The Importance of Website Security in 2020

Your Website Is An Investment, Why Wouldn’t You Secure It?

The fact of the matter is, the moment a customer does not feel secure on your website, you’ve lost them forever.

There are over 1.5 billion websites today. Without search engines, it would be impossible to directly find websites without knowing the exact URL address. This is why people heavily rely on search engines to find what they need online. If you’re not ranking high on search engines, your website investment isn’t paying off.

When you think of website security, you can think of it as an insurance plan for your investment. You have car insurance right? House insurance? Same thing!

The majority of hacked websites are legitimate small businesses, unknowingly distributing malicious code. When your site is hacked, you’re added to different blacklists. This is preventing customers from reaching your website and being warned that visiting your site can be dangerous.

What Are The Signs I’ve Been Hacked or Infected?

First of all, once you actually realize you’ve been hacked/infected, it’s already too late. Whoever has gained access to your site has already done the damage they came to do. At this point, it’s damage control and preventing any further damage from occurring.

Common practices we see on Wordpress sites are SQL Injections and Pharma Hacks, the latter being very damaging to your reputation. Pharma hacks target your SEO, meaning when someone searches for you they could be directed to Viagra sites instead. This is a form of black-hat SEO and can be extremely difficult to repair - sometimes it can be beyond repair.

If you are unable to access your website or perhaps your website is being redirected somewhere else, you’ve been hacked. It’s important to have a professional investigate and resolve the issue. Otherwise, you could end up making it much worse.

Can I implement website security myself?

Yes, and, no. The first thing to determine when setting up website security is the platform your website is hosted/created on. Depending on the platform, there’s a variety of different ways to implement website security.

If you have a WordPress site, you’re at an advantage. There are many plugins in the WordPress repository that can provide your website with basic security against hackers and attacks. However, free security plugins only give you so much. There are crucial steps to take first to ensure your website is safe and secure.

● Use HTTPS Protocols

As we mentioned earlier, having a secure website with a valid SSL certificate is crucial. It will help in preventing attacks to your website and provide you with the credibility you need.

● Frequent Software Updates

Software is constantly updating. Updates can happen due to bugs found once in production and also to fix security issues. Once a hacker has found a vulnerability in software, they can begin to compromise the users of said software. This is why it’s crucial to be on top of all your software updates to prevent attacks.

● Password Management

This may seem like a no-brainer, but trust me, it’s not! Ensuring your utilizing secure passwords on all platforms is crucial to your cyber security. Don’t use the same password for everything and make sure it’s complicated.

● Back It Up

In the event your website has been hacked and there’s no immediate way to fix the issue, a website backup can be the key to saving everything. Make sure your taking constant backups of your website in the event something goes wrong. You can use these backups to restore your website to a previous state.

● Audit Your Users

Ensuring you are aware of who has access to your website at all times is crucial towards stopping attacks. Website security is completely dependent on your access being secure. Analyze your current user list and determine if there are any users who still have access and shouldn’t. Immediately delete their profiles to further secure your site.

You have no website security and now your site is hacked.

If your site gets hacked and you have no website security, the cost can be crippling to get it fixed. Depending on the issue, it can cost you anywhere from $400-$1200, which can be crippling to a small business. Having website security ensures that you are protected from hackers and attacks. Keep in mind, you can still be hacked and attacked while having adequate website security. However, the chances of it happening are much less and when it does happen, the cleanup is much easier.

At the Brand Scrubbers, we believe you shouldn’t have to go bankrupt to fix your website. That’s why we offer low-cost maintenance and security options starting at $100/Month. If you’re worried about your website security, reach out to us for a complete audit of your website security with recommendations!