Website Lockdown: Creating and Maintaining a Secure Website

When building or maintaining a business website, website security is your top priority. A not secure website can cause major problems in the long run. Similar to how any business has physical security in place, like locks and cameras, a website should always have security measures to protect users from unwanted attention or intrusive actions. Many small business owners offload their website needs to others while they focus on their services and offerings, but it’s a good idea to have an understanding of the different ways you can enhance your website’s security without making it a complicated, extensive process. 

Updating to Ensure Website Security

Every website runs off of some form of software, either on a content management system like Wordpress or in some cases, on custom-made formats. Like any software, there are constant updates made to ensure user safety against the latest threats and elimination of bugs or other issues that lead to vulnerabilities. Updates are intended to correct problems and security flaws in your website that would open you up to invasion by hackers or cyberattacks. Run updates as soon as they release to keep your site updated and shielded against these threats. 

Utilize Web Application Firewall

A web application firewall (WAF) is a type of firewall designed to monitor the traffic that is transmitted to your website server. Whether this be network, host, or cloud-based, it scans to detect malicious traffic before swiftly cutting it off and preventing access to your site. WAFs are effective in blocking attempted hacks while also filtering out malicious traffic like spam, bots, and other malware. If you are having a particularly difficult time managing bots and aren’t sure how to address them, try using or updating the WAF to block them out.

Assess Vulnerabilities with a Website Scanner

Always scan your site for vulnerabilities. A website scanner is a tool that analyzes your website files for malware and vulnerabilities. The most comprehensive options review websites for malware, spam, and network vulnerabilities. Some of the most common problems that a scanner can find are cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection (SQLi) attacks, which often target website logins or contact forms to steal information either as it’s entered or in the database. People come to you for your services, but they also expect those services to be secure. Scan your site regularly to address issues before they impact you or your customers. 

Always Secure Your Passwords

Strong passwords keep hackers and cybercriminals out of your business information. No, using a password like 123456 or password1 isn’t strong or secure. A secure password is one that is hard to guess, so it shouldn’t be something like your date of birth or where you live as those are both something that anyone could find out. It should have a minimum of either characters, though longer passwords are better. It should also be composed of letters, numbers, and symbols, with the more randomization the better. 

Two-factor authentication (2FA) strengthens website security further by requiring an extra step in the password process, such as asking for a verification number through the user’s phone. This extra layer of protection makes it even harder for hackers to access your information as they would need to either brute force their way through your system, which is no easy feat, or find a way to access one of your devices to find those security numbers. 2FA is a great way to prevent brute force attacks and phishing attempts, giving you greater security and your customers peace of mind. 

Creating and remembering passwords can be a hassle, especially when your passwords should all be different so losing one doesn’t compromise everything. Consider using a high-quality password manager like Google's integrated password generator or something like Keeper, which stores all of your passwords in a secure location and allows you to change them on the fly with further encryption to boot. 

Keep Your Security Plugins Updated

Website owners should always install security plugins to assist in monitoring their security and protect their website from hacking attempts. These plugins work by monitoring and addressing security vulnerabilities and preventing hackers from using them to their advantage. Once these add-ons are installed, it’s up to you to keep them updated. They often have frequent updates to address the latest security vulnerabilities or vulnerabilities discovered in earlier versions. Even if they are only addressing a simple bugfix, you should always update your plugins to their latest version. 

GROW Puts an End to Not Secure Websites

Website security is a tenant of Google’s EEAT guidelines, which GROW adheres to as closely as possible. All of our websites are built and maintained on WIX, providing you with the latest in security and SEO. Our job is not only to help market your business, but to keep your website secure at all times. When it comes to new website builds or refreshing your existing website, we got you! If you’re looking to update or begin a new website for your business, GROW Marketing Agency is here to help.