How to Keep Your Website Safe: 12 Top Security Tips

Keeping your website safe from hackers and security threats is crucial. A compromised site can lead to loss of traffic, customers, and revenue. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore 12 proven tips to lock down website security.

These actionable recommendations will help you protect your site by preventing vulnerabilities, detecting potential issues early, and minimizing impact in the event of an attack:

• Use strong passwords
• Install an SSL certificate
• Leverage a web application firewall
• Keep all software up-to-date
• Backup your site regularly
• Limit user roles and permissions
• Validate user input and sanitize data
• Monitor site traffic and activity
• Replace default usernames
• Disable file browsing and directory listings
• Use only reputable plugins from trusted sources
• Schedule recurring vulnerability scans

1. Use Strong Passwords

Weak passwords leave your WordPress site an easy target. Most [hacker] attacks try compromised usernames and passwords first.

Here are tips to implement secure passwords:

• Randomly generate passwords over 12 characters (use a password manager)
• Avoid dictionary words and personal info
• Change all default credentials immediately
• Enable two-factor authentication
• Change passwords for inactive users
• Set passwords to expire every 90 days
• Restrict login attempts to combat brute force attacks

Using sufficiently long and obscure passwords is one of the simplest ways to improve website security. Don’t cut corners here.

2. Install an SSL Certificate

An SSL certificate encrypts the sensitive data flowing between a visitor’s browser and your website server. This protects all user information and transactions.

Without SSL, communication can be intercepted and read. Installing SSL forces connections over HTTPS, preventing snooping attacks.

Most web hosts include free SSL certificates. If yours doesn’t, install plugins like Really Simple SSL to add HTTPS support.

Moving to HTTPS shows visitors your commitment to their privacy and security. It also boosts SEO rankings.

3. Leverage a Web Application Firewall

A web application firewall (WAF) actively monitors incoming traffic, blocking suspicious requests. It’s like having an armed guard defend your site 24/7.

WAFs watch for common hacker tools and techniques like SQL injection, cross-site scripting, malware uploads, and DDoS attacks. They filter these threats instantly while allowing normal traffic through.

Many website builders like Wix and Squarespace offer basic WAFs. For WordPress sites, security plugins like Wordfence or Sucuri integrate robust solutions.

4. Keep All Software Up-to-Date

It’s crucial to install the latest security patches for WordPress, themes, plugins, PHP, databases, and any other site software.

Hackers constantly probe software for vulnerabilities. Using outdated versions leaves you open to attack vectors long after fixes are available. Make updates part of your site maintenance routine.

Enable automatic WordPress updates, review your installed software inventory regularly, and sign up for security alert lists. Outdated platforms put your site’s security—and visitors’ data—at risk unnecessarily. Plan to update early and often.

5. Backup Your Site Regularly

Even sites using air-tight website security measures can suffer outages and data loss. Hardware failures, coding errors, and cyber attacks can all corrupt or wipe your database.

Having recent website backups is vital insurance against disasters. It also protects against hackers deleting content or injecting malware meant to cripple your site.

Back up at least daily—more often for active sites—to guard recent info. Coordinate backups with all software updates to capture the latest iterations safely. Store backups securely in a different location than your site.

Test restoring from backups too. Don’t wait until you desperately need them to confirm the process works properly.

6. Limit User Roles and Permissions

The broader a user’s capability inside your WordPress dashboard and hosting account, the higher the damage potential if compromised. Minimize authority levels for all users, including admins and staff.

For example:

• Avoid blanket “Administrator” dashboard access
• Restrict plugin installs/updates to tech roles
• Limit FTP and database credentials only to those needing access

Review dashboards, hosting accounts, and server permissions annually. Delete ex-employees immediately. Audit regularly for any unauthorized changes that expose website vulnerabilities from the inside.

7. Validate User Input and Sanitize Data

If your site allows user-generated content or form submissions, the data itself can be weaponized to compromise your systems and servers. Rigorously sanitize then validate all inputs before permanently storing them.

Use approved validation and sanitization libraries that strip malicious code and escape sequences while leaving safe markup and text intact. Never trust raw data context—sanitize first, validate second.

Review recent failures like the 2022 WordPress MailPoet plugin hack for examples of trusting inputs too readily. Never permanently save unvalidated and unsanitized submissions.

8. Monitor Site Traffic and Activity

Abnormal surges in traffic, spikes in database errors, unfamiliar user agents, or suspicious geographic patterns can all indicate an attack underway. Staying on top of site analytics and metrics is key for early warning.

Correlating traffic with hosting behavior and application logs gives fuller insight. Watch for signs like:

• Sudden drop in Google referrals and organic traffic
• Increase in 404 errors but not pageviews
• Traffic from suspicious ISPs, unknown services and odd locations
• Concurrent database connection saturation

Seeing issues unfolding quickly lets you mitigate damage by blocking traffic, suspending plugins, and forcing password resets as examples. Don’t rely solely on weekly or monthly reporting. Actively monitor analytics for threats daily.

9. Replace Default Usernames

Most platforms install with default admin usernames like user1, admin, administrator etc. These credentials are cannon fodder for brute force attacks.

Create a custom secure username in their place:

• On your live site
• For database access
• Inside web host account
• For WordPress admin accounts
• Within FTP accounts

Avoid common terms, dictionary words, business name fragments, titles, and anything easily connected to you. Custom obscure names force hackers to guess blindly, buying you time to detect attacks.

10. Disable File Browsing and Directory Listings

It’s too easy for attackers to scan website files and directory structures if left open. The reconnaissance data aids hacking attempts.

Ask your host or server admin to globally disable directory browsing and file listings. This removes easy visibility into how your files are organized and which extensions get used.

For individual sites and apps, use configuration settings to switch off indexing and exposures too. Comment out dangerous functions in code allowing arbitrary file access as well. The less visible your layout is to strangers, the better.

11. Use Only Reputable Plugins From Trusted Sources

Plugins extend WordPress’ capabilities tremendously while introducing new potential vulnerabilities. Limit exposure:

• Research developers carefully, favoring established providers with strong security track records
• Only install thoroughly-vetted extensions with clear development lifecycles
• Disable then delete inactive plugins
• Subscribe for plugin vulnerability notices, ready to update or uninstall on short notice

Referencing curated plugin directories like WordPress.org gives a baseline of security confidence lacking with random or commercial options. Still fully evaluate even vetted plugins though—they get updated routinely to address security issues.

12. Schedule Recurring Vulnerability Scans

Even if following every website security best practice, it’s smart confirming protections hold up as intended. Automated vulnerability scanners probe apps and networks similarly to real hackers, checking:

• Outdated software with security issues
• Weak login credentials
• Unpatched systems
• Dangerous misconfigurations
• Common exploitable vulnerabilities

Scanners deliver reports itemizing problems needing addressed to lock sites down tighter. Schedule scans monthly or quarterly to detect gaps before criminals do.

Follow scan findings with updates, patches, password resets, application whitelisting, permissions tightening, and reconfiguration to remedy uncovered holes. Think of scans as personalized security coaching for your site.

Wrapping Up

Maintaining rigorous website security prevents frustrated visitors, lost business, and PR headaches when hackers come calling. Implement these website protection tips to keep your site safe.

Neil Beckett

Neil is an accomplished web, designer and developer with over 15 years of experience in creating and optimizing websites for small businesses and online entrepreneurs. Read full bio

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