Increasingly, Cyber-security is an ever present worry.  

The safety of your WordPress website shouldn’t have to weigh on you.  

WordPress itself is designed to keep your website safe, but there is always more you can do to protect your website.  

In an ideal world your WordPress site is already completely secure.  In order for that to be true in, there are a few factors that need to be in place.  First, you must have your WordPress completely updated.  Wordpress is constantly creating updates, bug fixes, and security improvements to protect you.  They won’t work if you don’t have the most up to date version of WP!  Even with a fully updated WordPress site you should keep in mind that there is no such thing as a perfectly secured site. If your site is online, there is always a risk.  Most security issues are caused by external factors, such as user inexperience, insecure servers, maintenance from unsecure wifi or compromised computers, and badly coded 3rd-party plugins and themes.

Since most security risks are preventable we wanted to share some tips on how you can reduce your security risk.  

• Secure Hosting – It is incredibly important to host your website on a secure server.  In terms of server security, you get what you pay for.  Avoid discount or “cheap” web hosting such as Shared Hosting, where multiple sites are sharing the same server space.   If your websites is sharing hosting with many other sites, your site will be vulnerable to attacks coming through every site that shares the same server.  Consider Dedicated Hosting for you sites so the security of your website is not dependent on the security of your neighbors.
• Password Strength – The use of  strong passwords can never be underestimated.  Wordpress sites are designed with a simple way to login. This makes them incredibly user friendly.  Unfortunately, this also leaves them open to blunt attacks where hackers try to break weak passwords.  WP has a feature that will tell you the strength of your password as you create it, so you can be assured of it’s strength.  When choosing a password make sure that it is a random combination of letters and numbers.  The more random you make it, the more secure it will be.  If you think there is any possibility that your password has been compromised, or if you have recently shared your password for any reason, don’t hesitate to create a new one.  
• Plugins – WordPress sites can be greatly improved by the various plugins available to you on the marketplace.  They can provide features and customizations across a broad scope of functions.  The use of plugins is essential and encouraged on WP but for security purposes you need to consider the quality of your plugins.  You can determine the quality of a plugin by considering a few factors.  Are they current with latest version of WordPress? Look for positive ratings and feedback, as well as signs of active support.
• Continuing Education – If you know what you are doing as opposed to guessing, you will ensure that things are done properly.  Educate yourself as much as possible to gain an understanding about how WordPress works, and how it functions.  This is the best way to make sure everything is secure and there are no vulnerabilities in your website.  

It is easy for this all to feel overwhelming or impossible. However, there is no need to add stress to your already busy schedule.  Thrive Creative Group, LLC provides ongoing, informative, customer service for website monitoring and maintenance. We have an obligation and commitment to our clients to make sure your site has the required upgrades in order for it to display, load, and run as perfectly as possible on the internet. We can set you up with a custom plan for maintenance protection based on your sites traffic, subscribers, and blogs.

Thrive Creative Group, LLC is prepared to help you with all of your cyber-security needs.  We have packages in place to help you with your security in order to keep your website secure, safe, and running smoothly. Do you have to choose a plan? Well, of course not, just like you don’t have to change the oil in your car, but we all know where that can lead!  😉  For more information or to consult with one of our web specialists, contact us today!

Sources:

Digging Into WordPress
KGN Technologies
The Art of TroubleShooting WordPress