Website security is becoming more and more important as bigger transactions are happening online. Here are some steps you can take to ensure you AND your customers are protected.
1.) Make sure your hosting company is secure. Many hosting companies regard security as something that is needed, but not a focal point. We here at HostArmor™ care so much about security that we added it to our name. Also included with all shared plans is DDoS protection that is unavailable with nearly all other hosting companies. We include basic DDoS protection with our dedicated servers too with the option to upgrade.
2.) Make sure your passwords are secure. Yes, you hear it all the time, but is your password something easy to guess? "iloveyou", "password1", and "123456" are amoung the most insecure you can have. Use our free password generator tool at hostarmor.com/password to create a good strong one, and then store it in a safe place.
3.) Use an SSL certificate. Any time you make a purchase on big companies like Amazon or PayPal, you'll notice the browser changes you to an HTTPS connection instead of just HTTP. They do this to ensure that all the information you enter (credit card number, address, etc.) is encrypted before being sent back and forth. If you have an e-commerce site, this is a must or many customers won't trust you to keep their information secure. We have a good selection of some quick SSL certificates with a $10,000 warranty at https://hostarmor.com/clients/cart.php?gid=5 (Notice the HTTPS in our link?)
4.) Keep WordPress up-to-date. WordPress powers nearly 20% of the Internet. That means 1 out of every 5 sites you visit is using WordPress in some way. But that also means that there are millions of dollars to be gained if exploits are found in the software. Be sure to always keep it updated to the latest version. Or, if you would rather leave it to the pros, we have a managed WP solution called ArmorPress™ at hostarmor.com/armorpress.html
5.) Keep your plugins up-to-date. Going along with keeping WordPress updated, make sure your plugins are always on the latest version. Sometimes plugin developers miss things when they are making the plugin and then fix it later on, if you don't update to the new version you may still be vunerable. Another good thing is to limit the number of plugins you have; if you don't need it, disable it or uninstall it.
Bonus Tip: Try to only install themes or templates from a trusted source. If possible, use a paid theme/template. Often free themes and templates can contain backlinks to other sites, insecure code, or poor maintance. Use wordpress.org/themes/ as your first source for stylish themes!
