Here are 8 security tips to keep your WordPress website secure:
Backup Your Website Frequently
One of the best ways to keep your WordPress website secure is to regularly back it up. You can use a WordPress backup and restore plugin, or simply back up your website manually. Both of these options will enable you to save a zipped backup file of your site to a local or remote drive. It is also a good idea to deactivate any plugins on your website by going to the Installed Plugins list and selecting the bulk action option.
It can be a bit unnerving to update WordPress because you are afraid that an update will break your site. However, if you don’t want to risk damaging your site, make sure to update your website whenever it is available. Before making changes to your website, make sure always back up your site first. For this we recommend UpdraftPlus.
Update Your Plugins
You should also update all of your plugins regularly. Plugins are more vulnerable to hackers when they are outdated, and they can lead to incompatibility issues with the core of your website and the theme and plugins on it. Furthermore, if you do not update your plugins regularly, you may not be able to take advantage of the new features offered by WordPress.
Updating your WordPress plugins regularly is like taking out insurance on your website. Not only will it keep your website secure, but it will save you a lot of headaches and frustration. It will also help to prevent your website from being hacked, which will not only cost you a lot of money but also turn off prospective customers and likely get you blacklisted by Google. To avoid this, you can use something like MainWP to keep all of your websites up to date with ease. This service will monitor your website and alert you to any updates needed.
Update Your Theme
It is critical to regularly update your WordPress theme to prevent your website from being vulnerable to attacks. While WordPress updates are relatively minor, these changes are noticeable to potential hackers. In addition to core updates, WordPress themes may also need to be updated if the creators of the theme decided to make changes or add new features. Not updating your theme can leave your website open to attack. Here are some tips to help you update your theme and keep your website secure.
First, be sure to back up your website before making any updates. Your website might become inaccessible tomorrow if you forget to back it up. If you have several WordPress sites, use an automatic backup tool like iThemes Sync to maintain them all from the same dashboard. These backups will help you recover your website in case of an emergency. To avoid losing your valuable data, back up your website regularly.
Strong Password
If you want to protect your WordPress website from malicious hackers, the easiest way to do so is to create a strong password. A good rule for a password is that it should be at least 12 characters long, including letters, symbols, and numbers. It also should not be found in a dictionary, and it should appear as gibberish to the naked eye. If you want to increase the security of your WordPress site, you can update the version of WordPress installed on your computer to version 4.3.
One of the most common vulnerabilities that websites have is weak passwords. If you use the same password for several websites, you risk giving the burglars access to your website. So, create a strong password for each of your WordPress services, and be sure to change it frequently. You can even use a password manager, such as LastPass, to remember it for you. Make sure that you use two-factor authentication with WordFence or iThemes Security. Both of these methods make it more difficult for hackers to access your WordPress site.
In addition to creating a strong password, you must also remember that WordPress websites can have multiple authors and multiple administrators. This makes them vulnerable to security threats. To help secure passwords, you can use a tool called Force Strong Passwords. While this is only a precautionary measure, it is far better than using a weak password. A common user name is “admin,” which is easy to guess, and a hacker doesn’t need a password to get into the site.
Limit Login Attempts
To prevent hackers from gaining admin access to your WordPress website, you can use plugins like MalCare. This security software redirects users to an independent dashboard and automatically disables the limit of login attempts. If you’re unsure how to set this up for your WordPress website, you can consult the documentation. Otherwise, you can install a free plugin called Limit Login Attempts Reloaded, alternatively iThemes offers good blocking of brute force attacks.
Using the plugin Limit Login Attempts Reloaded, you can limit the number of failed login attempts on your WordPress website. After installing this plugin, you should check the dashboard to see how many login attempts have been made. Once you’re happy with your security settings, you can save them. This will prevent hackers from taking over your website and damaging your business’s reputation. It also lets you monitor the number of failed login attempts by country.
Another security measure is changing the default username and password. By default, your website’s admin username is “admin” which makes brute-force attacks more likely to succeed. Therefore, you should choose a username that is unique to your company and your site. By using password managers, you can limit the number of login attempts without compromising the security of your website. This is a good practice because usernames make up about half of your login credentials and make it easier for hackers to get access to your website. This will make your WordPress website more secure.
Install iThemes Security Plugin
If you are concerned that your website is at risk of being hacked, you should install iThemes Security on your WordPress website. This security plugin works by monitoring your website for possible vulnerabilities. Its dashboard helps you to identify these issues. Once you have a clear picture of what your website needs to secure, you can choose the security level you need. In addition, you can specify whether your clients should use two-factor authentication or not, or whether you want to protect their accounts.
Use an SSL
If you’re seeing warnings on your Google search engine listings for “not secure,” you’re not alone. There’s a simple solution to the problem: use an SSL certificate for your WordPress site. You can also change all internal links to secure ones, update Google Search Console, and back up your site. While it may seem like a hassle, using an SSL certificate will improve the user experience and add another layer of security.
The most important thing you can do is install a free SSL certificate. Once you have it installed, you can easily configure the HTTP to HTTPS redirection in your hosting account’s cPanel. SSL certificates are essential for secure website transfers because they encrypt all the traffic from your site. There are WordPress plugins that will help you to install free SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt such as One Click Free SSL Certificate.
WordPress Core & PHP Updates
You will also need to make sure your WordPress website is secure by regularly upgrading to newer versions of both WordPress and PHP. PHP version is an important consideration since it is the backbone of many WordPress sites. It is supported for two years after its release and security vulnerabilities are fixed during that time. After this time, however, PHP 7.3 is no longer supported, so you may be vulnerable to security vulnerabilities. You can easily switch to a new version of PHP via your hosting provider or account. If you cannot find how to do it, ask them and they will generally make the switch for you. If you have not kept the site up-to-date then you may find that the site will break which means you can either put it back and upgrade it, or upgrade it manually through an FTP client.
