It’s 2022 and with the growing number of cyber crimes, it’s the need of the hour to take certain measures to secure your website. WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems out there and that itself means that it is a target for hackers. Your WordPress website could be one of the best ways to represent your business online. You need to secure your website as early as possible. Due to its ease of use and availability, it is important that all websites are secured. The WordPress development team has already included many security measures, but there is always more that you need to do. The good news is You don’t have to go through all that work to find the perfect solution because these 10 ways to secure your WordPress website will give you plenty of options to choose from!
Let’s have a look at the 10 ways to secure your WordPress website.
1. Keep Your WordPress Updated
Keeping your WordPress updated is a good way to help secure your website. Many of the updates include fixes for security holes that can be exploited by hackers if left unpatched.
There are also plugins and themes available that will make it easier for you to keep on top of updates yourself. You should also make sure you are running a firewall and antivirus software as well as using strong passwords. Updates fix vulnerabilities so it is important to keep everything up-to-date including plugins, themes, and core files from WordPress itself.
One way to add security to your WordPress website is by using HTTPS instead of HTTP. This encrypts the data sent between a user’s browser and your web server, making it more difficult for attackers to view sensitive information in transit.
2. Use Strong Passwords
Passwords are a major component of website security. They should be strong and different for each account. To make your passwords stronger, include numbers, symbols, and upper and lower case letters in your password.
You can also use an online password generator such as Google auto password generator. This tool generates secure random passwords that you don’t have to remember.
Changing the Site Admin Password is another way. Be sure to change the default admin username and change the site admin password periodically.
Use 2 Factor Authentication (2FA). Two-factor authentication requires that the user provide two out of three things which are: a password, PIN number, or biometric data before they can log into their account on any device.
2FA is more secure than just relying on one method because if someone tries to guess your credentials they will not be able to access it because they don’t have this third information required by 2FA.
3. Use a Security Plugin
Some of the easiest ways to add security to your WordPress website are by installing a security plugin and by adding a firewall. A security plugin will help you detect and fix vulnerabilities in your site, and a firewall will help protect you from outside threats.
Security plugins are easy enough for anyone with basic technical skills to install, but if you’re not comfortable with the process, it’s best to hire someone who is. For instance, Wordfence, BruteProtect or Sucuri
You can find all sorts of options on the market that are simple to use and include antivirus scanning, monitoring, backups, performance enhancements for speed, hardening protection against hackers, malware detection, and removal.
What about installation? It’s as easy as uploading a zip file via FTP into your website directory! If you want even more protection for your site after implementing these features, consider hiring an IT expert who specializes in securing WordPress websites.
4. Don’t Use Admin as Your Username
Don’t use the default username when you set up your WordPress website. Change it to something unique and hard-to-guess. Use a strong password with numbers, symbols, and upper and lowercase letters.
Be sure your password is at least twelve characters long or more. You can also use a plugin like WP Security Guard that will automatically log you out of your account after 30 minutes of inactivity, which prevents someone from accessing your account even if they know the username and password.
5. Limit Login Attempts
One of the most important ways to secure your WordPress website is by limiting login attempts. This will help thwart any potential brute-force attacks against your login page.
The default limit is 20, but you can change this limit in the wp-config.php file. You may also want to set up email alerts for failed logins or other events that could be an indication of a possible attack on your site.
If you are hosting multiple websites and have access to the cPanel for each site, you should consider setting up IP blocking so that if someone tries logging in from a new IP address it will automatically be blocked and you can investigate further.
6. Disable File Editing
The first step is to make sure that you have disabled file editing on your site. This will prevent anyone from accessing the files and making changes without knowing what they’re doing.
To do this, follow these steps:
To view your wp-config.php file, you’ll also need a text editor.
Your wp-config.php file should be opened in a text editor.
Anywhere in that file above the line that reads, “That’s all, stop editing!”Add the line define(‘DISALLOW FILE EDIT’, true); to start blogging.
Save the document.
Check your WordPress dashboard; the links at“Appearance > Editor” and “Plugins > Editor” shouldn’t be there anymore.
Edit files in WordPress using FTP or another method.
7. Secure wp-config.php
One of the most important things you can do to secure your WordPress website is to protect your wp-config.php file. This file contains critical information about your database configuration, which hackers may try and access if they manage to break in. You should always have a copy of this file on your computer as well as an offsite backup, just in case you need it one day. There are a few ways you can secure this file, but here are the best practices:
Protect the directory containing the .htaccess and wp-config files with read/write permissions for only those users who need access, for instance, Apache.
Use strong passwords for both MySQL and FTP logins.
the wp-config.php file should be writable only by the owner and read-only for everyone else.
The password_protect_key option should also be set in the config file.
The admin user should have a strong password with at least 8 characters, with at least one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number, and one symbol.
Make sure you’ve updated your blog to the latest version of WordPress and that there are no known security vulnerabilities with the plugin you use for your site.
Remember to keep your plugins up-to-date to
Turn on automatic updates so that you don’t forget to update your website in the future.
8. Protect .htaccess
The .htaccess file is one of the most important files on your website. It controls how your website behaves in a number of different ways, such as how it handles errors, what directories are shown, and what directories are hidden. The .htaccess file is created with every new site you create and can be found in the public_html folder.
When editing this file, it’s important that you have a good understanding of the following:
You should never make any changes to this file unless you’re an expert in server configuration or know exactly what you’re doing.
By adding security directives to your .htaccess file, you can protect your site from a variety of different vulnerabilities and attacks.
9. Use SSL/HTTPS
Maintaining a secure website is not difficult. There are many ways to add security to a WordPress website, from purchasing an SSL certificate for the site to using two-factor authentication for login and all other account logins.
When SSL is enabled, your website will switch to using HTTPS rather than HTTP, and the browser’s address bar will display a padlock next to your website’s address.
Starting to use SSL for all of your WordPress websites is now simpler than ever. For your WordPress website, TezHost now provide free SSL certificates.
10. Keep Regular Backups
There are many ways you can secure your WordPress Websites, but one of the most important ways is to keep regular backups. It’s always a good idea to have more than one backup in case one gets corrupted or deleted.
The best way to ensure you’re protected is by backing up all the files on your server and saving them locally on your computer. If you’re not sure how this works, contact us for some assistance at TezHost.
TezHost WordPress Web Hosting
If you’re looking for a way to securely host your WordPress website, look no further. Tezhost offers quality, secure WordPress web hosting solutions that are optimized for WordPress websites.
We offer three different packages: Economy, Deluxe, and Unlimited. The Economy package is perfect for bloggers and people just starting out with their own websites. The Deluxe package is great for when you need more storage space, traffic and emails. And the Unlimited package caters specifically to businesses with high traffic, fast page load times, and a high volume of emails in their inboxes.
Tezhost guarantees 99.9% uptime with 24/7 professional support to its clients. We have a big family of happy clients worldwide. We offer all types of secure hosting at affordable prices.
Conclusion
There are many ways you can add security to your WordPress website, and with these tips, you’ll be well on your way to a more secure site. By following these simple tips, you will have a better understanding of the risks and how they can be mitigated.
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By: TezHost Editorial 
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