Back in September, a security vulnerability was found in a popular WordPress plugin – Display Widgets. The plugin, which had over 200,000 installs, was inserting content into sites from external servers and also collecting visitor data without permission.

Although this particular case is rare, website owners should be mindful about the plugins they chose to use and how often they’re updated.

There have been thousands of themes and plugins created to extend the design and functionality of your WordPress website, which makes it extremely versatile for a business in any sector. However, as WordPress is such a popular system it can become vulnerable to hack attempts.

Most of the time, the only reason your WordPress will get exploited is due to personal negligence, such as not keeping on top of your website maintenance. Website maintenance, such as reviewing and updating your plugins, should be done on a regular basis by somebody within your organisation or if you don’t have someone with the capacity or expertise this can easily be outsourced.

How can you minimise risk to your site?

Although you cannot completely eliminate the possibility of an online attack, keeping your WordPress core, themes and plugins up to date will reduce the chances that hackers are successful at penetrating your site.

Many business owners believe that once they have hired someone to launch their site, all the hard work is done and that they can just leave it to do its thing. No one has ever told them that their website is something that needs regular upkeep to stay secure. Alas, as with most things, if you neglect regular maintenance, eventually something will break.

There are many websites running on outdated versions of WordPress with plugins that need to be updated, but the fear of technology is another reason that some business owners leave this untouched. However, to leave your website running on outdated technology is keeping you wide open to being victim of hack attacks.

Updating WordPress will give you the peace of mind that you are doing everything you can to keep your site secure. Having a plan for who is going to update your plugins and how often this will be done means you are far less likely to find yourself having a deal with a hacked site.

There are three options when it comes to the maintenance of your WordPress site and plugins. You can do it yourself, pay an employee to take care of it, or outsource it to a professional who will update your site as soon as updates are available.

Whatever you choose to do, the important thing is to have a plan. Figure out who you want to do the updates, and make sure it happens. All software needs regular updates and your website is something you can’t afford to ignore.

If you do decide to outsource your website maintenance, take a look at our monthly payment plans to find the best option to suit your business requirements.

We have developed a premium quality support and maintenance service for all WordPress website owners that delivers total peace of mind. By taking a proactive approach to security and maintenance can put you ahead of 70% of WordPress websites and save yourself for falling victim of attacks that could be easily preventable. It’s not something you can afford to leave until a later date so act now to keep your site secure.