WordPress has been gaining massive popularity for the past few years. Businesses, bloggers, and other professionals turn to WordPress to create their websites, as it is easy to use and perfect for those who need to be more tech-savvy. WordPress does not require FTP or HTML editing software, allowing you to tailor your website and extend your site’s functionality with quality plugins. However, similar to other popular CMSs, WordPress also has a dark side. The risks of hacks or security violations have been on the rise for the past decades. For those who own a WordPress site, you’re probably afraid of the dangers of the internet. It’s normal. But it is time to secure and protect your website from hackers. I am telling you about WordPress Security Tips, which will be useful to secure your WordPress website.
Here are tried and tested WordPress Security Tips you should follow:
Be Careful When Selecting a Hosting Company
There are plenty of hosting providers out there. Focus on a host that provides round-the-clock security monitoring, compatibility with PHP and MySQL; malware scans with regular data backups and reliable DDOS prevention. Yes, a host that’s available at the cheapest rate can be tempting. Of course, it might exceed your needs in the first place. After some time, the quality of performance might change, exposing your website to hackers. So, it is best to invest in a hosting company that provides secure and competitively priced services.
Regular Update is Key
While this may not be necessary, people must keep their WordPress website updated.
Studies show that outdated versions of CMS, such as WordPress, are less susceptible to a security hack.
Make sure to use the best WordPress theme– it should be optimized and run regular updates. Using the latest version of themes and plugins, on the other hand, is available with enhanced security patches, taking your site’s protection to a different level.
Be Cautious When Choosing Your Login Credentials
An easy username or password increases the risk of websites getting hacked. Strong and unique login credentials are different. Instead of a short password, use a longer one and write it down on your notes right away. It is a big mistake to use common words, including football and basketball. Set an uncommon phrase as a password instead. Also, avoid publicly known information like your parent’s name. Think of special characters for your peace of mind. It’s important to always pay attention not only to the password and login but also to the safety of your login page. Your URL of WordPress login page – is not always protected from hacking.
Move to HTTPS/SSL Certificate
Another valuable step in securing your WordPress site is setting up an SSL certificate. What is it? SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, is a protocol developed to encrypt your site and protect it from potential intruders and hackers. After an SSL certificate setup, check if your website is running on HTTPS. Apart from a safe connection, HTTPS is a ranking aspect that popular search engines consider. That means your website will be at the top of the search results. SSL certificate and HTTPS also increases your credibility, making you an industry leader.
Two-Factor or Step Authentication is Imperative
Another WordPress Security Tip is that Strong login credentials boost your website’s security. But don’t relax. Consider two-factor or step authentication. As the name indicates, you need to provide a secondary piece of information aside from your password. It’s up to you if you prefer an SMS or a phone call.
Lock down Your WordPress Admin
Hackers are talented at gaining access to other websites. Whenever they find certain backdoors to your platform, they attack it right away. However, you can reduce this risk by locking down your WordPress admin area. You can either limit the number of login attempts or change your WordPress Login URL.
Regular Data Backup matters
Who wants to create websites from scratch during a computer crash? No bloggers or business owners would like that. Although you do not need it at the moment, a site data backup is imperative. While you don’t expect to lose your data, a regular backup can help if something terrible happens. Yes, hosting companies include this feature in their premium packages. If you’re not comfortable with that, there are WordPress backup services you can take advantage of. These are CodeGuard and VaultPress. Plugins like BackupBuddy and Duplicator are also an excellent alternative.
Keep Your Database Protected
How to get started? Just create and use a well-thought-out database name. Let’s say your website is called BeautySalon. You’re more likely to use wp_beautysalon by default, which gives hackers easy access to your database. It is ideal to change it to an obscure name. Yes, there are no rules to follow. As long as your database is difficult to access, your WordPress website will stay safe all year long.
Restrict Any Database Usage Privilege
You should know three different directory permissions. Read permissions give users the right to access a file or folder. Write permissions enable them to add or delete files within a folder. Execute permissions allow them to access the directory, execute commands, and perform other functions. Before assigning file or directory rights to users, understand the three permissions to level up your website security.
Protect your Website From Hotlinking
Hotlinking has been a trend online. But how does it work? Hotlinking is a process where other websites use your URL to point to another media file. Hotlinking can lead to unexpected costs and slow site loading. When you are planning to launch your WordPress site soon, take advantage of a security plugin to block hotlinking in the future. It is also possible to prevent hotlinking manually if you are tech-savvy. But nothing can beat installing a plugin.
Update Your Security Keys
For years, we used WordPress 2.7. Today, there are NONCE_KEY, AUTH_KEY, LOGGED_IN KEY, and SECURE_AUTH KEY. When you install WordPress, these four keys are generated randomly. But when you buy a site or conduct multiple migrations, experts suggest using fresh WordPress keys as much as possible. To update your keys, WordPress offers a free and reliable tool that guarantees a seamless experience down the road.
Are you Launching a Website Soon?
Final WordPress Security Tips: Keep your WordPress site secure with strong passwords, updated plugins, and a reputable hosting company. When looking for a host, invest in a trusted and sought-after provider for your convenience! I hope you really enjoyed reading this article about WordPress Security Tips.
You can read here about Free WordPress Security Plugins.