No website is immune to a hacking attempt. In fact, without warning, hackers can take an entire site offline for days. For a business, finding out how to make your website secure is essential to building a strong, reliable online presence. Whether your question is how to secure a WordPress site or how to safeguard a site on another host, there are similar steps you can take.
Back Up Your Information
Before you can learn how to make your website secure, you first need to make sure your information can be retrieved if a hacker wipes everything out. Every website host should offer backup services, but it’s on you to make sure your site is being backed up as promised. If your site is hosted with WordPress, both the files and the database will need to be backed up, which requires action on your part. You’ll use a tool called phpMyAdmin to perform the backup, which is available through cPanel or Plesk.
Set Secure Passwords
The most important part of learning how to secure WordPress site is probably the easiest. Whether it’s WordPress or any other online platform, strong passwords are crucial. No matter how many security measures a website puts in place, they’re useless if hackers can simply log into your account. “Admin” should not be used in your login, since it is the most used by hackers. In fact, simply changing your username to something besides Admin could stop hackers in their tracks. You should also choose strong passwords, incorporating a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters and using at least eight characters.
Regularly Run Updates
Regardless of the hosting provider you use, you should make sure your site is regularly getting the security updates necessary. The platform hosting your site will invest in the equipment, software, and personnel necessary to keep the information as secure as possible. But you’ll also need to pay close attention to how to secure a WordPress site if your website is hosted there. Plugin and theme updates are essential, since hackers can often access your site’s backend through a plugin that hasn’t been updated. You’ll be notified when an update is ready, but you’ll need to stay on top of it.
Finding out how to make your website secure is a combination of setting up security procedures on your end and ensuring your hosting provider is keeping things safe on their side. Feel free to ask your website provider information on their security measures, since you’re paying to keep your online presence safe.
Lisa M Gale Digital Marketing helps service professional business owners improve their online presence and visibility to attract new clients. We develop systems and processes to improve digital marketing efforts and help entrepreneurs reach their business goals. Download your Digital Marketing Made Simple for free here >>
