Posted on Apr 15 2021 by
in Blog Blog Post Blogs Blogs and Blogging Content Marketing Security Uncategorized WordPress Security
WordPress has a massive presence online, completely dominating the world of content management systems with a market share of nearly 65%. With so many people and companies using the system and modifying various aspects of it to fit their own needs, it is only natural that some users experience issues with it.
Fortunately, problems you’d bump into while running a WordPress website are rarely tantamount to catastrophe – unless it comes to security. Security issues are not to be taken lightly, as they can spell disaster for both the website owner and the user experience.
Monitoring the performance of your website and maintaining it is crucial and can prove difficult if you lack a technical background. A professional maintenance plan with WordPress web developers is the best option to make sure your WordPress website is safe and sound.
Here are the main things website owners should do to minimize the chances of running into security-based problems on their WordPress websites.
Users of any version of WordPress can potentially experience a variety of security issues – that much is true. However, the fact is that the overwhelming number of security problems related to WordPress websites occur due to the use of outdated versions. Not updating plugins or using themes that are based on previous versions with serious vulnerabilities account for the vast amount of security issues.
The WordPress team is remarkably quick and effective at patching up major security issues and releasing new versions when needed. Website owners who want to avoid security issues should make it a top priority to have the latest version of WordPress, as well as current versions of all the plugins they use.
For a site’s content to be visible on the front end, WordPress requires a theme to be enabled. WordPress recommends using the default theme as it is or building upon it to create a personalized one if you want to achieve optimal security and functionality – and there is a good reason for that recommendation.
Using the default theme is universally regarded as a good practice because the current theme is always subject to extensive review and testing for security issues. This process doesn’t necessarily mean it is bulletproof, but guarantees that it is as close as any theme can be to being “safe.” For this reason, it is usually considered the gold standard when it comes to WordPress security.
As noted by the WordPress team themselves, site developers can put their spin on it, and as long as they don’t introduce bad code to the system, the risk of security issues should be minimal.
Although research shows that users view it as a sign of trustworthiness and authenticity, moving your website to HTTPS is more than just a marketing ploy.
In reality, implementing the SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate helps your website to establish a secure connection between the browser of the user and your server. The system increases security by encrypting data on the user’s end before sending it out to the server, then decrypting it on the spot once it is received. This mechanism pretty much guarantees that even if user data is somehow intercepted by malicious actors, they couldn’t use said data for their nefarious ends.
Further, there is evidence to suggest that moving a website to HTTPS can actually increase loading speed and be beneficial for SEO. Although many WordPress site owners report an initial dip in activity, both search engines and users seem to like HTTPS more than the plain old HTTP.
Companies that offer cheap hosting are a dime a dozen nowadays. However, if you want to take every possible precaution to avoid security issues, your best bet is to look for a more reputable hosting service.
This is not to say that you need to get the most expensive one you can find. Do some research and look at the features that the hosting company provides. It’s a good idea to pick one that supports SSL and offers some DDoS protection, at the very least.