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According to a university study, a hacker attack occurs every 39 seconds. While some of these attacks target personal computers, a significant portion target businesses. If one falls victim to such an attack, it can lead to loss of information, reduced customer trust, and a financial hit that can be challenging to recover from—which is why it is essential to protect your WordPress website.
The cost of cybercrime is continuously rising, and experts predict that the amount of data stolen will increase every year despite the measures taken by businesses such as GDPR. Business owners must prepare for the worst and take necessary steps to protect their WordPress website from smart hackers.
Five ways to protect your WordPress website from hackers
1. Focus on security
It is crucial to prioritize website security. Start by assessing your site for potential vulnerabilities and creating an action plan to address them. This proactive approach will give you peace of mind about protecting your business and customers and make you more reliable and trustworthy than your competitors.
2. Install firewalls
An unsecured WordPress site is vulnerable to hackers. A great way to protect it is by installing a firewall.
You can choose a firewall plugin or a code-based firewall. A server-level firewall is the best choice for optimum security and performance, as your web server processes it before any other code on your site.
3. Add multi-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication is a security measure that involves adding an extra layer of protection to the login process. This method requires more effort from users, but it ensures that the person accessing sensitive data or placing an order is indeed who they claim to be. It also demonstrates to your customers that you safeguard their personal information appropriately.
Passwords alone are not enough to keep cybercriminals at bay. Hackers exploit weak passwords to gain unauthorized access to user accounts. Multi-factor authentication provides an additional layer of security that makes it much harder for cybercriminals to breach your system and steal sensitive information.
4. Backup your data
Even if your hosting company keeps backups, you should never rely on them to care for something as vital as your website. At the absolute minimum, you should be backing up once a month, though daily is ideal.
Make a copy of your entire site, including images and all content, so it won’t be completely from scratch if you have to start over. Keep this information offsite—on a separate drive and not on your computer—so it remains accessible and secure at all times.
5. Implement Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
It is best practice for all WordPress users to install a certificate and use encrypted language via SSL to secure their site. Any information users provide over an encrypted network is more protected than one that isn’t encrypted, and your potential customers will check for the green padlock to confirm they are transacting safely.
Without it, people may bounce away from your site out of fear of vulnerability.
If you have not prioritized site security yet, it is important to start now. Do not delay implementing the steps outlined in this blog to protect your WordPress website. Ensure that you have the necessary plugins and backend security measures, and stay informed about current hacking methods to counteract cybercriminals’ attempts.
At WP Tech Support, we can handle all aspects of your site’s security to ensure that you are protected from hackers. We offer services such as backing up your website to our secure cloud server, giving you complete peace of mind.
Our great-value WordPress support plans start at just $55 per month—a small price to ensure your website stays healthy, up-to-date, and secure. We’re so sure you’ll love it that we will refund you if you’re not 100% happy!