For some time now, there has been an increase in the number of great tools to enhance services in the web development world. With various content management systems allowing small businesses to create an effective online presence quickly, it’s easy for them to get a website up and running in no time.
Many of these small businesses overlook one significant part while undertaking the process of designing their own websites: website security. It’s quite unfortunate that, in this current do-it-yourself generation, many webmasters understand little about website security. This article will share a few ways website owners and designers can make their websites more secure.
Read: Get Control Over Your Domain – Here’s Why It’s Important
Keep all of your software up to date
As cliché as it sounds, software updates increase your web security since they come equipped with the latest fixes to prevent against hackers or any malware aimed at your site. Unless your small business uses a web maintenance plan, then you need to seal as many loopholes as possible in your website that hackers could take advantage of.
Think of it as an opening in a wall where an enemy can pass through and attack you where you stand. With a majority of hackers using automated methods, it can be easy for them to come in and take advantage of website vulnerabilities unless you are regularly updating your theme, plugins, and more. You should update your website at least monthly. In addition, it’s good practice to perform a backup both before and after updating your website software.
Read: Website Maintenance Plans – Your Website’s Superhero
Passwords are vital
It’s easy for people to use the names of their loved ones as a password and imagine that nobody can guess it. Well, guess what: hackers can. When it comes to passwords, you need your website to have the strongest password possible.
Password-cracking programs can guess a million passwords at a go, so as long as your password is a real name, then it’s never safe. The safest way is to use random strings of random characters in no particular order. The more non-specific your password is, the harder it would be to crack, the safer your website.
If you’re wondering how someone can remember ten random characters, password managers like LastPass can encrypt your passwords and generate them at the click of a mouse, you don’t need to memorize.
Implement a firewall
This is something every website could benefit from, but particularly websites that are built from open-source platforms such as WordPress. There are a variety of WordPress tools available that make it easier for small business owners to enhance their website security on their own. To get a better understanding of firewalls and find some recommendations for tools, you should start with this easy-to-read article from Elegant Themes.
Get in touch with us today to check if your website security is up to date and keeping your small business protected.