How to protect your WordPress site: 7 must-follow security tips for business sites
As a business owner with a website on WordPress, cybersecurity should be your number-one priority. WordPress runs more than 40 percent of the web, and that attracts hackers en masse. In this article, I’ll show you how you can keep your website safe using the best methods WordPress has to offer. We’ll learn it all, from code structure validation, content clean-up, to easy security tips and tricks you can achieve today.
The Importance of Cybersecurity for Your WordPress Business Site
Let’s be real: Cyberattacks are not just for big companies. Small and medium-sized businesses experience them as well. A breach can result in stolen data, loss of customers and a damaged reputation.
So what do you do?
You build a safe world that hackers can’t crack but which makes your site faster and more user-friendly. Consider cybersecurity as a shield for your online storefront.
Validate Your JSON Structure — Underlying this is a critical piece.
If you build on your own configurations, plugins, or themes, you know you work with JSON files, especially if you reach out to APIs or set up complex site features. It’s all about JSON structures and validating them.
Here’s why:
- 7) You don’t want json errors to be introducing bugs or security holes into your site.
- Malformed JSON can break your WordPress plugins or themes.
- Hackers might use poorly structured data to inject malicious code.
How to validate JSON:
- Employ online utilities (without consuming sensitive information) or embedded developer tools.
- Ensure that your JSON is as per correct syntax.
- Look for missing commas or misplaced colons.
Check That Keys and Values Are Valid and Consistent.
This is a technical one, however it’s a common one for any business site requiring advanced configurations. Trust me, it pays off.
Use This Syntax To Remove Line Breaks Within String Values And Keep Your Data Clean
One might ask why it is important that newlines are respected in the middle of literal strings. Uh, they can screw with JSON parsers and crash them.
Here’s a quick tip:
- Don’t ever divide your JSON strings into multiple lines.
- Add Enter to break long strings when you type them.
- Use escape characters sparingly but not too sparingly.
This ensures your settings and plugin settings load without any problems. Data hygiene leads to fewer vulnerabilities.
How to Make Sure Your WordPress Site Is Secure
Alright, now let’s get to the good stuff — how to protect your WordPress business website on a daily basis. Here’s what I recommend.
1. Update WordPress Core, Themes, and Plugins Regularly
- Updates plug security gaps.
- Don’t put off updates — hackers use outdated software against you.
- Automatically update with minor patches, and manually review major changes.
2. Strong passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA)
Protecting your account with strong, unique passwords and 2FA are the most important actions you can take to minimize the risk associated with leaks.
- Use long, complex passwords.
- Utilize password managers that prevent weak passwords.
- Turn on 2FA for your admin accounts — an extra layer of security.
3. Limit Login Attempts
- Protect against brute force hacking and keep attackers out and secure your website.
- Utilise plugins that will lock accounts after a certain amount of incorrect login attempts.
- This easy move is one the best ways to prevent hackers from guessing administrative passwords.
4. Regularly Backup Your Site
- Backups are what save your business when cyberattacks work.
- Plan for daily or weekly backups depending on how often you update.
- Keep copies of backups off-site or in the cloud.
5. Toss a WAF at it
- WAF stops bad traffic before it reaches your site.
- There are a lot of plugins and services that provide WAF protection tailored for WordPress.
- Think of this as a gatekeeper for your digital business.
6. Secure Your wp-config.php File
- This file contains your database credentials; keep it private. Move it above the root if you can.
- Limit access with file permissions.
7. Disable WordPress Dashboard File Editor
- The built-in file editor is commonly used entry point for hackers to inject their malicious scripts.
- Create a rule in your wp-config.php to disable it for security.
8. Monitor User Activity
- Know who is logging in, what has changed.
- Detecting suspicious activity early.
- Use audit log plugins for convenience in the monitoring area.
Why SEO is Crossed with Cybersecurity on Your WordPress Site
You possibly believe that the only thing about SEO is keywords and content. But security impacts SEO too.
- Google rewards secure sites and ranks HTTPS pages higher.
- A website that’s been hacked or is compromised to any extent can lose trust and rankings at the drop of a hat!
- SEO is damaged by slow to load or error-prone sites as a result of security problems.
So while you focus on cybersecurity, think about SEO as well. Both go hand in hand.
Writing Content – Tips to Keep Your Site Safe and Interesting
You write blog posts, product descriptions and landing pages. Cover your content and make it sexy.
- Do not include suspicious scripts or code snippets. These are a security hold.
- Only use clean, non-erroneous/missing JSON for any dynamic content blocks.
- Perform consistent malware scans of your website – Content tends to have code hidden malware without our knowledge.
- Make customers stay longer with customer-suggested content.
Final Words: Protect Your WordPress Site Now!
Businesses these days cannot afford to overlook security in WordPress. Validating your JSON structure, stripping newlines from inside strings, keeping your software up to date, and practicing good security can save money and face for you and your customers.
And, an hardened WordPress site boosts SEO rankings and your brand trust.
And don’t forget, keeping your WordPress site safe is not a bolt-and-lock affair. It is ongoing. Begin now, remain vigilant, and see your business safely grow online. The earlier you act, the less risk you take.
Stay safe and keep driving your digital business!
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