How to Keep Your WordPress Site Safe and Secure

 

Website safety and security are two extremely important keys to your online success.  WordPress is a free, open-source platform. But is it really worth using? Well, yes, of course, it is. Because if you’re reading this article, you are probably someone who already uses WordPress as a blogging platform. It’s also one of the most widely used CMS platforms out there. There’s no denying it’s very user-friendly. It’s clean, simple, and straightforward. That said, you need to take some precautions and precautions when you do use WordPress.

This article will walk you through the best practices for keeping your website safe and secure, including backup strategy, malware scanning, and protecting your WordPress website from hacking.

 

Keeping backups of your WordPress site

 

A common question when it comes to website security is, “Should I keep a backup of my site?” And the answer is, “Yes, of course, you should.” Your website is your online presence. Anything that happens to it affects your business and your reputation.

Probably now, you understand that backups are essential to having a secure site. You should regularly take backups of your site in case a malware attack or other issue occurs. However, it’s easy to forget to take backups or to do so on a regular basis, and that’s when problems begin to occur. For this reason, it’s often best to schedule your backups to happen automatically.

There are several options to take backups, including plugins, online services, and manual backups. Let’s take a look at those options to help you decide which backup option is best for you.

 

Backing up your site manually:

 

This method isn’t difficult, but it can be quite time-consuming. It involves downloading a copy of all your WordPress files by logging into your FTP client account and manually copying everything. The downside to this method is that it doesn’t occur automatically, and you run the risk of missing something. In addition, if you’re not well versed in FTP, this method can be somewhat difficult.

 

Backing up your site with plugins:

 

While plugins can be a great way to enhance your site, they can also offer backup features. One option is BackupBuddy. This plugin allows you to schedule automatic backups and also offers security scanning and migration options. Some other popular backup plugins include BackupWordPress and UpdraftPlus.

 

Backing up your site with a backup service:

 

In addition to backup plugins, you can also choose to back up your site with a service. One option is VaultPress. This service takes regular backups of your site and stores them in a secure location. If you’re concerned that you’re going to lose all your data, this is a great option. However, it’s not always the most affordable option.

 

How to secure your WordPress site from hackers

 

WordPress sites are incredibly easy to hack into, with hackers potentially gaining access to a site’s database and personal information. If you want to stop hackers, there are several things that you can adjust on your WordPress site to make it more secure.

Securing your WordPress site from hackers can seem like an intimidating process, especially if you’re not familiar with how hackers gain access to sites. But, there are a few easy steps that you can take to secure your WordPress site from hackers:

 

Change your admin username and password

 

By default, WordPress has a fairly weak and easily guessable username and password. If you’ve created a username “Admin” and your password is “password”, then you have just given hackers all the ammunition they need to hack your site.

Hackers are often looking for usernames and passwords that are easy to crack. If you run a brute force attack or try a dictionary attack, you’ll find that many of those weak passwords are easily cracked. To prevent this from occurring, change the username and password to something that’s alphanumeric and at least 10 characters long. You can use a password generator like LastPass to create strong passwords.

You can change your username and password by going to Dashboard -> Users -> Your profile.

 

Disable plugins and themes

 

Plugins are interesting because they can add functionality to your site that otherwise would be difficult to accomplish. However, hackers can discover vulnerabilities in your plugins and gain access to your site. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, disable the plugins you don’t need. You may also want to disable the themes and deactivate plugins that you don’t need. Additionally, update all of your plugins and themes to the most recent version.

 

Use strong security plugins

 

There are several security plugins available that will scan your site for vulnerabilities and stop them from being able to occur.  Plugins like iThemes Security & All In One WP Security & Firewall help secure your site by scanning for malware, spam, and vulnerabilities.

 

Keep your WordPress software up to date

 

Hackers often gain access to sites by exploiting vulnerabilities in the WordPress software. To keep your site secure, you must be running the latest version of WordPress. You can do this by logging into your WordPress site and clicking “Dashboard” and then “Updates” in the sidebar. Always backup your site before updating.

 

Secure your admin area

 

To further protect your site, you can secure your admin area. You can do this by restricting your login attempts, setting up login notifications, and enabling two-factor authentication.  One of the best ways to do this is to use a plugin. WP Limit Login Attempts can help secure your site by restricting the number of login attempts, limiting logins, and blocking IP addresses.

 

Conclusion:

 

In conclusion, it is important to keep your WordPress site safe and secure. Backups are important in case of any unexpected disasters, and keeping your site free from hackers is essential to maintaining a good reputation. By following the tips in this article, you can ensure that your WordPress site is safe and secure.

Click here to access an in-depth article of ours on website security.

Click here to access a number of very good website and security articles from nethostingplans.com .

FAQs

Is a Website on WordPress Safe and Secure?

It’s good news: WordPress is a very safe content management system. You should be safe as long as you choose a reputable hosting company and adhere to recommended measures. To begin, make sure WordPress is installed securely and carefully check any themes and plugins you add to your website.

How Do I Protect My WordPress Page?