7 Reasons Why Website Owners Need a WordPress Security Expert

WordPress Security Expert

As of March of 2022, 43.2% of all websites are running on WordPress.  What led to the explosion of this platform?  The answer is quite simple; WordPress can be installed and deployed by someone who is relatively new to web development profession.  With a small amount of reading and research, you can select a template, install the template, build / customize your website, and publish it without the assistance of a professional web design firm.  Perhaps in the future, the website you built starts to grow and you decide to hire a web developer who can create an incredible website that you initially envisioned, but didn’t have the skills to create.  An extremely vital element that should not be overlooked during that phase is to hire a WordPress Security Expert.

What does that mean in terms of WordPress security?  With the massive adoption of the WordPress platform, hackers are inherently incentivized to learn how to exploit any weaknesses that exist within WordPress websites, especially websites that don’t have any elements of cybersecurity deployed.  If you happen to fall into this category (you have a website, but haven’t hired anyone to handle the security), then you are at risk.  Most DIY webmasters will quickly find that the technical aspects of proper WordPress Security are a bit more than they have the time or the desire to dive into, but in the absence of an security expert, these seven topics will help you understand more about what needs to be done to keep the hackers out of your website.


Table of Contents

  1. Your Website Traffic Is Increasing
  2. You Want Your New (or old) Website to be 100% Secure
  3. You are adding Personal Accounts and/or Payments to your WordPress Site
  4. You want a Secure Website, but WordPress Security isn’t your Forte
  5. Your WordPress Website has been Compromised (Hacked)
  6. You are Aware of Potential Security Weaknesses on Your Website
  7. The Ultimate Solution: Hire a WordPress Security Expert

1. Your Website Traffic Is Increasing

Every new WordPress website, especially one with a new domain name, starts out completely unknown.  With the proper application of SEO techniques, your new website start to gain more traffic which means your brand awareness, customers, sales, and/or community will all start to increase.  This is an exciting time for any website owner, but there is a point where your website traffic will increase to a level that starts to gain the interest of more than just your customers; you will also draw attention from hackers who want to destroy what you have built.  DIY WordPress website owners who haven’t implemented any cybersecurity tools to mitigate the threat of the attacks of hackers are at high risk for the complete loss of their website.  Here is a basic checklist of items that you need to have in place on your website to help mitigate this potential disaster:

  1. Keep your WordPress plugins updated
  2. Keep your passwords updated
  3. Deploy strong password rules and user permission security
  4. Host your website on a secure WordPress hosting provider
  5. Backup your website on a regular basis in an offline location
  6. Install a tried and true security application
  7. Install a WordPress firewall
  8. Keep your SSL certificate up to date (for HTTPS)
  9. Do not the name “Admin” for any account
  10. Limit the number of login attempts before a user is locked out
  11. Setup and enforce multi-factor authentication for all users
  12. Deploy automatic malware scanning software

This list of items might seem a bit overwhelming, but a Security Expert can handle these tasks (and more) to ensure that your website is safe and secure.  Don’t wait until your site has been compromised; mitigate the threat before it happens.

 

2. You Want Your New (or old) Website to be 100% Secure

Securing your website isn’t something that most WordPress users think about, but it is a very important step in ensuring that your website has the latest cybersecurity practices deployed to mitigate any potential security breaches.  Failure to act upon this information is exposing your website to hackers who will not only ruin your website, but also potentially gain access to your user’s account data.  There isn’t a month that goes by that you don’t read about hackers gaining access to user account data.  You’ll notice that these news reports are never about small businesses; they are always large successful ones.  The majority of these events could be avoided if the proper measures were taken to keep everything secure, but the common thread that runs through events of this type is the blatant lack of anyone being specifically responsible for the cybersecurity that would have mitigated the disaster.  After spending countless hours building your customer base and increasing your brand awareness, the last thing you want to do is to have your customer’s personal account data compromised.

