder to get hacked and violated.

Importance Of WordPress Security

One might argue, why do even need website security when we are just getting along fine? Truth is a hacked WordPress site can cause some severe damage to your business revenue as well as your reputation. If a significant loss has not happened until now, it will at some time if you are not careful. Hackers steal passwords, user information, install malicious software, and can distribute the malware to your users. In worst cases, you may find yourself paying ransomware to the hackers just to get access to your website. In case your website is a business, you have to pay extra attention to the security of your WordPress site. It is the same as a business owner’s responsibility to protect their store building in its physical form. You, as an online business owner, are also responsible for protecting your business website.

For those of you who are struggling with the security of their WordPress website, we will be discussing some of the tips that will help you make your site more secure.

1. Strong Passwords

Even the children today know the importance of a strong password when it comes to their accounts online. The facts have not changed much, and the same goes for your WordPress website. This tip may seem a little obvious, but there are still some people who fail to take it into account. The more complex your password will be, the harder it will be to crack. We all know that the definition of a right password is it being long and consisting of capital letters and symbols. A grave mistake that a lot of users make is creating a password that is very simple. Many people would go for the chronological order of the numbers which is predictable.

Do not make the mistake of underestimating the importance of your password. Passwords are essential to your WordPress security, which is why you need to use passwords that have words in it to prevent dictionary attack, have symbols and numbers in it, and should contain at least 15 characters long. If you do not know how to make a secure password, you can use a service like phonetic password generator which will help you with that. Using LastPass will take the password management to a higher level where a secure and long password will be generated.

2. WordPress Hosting

When we talk about website security, it is impossible not to mention the role a good web hosting service plays. A good web hosting provider will take the extra measures to protect the servers against common threats. On shared hosting, you do have to share the server resources with the other customers, which opens the risk of cross-site contamination and a hacker can use a neighbouring site to attack your website. Another solution is to use a managed WordPress hosting service as it provides a more secure platform for your website. Managed WordPress hosting company offers automatic WordPress updates, automatic backups, and advanced security configurations that can protect your website. The right web hosting service also provides in its package an SSL certificate. Those who have a little know-how of how websites work will know the importance of an SSL certificate. Those who do not know about it, it is a must-have when we talk about securing our connection and the data of our clients.

Implementing an SSL certificate is a smart move to secure your admin panel. SSL makes sure that the data transfer between user browsers and the server is secure, making it difficult or impossible for the hackers to breach the connection or hoax your information. Getting an SSL certificate for a WordPress website is actually very simple. You can purchase it from a third-party company, or you can check to see if your hosting company provides you with a free one. Any good hosting company will offer you with a free SSL certificate along with its amazing hosting packages. The SSL certificate will also affect your website’s Google rankings, which is a plus. Google tends to ranks websites with SSL higher than the ones that do not have it.

3. 2-Factor Authentication For Login

Two-factor authentication is a way to provide login credentials to a service, in the form of something you know, like a string of numbers that ios disposable. Google, Apple iCloud, Dropbox, and a lot of other services provide you with the options of using this secure way to log in, and it seems fitting that you should do it with your WordPress website.

To implement a two-factor authentication efficiently, you need to use one of the many plugins that are available. Two interesting plugins are Rublon and Clef. Rublon is an email-based two-factor authentication while Clef uses the camera of your phone. Having a 2-factor authentication module on the login page is a security measure that you need to give serious thought to. The user provides login details for two components that the website owner decides on. It can be either be a regular password with a secret question, a set of characters, a secret code, or the Google Authenticator app, which will then send a secret code to your phone. By taking this measure, the only person with your phone will be able to log in to the site.

4. Rename Login URL

Changing the login URL is an easy thing to do. A WordPress login page can be accessed by default through wp-login.php added to the site’s main URL. In such cases, hackers know the direct URL of your login page, which means they can try to break their way in. They attempt to log in with their Guess Work Database, which is a database of guessed usernames and passwords. You can replace the login URL and get rid of almost all of the direct brute force attacks. This trick restricts any unauthorized entity from accessing the login page, and only the person who has the exact URL can do it.

5. Keep The Website Updated

Keeping a website up and secure is a continuous process and commitment. Every time there is a security issue, a program patch is on its way to fix it. The minor security updates happen automatically in the WordPress installation, while in order to perform major updates to WordPress core files, themes, and plugins you will have to either perform them through your dashboard or FTP. When we talk about keeping your files updated, we are talking about more than just security enhancements like bug fixes, better compatibility, improved performances and new features. Another way to improve your website’s security is to keep your files updated.

6. Keep Your Website Backed Up

No matter how much secure your WordPress website is, you can always improve it; there is no perfect stage. However, keeping an off-site backup is the best solution no matter what happens. If your data is backed up, you can restore your website to a working state at any time you want, and some plugins will help you in this respect.

If you want a premium solution, then VaultPress by Automattic is another option because it creates backups every week, and if anything bad ever happens, you will be able to restore your website with just one click. It will also check the website for any malware and will alert you if there is anything wrong. Many of the large websites run backups every hour, but for in most cases, that is excessive. You would have to make sure that most of the backups are being deleted as a new one is made. This is why weekly or monthly backups for most of the organizations are far reasonable and convenient.

7. Plugin Download

Plugins are powerful elements in the WordPress ecosystem, and there are thousands of them in the WordPress repository. They can also be found in other places and marketplace like Mojo Code, Code Canyon, etc. you have to be cautious where you download your plugins from. Before you download them look for user reviews, comments or other opinions that are related to the plugin and its author. You should also take into account if support is provided and if it is paid or free.

Another important factor to note is whether the author of the plugin is responsive to the users. Doing a full backup of your database before you download any plugin is always a good idea.

Conclusion

Despite the many latest updates that deal with WordPress security issues, there are still many things that can be done in order to improve the website security, even by people who are not very tech-savvy. If you are not a professional, then you need to learn a lot about improving your WordPress security, but the above-mentioned pointers will help you steer through the process. If you implement these tactics and follow up with regular security checks, you will be on your way to a WordPress website that is far more secure. The more you care about your WordPress site and are invested in its wellbeing, the harder it will be for the hackers to break in.