There are few things that can affect your brand as much as dealing with a major security breach. Having to contact your clients to inform them that their information has been compromised will be all it takes for them to decide not to work with you. You may also be open to lawsuits, which is why having a secure website should be a priority and something you always pay attention to. Let’s take a look at a few ways that you can make your business website as secure as possible.
Choose the Right Platform
If this is an eCommerce website, the platform you choose will make a big difference. Sure, you can always use WordPress, but it isn’t the best option if you want to handle transactions and customer information safely. If you want to sell products, then use an eCommerce platform. Also, make sure that it has a solid reputation for security. Magento and Shopify are two of the best in that category, so if you were looking for a safe and stable platform, you should give both of these a try.
Find Safe Web Hosting
If you want to self-host your website, you have to make sure that the host you pick offers good security. Don’t make the mistake of going for the absolute cheapest option. You want to go with a hosting service that can protect their servers from attacks. Also, look for those who offer additional perks like SSL encryption.
Having SSL will ensure that the connection between your customers’ devices and your website is secure. This is essential for transactional sites, but all websites can benefit from using it, as it can protect your site from data theft and make it less vulnerable to viruses.
Have a Clear Privacy Policy
You need to make sure that you handle your customers’ information correctly and that you have a clear privacy policy on your website. You don’t have to pay someone to create one for you, however. There are many privacy policy generators that you can use. Find a great one for your business, and you could have a perfect privacy policy for your website in minutes.
Be Careful with Passwords
You also have to make sure that you use your passwords wisely and that they’re secure. This is especially important to those of you who are using WordPress due to its one-tiered identification system.
Hackers use software that can analyze thousands of different password variations in seconds, so don’t make things easy for them. You want to make sure that your passwords are at least 12 characters long and include one number and a symbol. You can use symbols to mimic letters; for example, you could use @ instead of A or a hashtag instead of an H. Make sure that you change your password for every account and database. You don’t want hackers to be able to access everything with just one cracked password.
Be Careful with Plugins
This is again very important for those who will be using WordPress. Add-ons are one of the most common entryways through which hackers or malicious programs can attack your website. So, before you use a plugin, you have to do your research.
Check what people have had to say about it, as well as the number of downloads and the reviews. You should also pay special attention to when was the last time it was updated. If a site has been neglected for a while, this may be a sign that some vulnerabilities haven’t been patched. And you better believe that someone will take advantage of this if given a chance. So, make sure that your plugins are current and updated often.
As you can see, securing your website doesn’t have to be so complicated after all. Making sure that you host it correctly and take the steps to make sure that your customers’ data is protected are the most important steps, but you have to regularly monitor your website and make adjustments so you can constantly improve its security.