This situation is avoidable…

An individual with the right skillset can lock down your website with a multi-faceted approach that covers all of the potential areas of risk.  If you are a new WordPress website owner or perhaps you’ve had one for a long time, you need to take the necessary steps to ensure that your website is safe and secure.

 

3. You are adding Personal Accounts and/or Payments to your WordPress Site

The risk (and complete disaster) of an unsecured website exposing personal user account data is exponentially compounded when you start processing and storing highly sensitive payment information.  Don’t take the risk of deploying a website that houses sensitive data of this type without hiring a professional to mitigate cybersecurity threats.  You want each and every part of your website secured to avoid another compounding issue that is the target of hackers seeking user account data:  Identity Theft

It doesn’t take much imagination to realize the implications of not only having your user account data exposed, but that same data being utilized to steal the identities of your customers.

 

4. You Want a Secure Website, but WordPress Security Isn’t Your Forte

The majority of WordPress websites on the WWW don’t have any cybersecurity mitigation in place to keep hackers out.  This is because the majority of DIY WordPress administrators (even some who are professionals…) don’t know how to deploy and configure the necessary security perimeter to keep their website safe.  There is a stark contrast between your average WordPress developer and a developer who focuses on WordPress Security.  The developer has the creative genius to put together amazingly beautiful websites that are visually stunning, fast, mobile/tablet friendly, etc.  The WP Security Expert has the ability to keep all of that amazing beauty and creativity safe from those who desire to ruin it all.

The division or separation of skill sets is VERY common.  Just like cybersecurity in the Information Technology realm (Windows anyone?) is a specialized area, WordPress cybersecurity is also a specialized area of being a webmaster.  Large businesses that run successful website hire security experts to ensure that their critical digital assets are safe.  This service is something that every WordPress website owner needs to engage in to some degree.  Skyfall Digital Media can consult with you to gain a clear understanding of your needs.  We will then tailor a customized solution that meets your specific needs.

 

5. Your WordPress Website has been Compromised (Hacked)

There is nothing more heart-wrenching than attempting to open your website only to find that it has been hacked.  If you have (or are currently) experiencing this, you will most-likely need professional help to restore your website.  Once your website has been compromised, the likelihood of you and your customer’s user data being exposed is highly likely.  As with many things in life, you may have not known about the potential security risks that existed before suffering through this terrible event.

The time to act is now…

If you are a victim of a WordPress hack, there is no time like now to reach out to a professional who will be able to consult with you and clearly define a path forward to restore your website and to protect it from future attacks.  This is also an important step for anyone who owns a WordPress website.

 

6. You are Aware of Potential Security Weaknesses on Your Website

If you’ve read this far (and perhaps other articles), you’re well aware that WordPress security vulnerabilities exist.  You are now also aware that these vulnerabilities can be overcome.  Perhaps you have been aware of the potential cybersecurity risks that exist within WordPress (or any website for that matter), but you had no idea how in-depth the mitigation process is?  Whatever the case may be, Skyfall Digital Media is prepared to lock down your website and ensure that your business doesn’t make the evening news after your website gets compromised.

Awareness is the first step towards a safe and secure WordPress website.  The next step is to hire a security expert who will assess your website and offer effective solutions that will mitigate potential disaster.  Perhaps you already have security measures in place and feel pretty sure that your website is safe and secure, but are you sure that it is?  A WordPress Security Expert can certainly ascertain whether or not your website is safe and secure.

 

7. The Ultimate Solution: Hire a WordPress Security Expert

After consuming all of this WordPress cybersecurity mitigation information, you’ve reached a fork in the road and you are now faced with making a decision.  Are you going to go at it alone and ‘hope’ that your WordPress security is everything that it should be?  Or…are you going to hire a professional who has taken an extremely deep dive into this specialized area?  WordPress security is easy to overlook, but the price for failing to address it could destroy your online presence which, for many, is the center of their business model.  Don’t take risks; act in accordance with what you know is right: hire a WordPress Security Expert today.


For more information about Skyfall Digital Media’s WordPress Security Services, Contact Us today!

 

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