How Can Developers and SEOs Secure WordPress Websites?
WordPress (WP) powers about 30 percent of all websites. It’s a powerful platform that can be used for content presentation. However, because it’s such a popular content management system (CMS), it’s also subject to attacks from spammers trying to damage competitors, obtain data, or boost their own rankings. For this reason, both SEO professionals and developers should consider taking the following steps to keep WordPress secure, brought to you by the web development experts from Saba SEO, a top-tier web design, digital marketing, and SEO company San Diego businesses rely on to optimize SEO and maximize the effectiveness of their website content.
Protect Yourself
Using VPN for end-to-end encryption and blocking ads to prevent more complex attacks are a few of the steps you can take to boost your security on WP if you’re not an administrator. If you are, take the following steps:
- Create a new profile with a limited editor role
- Establish a good security policy for anyone who will be accessing admin features
- Change your password if your admin session gets hijacked
- Use Secure Passwords
Make it difficult for unauthorized people to access your site by using secure passwords, which you can do by using longer passwords with a combination of letters, numbers, and characters. A password manager that generates passwords can help you with this task.
Do Rewrites for Known Attacks
XSS and SQL injection attacks can definitely do some serious damage on your WP pages. If you get a heads-up about attacks, redirect or block query string signatures for those attacks. A plugin that can help you with .htaccess query string rewrites may be able to provide added protection against such attacks.
Scan Your WP Pages and Use Security Plugins
Security plugins like Wordfence can help you spot signs of security issues sooner rather than later. Google has a Web Risk API tool you can also use to scan your various WordPress pages. Further secure your WordPress site by:
- Changing file permissions
- Locking down critical files
- Performing code audits
Realize there’s no platform that’s 100 percent safe at all times. That being said, WordPress is generally considered a safe platform for most users. Even so, you’ll still want to be proactive by making sure you turn on automatic security updates. Lastly, don’t forget to periodically update your plugins and themes with the latest versions.
Being vigilant about your website’s security is one of the most important things you can do for your business. If you need help with security or any other aspect of web development or design, reach out to the experts at Saba SEO, a premier San Diego web development company. For almost fifteen years, we’ve helped business design and develop websites and optimize their SEO strategies. Call one of our web development specialists today at 858-277-1717.