So perhaps you’ve built a great website for your small business, but without implementing WordPress website security tips from the industry experts, all that effort could go right down the tubes. A security breach can happen at any time. What kind of sensitive information do you store on your website? What could happen if control over that information falls into the wrong hands?
The good news is there is action you can take today to protect your site from attackers.
Here are five WordPress website security tips for your small business site:
1. Updates: the Most Basic WordPress Security Measure
Congratulations on your new website design! Your WordPress website is built. Now you will notice that update suggestions pop up all the time. Plugins, themes, and WordPress itself require periodic updates to keep up with cybersecurity demands and maintain functionality. Don’t wait long to install those critical updates. Each update takes just a couple of clicks and can be completed within seconds.
2. Protect Your WordPress Website with Login Limits
When your WordPress site is first set up, it will allow an unlimited number of login attempts. This opens the site up to hackers and online thieves who could make short work of cracking your login information.
Something as simple as limiting the number of login attempts can thwart many potential cyber-attacks. WordPress plugins like Cerber Limit Login Attempts are simple to install and secure your website right away. This particular plugin also records all login attempts. It allows you to create Black and White Access Lists to refuse or allow future logins. Cerber offers more layers of protection such as creating a custom login URL rather than using the automatic wp-admin address.
3. More Robust WordPress Website Security Services
Plenty of companies offer full-service website security measures. Firewall placement, intrusion protection, and incident response come together to provide wall-to-wall protection for your website around the clock. Check out a service like sucuri.net to see what it takes to achieve total peace of mind for your website.
4. Choose a Strong WordPress Password
Everybody seems to have so many logins to keep track of these days. Bank accounts, email addresses, social media, online bill payments – the list goes on and on. So we can all appreciate the simplicity of easy-to-remember passwords. You don’t want to use a simple password for stuff like credit card information.
Choose a login password for your website that meets WordPress criteria. Use uppercase and lowercase letters. Use a numeral or two. Throw in an allowed punctuation mark for good measure. The more of these elements you use in your password, the harder it will be for would-be thieves to hack it.
5. Don’t Use “Admin” for Your Username
Many businesses stick with the Admin login for their WordPress sites. That’s another lazy move that makes a hacker’s job easier. Select a username that is easy for you to remember but complex enough that it can trip up a cybercriminal’s hacking tools.
PersistSEO helps small businesses like yours set up successful and secure websites every day. Need help getting started implementing these WordPress website security tips? Request a complimentary SEO analysis from PersistSEO.