How to Secure Your Website: 10 Essential WordPress Security Tips

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how to secure your website

Companies lose over $400 billion to hackers every year! As a result, it’s anticipated that businesses will spend $170 billion on cybersecurity measures in 2020. By taking these measures, companies can protect themselves and their customers.

Otherwise, everyone’s private information—and your company’s reputation—is at risk.

By learning how to secure your website, you can protect your site from hackers. As a result, you’ll also show customers you’re capable of protecting their private information. 

Improve your WordPress website’s security with these 10 tips! 

1. Switch to HTTPs

The first step in learning how to secure your website is to switch to HTTPs. Take a look at your website’s domain name in your browser. Does a green lock display in front of the URL?

That green lock indicates you have a Secure Socket Layer, or SSL certificate. Switching from HTTP to HTTPs will tell users your website is secure. An SSL certificate ensures data transfers securely from the user’s browser to the website server.

Otherwise, you’re leaving that data vulnerable to hackers.

Hackers can breach the connection between the browser and server to access private information. 

Switching from HTTP to HTTPs will also improve your ranking on search engines like Google. As of 2018, Google started ranking websites with SSL certificates higher to encourage more companies to improve their security.

2. Change the WordPress Database Table Prefix

Between March 2017 and 2018, there were over 2,216 data breaches and 53,000 cybersecurity incidents reported across 65 countries. In order to avoid finding your company on this list, learning how to secure WordPress websites is essential. 

If you’ve installed WordPress on your site, you might already feel familiar with the wp- table prefix. Instead of using the WordPress database table prefix, consider changing over to something unique. 

Using the default prefix will leave your website database vulnerable to a common website hack known as SQL infections. These occur when a URL parameter or web form allows outside users to provide their own information. 

You can improve your WordPress website’s security and prevent these hacks by changing “wp-” to something else, like “clientWP-” instead. 

3. Check Your WordPress Version Number

Check your website’s source view in order to find your current WordPress version number. Knowing what version of WordPress you use can make it easier for hackers to create a customized attack.

For securing WordPress websites, it’s important to hide this version number from view.

You can download a WordPress security plugin to hide your version number from potential hackers.

4. Change Your File Permissions

On WordPress websites, file permissions are represented by three-digit numbers. Each number possesses its own meaning. These file permission numbers indicate who has access to read and edit your files. 

WordPress usually recommends you set your folders to a permission level of 755. It also recommends you set files to 644. However, you can change the permission levels to determine who has access to your files. 

Changing your file permissions can help you avoid potential hackers.

However, it’s important to consider which files you want to keep accessible to everyone. Otherwise, you might make your entire site inaccessible to all visitors.

5. Improve Your Password

Make sure to change your WordPress website’s password regularly. Many people are still using “123456” or a loved one’s birthday as their password. However, these easy-to-guess passwords can keep your website vulnerable to attack.

Instead, improve your password’s strength by adding uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. You can also use a password generate to help you generate a stronger password. Make sure you’re using a secure tool if you do!

It’s also important to make sure you remember your own password.

If you have numerous passwords for various sites, using a tool such as 1Password or LastPass to securely store your logins.

6. Keep Everything Up-To-Date

When learning how to secure your website, it’s important to keep your WordPress platform, theme, and all plugins up-to-date

In order to ensure you’re using high-quality themes and plugins, check the user ratings and reviews. You should also check to see how recently the plugin or theme was updated. If it wasn’t recently, look elsewhere.

Themes and plugins that are regularly updated will also update their security features.

That way, you can keep your site secure and avoid potential hacks. 

7. Minimize Users

Are you managing your website on your own, or relying on other people? When securing a WordPress website, it helps to consider who you’re giving backend access to. If you’re running it solo, then you’re the only one who can access private information or make changes. 

However, it’s likely you’ll need other people to access your site.

For example, you might have contributing authors. You might also hire a WordPress website designer or developer to update your site. When adding new users to your site, consider adding WP Security Audit Log to your website as well.

This plugin will keep tabs on who logins, what they do, and when they were there.

That way, you can keep tabs on all backend activity in case an unauthorized user accesses your site.

8. Use Your Email

Instead of using a username to log into your WordPress website, use an email ID. This switch will help you add additional security to your website. Otherwise, a hacker might guess your login information.

There are WordPress security plugins available that will allow you to set up login pages on your site as well.

9. Ban Users

What if someone keeps trying to login? To stop hacking attempts, you can set up a website lockdown and ban users. Plugins like One WP Security & Firewall will notify you if someone tries repeatedly to login with the wrong password.  

10. Back It Up

If these tips on how to secure your website aren’t enough, at least remember to back up your website. Regular backups will help you restore information in case of a hack or disaster. 

That way, you can fix the issue and move on.

How to Secure Your Website: 10 Essential WordPress Security Tips

Ready to learn how to secure your website? With these 10 tips, you can keep hackers and bay!

Want to further improve your WordPress website? Explore our WordPress posts to learn more!