10 Ways to Secure Your Website from Hackers

Running a website is not only about selling stuff or creating valuable content, but there’s also a lot of things to consider when you have one, and it includes how to secure your website. Security is a vital aspect of a website; without it, there could be a lot of issues to face. Therefore, if you have a website or an e-commerce shop, don’t take security for granted. It protects you, your customers, and your entire business.

If you stumble upon this article, you are probably thinking of how you can secure your website, and you are in the right place.

Websites that aren’t secured are often less visited. 84% of people would not purchase anything on an unsecured website. Even though you have a friendly interface both on desktop and mobile devices, people will find it difficult to trust an unsecured website. A trusted website gets more and even better sales.

If you are ready to get the traffic or sales you want, here are simple steps you can follow to secure your website.

10 Steps to Secure Your Website

Install an SSL or Use HTTPS

Gone are the days that only e-commerce/ online shops are required to have a secured website due to payment and other transactions. Now, all websites are obliged to make sure that it’s secured. Installing an SSL or HTTPS on your website will decrease the bounce rate.

What is an SSL certificate?

SSL certificate is to secure all the information that’s being transferred. All data, such as credit card numbers, personal data, and contact information are protected. The data is only transferred between your website and the server.

People will know if your website is secure. The browser bar will show a lock symbol and the HTTPS (see photo above).

Your website and brand will be trusted when you invest in an SSL certificate. SSLs are affordable and can take your business to the next level. It can bring you a long way when you encrypt your website. Make your website more secure and trustworthy for your visitors or potential customers.

Update All Software or Plugins

Every website has software or plugins because it brings benefits to the website. However, they pose risks. It is known that outdated software is the leading cause of website infection. Since most of the plugins or tools created for websites are open-source programs, the codes are accessible. Anyone can easily have access to it, even hackers.

That’s why it’s vital to update all your installed software or plugins.

Use a Secure Password

Passwords may be the last thing you may think of when protecting your website, but this is the first thing that hackers will try to get into your website. That’s why it requires great attention.

You need to lend a bit of time when creating your password. It shouldn’t be as simple as 12345678 or QWERTY. These are common passwords that hackers already know.

When creating a password here are a few things you need to consider:

• Create a long password. You can combine three random and unrelated words.
• Another way is to combine different characters.
• Never reuse a password.
• Avoid using personal information when creating a password.
• Use numbers and special symbols.

You can educate your employees to create strong passwords for their accounts, not to share them with anyone, and to make sure that they change their passwords every 30, 60, or 90 days. You can also set a rule for your customers when they create their accounts. So they can make a strong password too.

Protect Your Devices with an Antivirus/ Anti-malware Software

Sometimes we visit unsafe websites or might download software accidentally that is injected with malware. These threats, once it has gained access to your device, can steal your vital information. They can access your website and steal more details you have stored.

That’s why installing antivirus or anti-malware software can protect your data. You can purchase security software, like Bitdefender, that can secure multiple devices, to also include your employees. You can even purchase endpoint protection software.

Back up Regularly

Even though you have performed steps mentioned here, there are times when your data can be completely encrypted. If this happens, it would take the time or even resources to retrieve the data. The worst case is when you won’t be able to retrieve it at all.

Therefore, make it a habit to back up your files regularly. You can perform it every day or once a week. If you think you might forget to back up your files, then you can automate the process.

There is a lot of cloud or online storage you can avail of to back up your files. Don’t hesitate to use one because it will save you from trouble.

Secure Comment Section

It’s great to get comments from your readers or visitors. In this way, you’ll know that there are visitors on your website or you are gaining traffic. But sometimes some comments are not what you want to receive, like comments from bots, fake accounts, trolls, and spammy links. Most of these links on your comment section may contain malware, and your visitors might accidentally click on it.

You can avoid this by manually accepting comments. In this way, all spammy comments can be deleted immediately. You can also use a plugin or anti-spam software to remove spam comments, request registering on the website before posting a comment, or turn off comments from previous months.

Keeping your website’s comment section safe can benefit both you, your visitors, and your website.

Getting a Secure Host

Your hosting company should have a reputable and secure feature to keep your website safe. They should cater to your website’s safety by securing your site from threats, provide a backup feature to store your data and retrieve it, and has technical support 24/7.

Scan Your Website

Performing website scanning can help determine if there are threats or vulnerabilities on your site. You should schedule a time when to scan your website. You can opt for free online scanners, but it will only give you a brief review. Paid website scanners like BeyondTrust, Intruder, and more can detect flaws or scan your website thoroughly. An in-depth review and search on your website are crucial to keep it from threats and patch vulnerabilities as early as possible.

Install Security Plugins

Earlier, we mentioned securing your device with the best apps or software to protect it, and whenever you log in. This, in return, will prevent hackers from spying on your website’s login credentials and entering your site. This time, you need to add a security program inside your website too.

The use of security plugins will add a layer of protection, prevent the infiltration of hackers, look for malware and viruses, and security loopholes that are vulnerable to threats.

There are different plugins available on the market, depending on where you run your website.

Use Content Security Policy (CSP)

Hackers can sometimes try to sneak in malicious JavaScript code on your website. These codes can affect any visitor of yours when they land on a page that has a piece of malicious code. However, there is a way to avoid this problem.

When coding your website, make sure not to leave any room for hackers to slip in some code. You can also use a tool that protects your site from XSS or cross-site scripting.

Content Security Policy or CSP is a tool that will detect domains that are valid sources of scripts. Furthermore, when it detects malicious code, it will ignore the malware from the infected domain. Therefore, preventing it to insert into your website’s code.

Conclusion

Website security is as important as protecting the data from your devices. There is a lot of personal information on your website, and your customers or potential customers are at risk when you take security on your website for granted. Therefore, securing it by following the recommended tips or ways can help a lot.

Hackers don’t carefully choose their victims. Instead, they target sites that have vulnerabilities. Don’t allow them to get what they want. Start protecting your site to protect you, your customers/ visitors, and your brand.