Your website is the digital headquarters of your company.  It stores all kinds of information regarding you, your business and your customers.  Web security has been a hot button topic recently, as hacking and data misuse have become commonplace.  If your website is designed to collect customer data such as personal info or credit card numbers, your site could be a target for attack.  

Protecting your data from hackers is essential to maintaining the integrity of your website and your business.  Here are four steps you can take to safeguard your website today:

1. Passwords:

This step may sound rudimentary- but you’d be surprised how many business owners use weak passwords for their website log-ins.  Hackers commonly use sophisticated software to crack passcodes.  The best defense against this form of hacking is creating a complex password for your website log-in.  Passwords should be at least 10 characters in length.  Use passwords that contain uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters.  Don’t include personal or easily identifiable info in your password, such as the name of your business.  Enforce this policy company-wide. everyone who has admin access on your website should have a unique, complex password that follows these rules.

2. SSL Encryption:

SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Encryption is one of the strongest defenses against hackers looking to steal your customers’ information.  SSL allows sensitive data like credit card info to be transmitted securely through an encryption process.  The encryption makes data gibberish to potential hackers, thus protecting customer data.  You may have noticed that some websites use ‘https’ vs ‘http’.  The ’s’ shows savvy consumers that your site is using a secure SSL encryption process so it’s safe for them to disclose sensitive data on your site.  This part can be a little confusing, so ask your web developer for assistance in setting this up!

3. Clean up Your Site:

Keep your site clean with routine maintenance.  A little effort goes a long way.  Go through and update your plug-ins, scripts and third party platforms so they are all running the most recent versions.  Hackers frequently target holes in software codes but developer updates are often designed to patch these holes before they become a major problem. Every plug-in and app installed on your site is another potential entrance point for hackers, so clean up your site by deleting any superfluous applications that are no longer in use.  As the last portion of your clean up, perform a routine scan for any vulnerabilities.  There are plenty of free tools out there that can perform quick scans and inform you of any issues.  By doing your due diligence, you can make a big impact on the security of your site.     

4. Choose the Right Web Host:

Choosing the right company to host your website can make a big difference.  Many of the larger, reputable web hosts have teams dedicated to identifying potential threats and promoting web security for their clients.  Your web hosting company should backup all your data to a remote server so that it’s always available and able to be restored in the event of a breach.  You should also choose a host that has a solid support staff at your disposal.  In the battle against hackers, its best to have a strong partner in your corner. 

Stay ahead of the game when it comes to avoiding hacker-related headaches.  Follow these 4 steps and you’ll be well on your way to securing your website from future threats.

Do you need a reliable partner to monitor the security of your website?  If so – we’ve got your back.