It’s critical to secure your WordPress websites in the modern digital environment. Given that WordPress powers more than 40% of all websites worldwide, it is not surprising that hackers frequently target WordPress-powered websites.

Making sure your WordPress website is secure is essential, regardless of whether you are managing an eCommerce store, business website, or personal blog. These 15 crucial actions will assist you in safeguarding your website against online attacks.

1. Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are the first line of defense for your WordPress website, even if this may seem obvious. Use a mix of capital, lowercase, numeric, and special characters at all times. Steer clear of simplistic, easily guessed passwords like “admin,” “password,” or “123456.” Hackers will find it more difficult to access your website if you have a strong password.

2. Keep WordPress, Themes & Plugins Updated

Security fixes that address vulnerabilities are often included in WordPress upgrades. Therefore, you should frequently update your WordPress core, themes, and plugins. One of the most frequent causes of website hacking is outdated software. To make sure you are always using the most recent version, enable automatic updates wherever you can.

3. Install a Security Plugin

There are several WordPress security plugins available, including Wordfence and Sucuri. These plugins may greatly lower the danger of assaults on your WordPress website by offering features like firewalls, malware scanning, and security against brute-force attacks.

4. Backup Your Website Regularly

Can you imagine? You wake up in the morning to find your WordPress site hacked or corrupted. What if you could restore it from a backup with just few clicks? Regular backups are crucial for peace of mind. Use reliable backup plugins like UpdraftPlus or BackupBuddy to schedule automatic backups. This ensures you can recover your website in single click without losing any critical data.

5. Use SSL Encryption

Passwords, credit card numbers, and other private information are encrypted when you install an SSL certificate on your WordPress website. This guarantees that the data cannot be read even if it is intercepted. Because Google favors safe websites, SSL also helps your website rank higher in search results.

6. Limit Login Attempts

Brute-force attacks are often used by hackers to attempt several username and password combinations in order to access your WordPress dashboard. You may avoid this by restricting the number of login attempts. Plugins such as Limit Login Attempts Reloaded and Login Lockdown may assist you in doing this.

7. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Adding two-factor authentication to your WordPress login is a great method to increase security. Hackers can only access your website with a second form of authentication, such a one-time password (OTP) delivered to your phone, even if they manage to steal your password.

8. Change the Default “Admin” Username

By default, WordPress username is “admin”, which is often targeted by hackers. Change the default username to something more unique & challenging to guess. This simple step can significantly reduce the risk of attacks.

9. Choose a Secure Hosting Provider

The security of your website is greatly influenced by your web host. Select a hosting company that provides security features like malware detection, firewalls, and automated backups. Improved security features, such as quicker upgrades and stronger defense, are provided by managed WordPress hosting.

10. Disable Directory Listing

Directory listing allows anyone to view the contents of your website’s folders. This can expose sensitive files & increase your site’s vulnerability. You can disable directory listing by adding a simple line of code to your .htaccess file (in root folder) to prevent this from happening.

11. Monitor User Activity

It is crucial to monitor the actions of any individuals who have access to your WordPress dashboard. By keeping an eye on user behavior, you may quickly identify any illegal modifications or questionable behavior. You can monitor every activity on your website with the use of plugins like WP Activity Log.

12. Set Correct File Permissions

File permissions are the settings that control who can access, edit or execute files on your website. Misconfigured permissions can expose your website to security risks. Ensure that files and folders have the correct permissions to protect your site from unauthorized access.

13. Disable XML-RPC

A protocol called XML-RPC enables remote access to your WordPress website. Nonetheless, hackers often target it in order to initiate DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) assaults. You may use a plugin or add a line of code to your functions.php file to deactivate XML-RPC if you don’t require it.

14. Install a Web Application Firewall (WAF)

A Web Application Firewall (WAF) may assist in preventing harmful traffic from accessing your WordPress website. It stops threats and filters out malicious requests before they can get to your website. An integrated WAF is a feature of many security plugins, or you may utilize stand-alone programs like Wordfence, Cloudflare, or Sucuri.

15. Scan for Malware Regularly

Malware is one of the most common ways hackers gain control over WordPress websites. Install a malware scanner to check your site regularly for any signs of malicious code. Security plugins like Wordfence and Sucuri also offer regular malware scanning, so you can identify & remove threats before they cause significant damage.

Conclusion

Protecting your WordPress website is a continuous activity rather than a one-time event. You may drastically lower the chance that your website will be the target of a cyberattack by putting the following 15 crucial procedures into practice. Regardless of your level of WordPress expertise, maintaining a safe, secure, and effective website can be achieved by being proactive and attentive to security. Never forget that prevention is always preferable than treatment!

You can safeguard your WordPress website and feel confident knowing that it is protected by adhering to these best practices. Thus, begin putting these procedures into practice right now to protect your website.