How to Improve Your WordPress Website's Security?

Almost every person directly or indirectly associated with the web industry is aware of the popularity of WordPress as a blogging platform and a CMS. In fact, some of the most popular websites are powered by WordPress. However, because of the immense popularity of WordPress it becomes the target of hackers' attacks.

So, if you don't want to be deterred by the security risks that you might have to face while running a WordPress site, it is recommended to go through the below mentioned tips that will help you to get rid of WordPress security risks:

1. Choose a Secure Web Hosting Provider: 

All the web hosting service providers are not the same, in fact, they may not provide required protection from attacks by hackers. Thus, when opting for any hosting provider during the preliminary registration process you will have a chance to know who will be administering your site. Besides this, try to find out whether your web host use a reliable clustered firewall; do they backup their customer's site? and so on.

2. Update Everything in Your Website: 

Since WP powered sites are susceptible to vulnerabilities, new updates are released to fix any patches that users might have stumbled across when using a WordPress site. Most importantly, make sure to update all your site's plugins and themes. If you can't identify how to keep your site up-to-date, it is advisable to employ WordPress web development services offering website upkeep and maintenance.

3. Use Two-Factor Authentication: 

Another great way to protect your site from security risks is to make use of two-factor authentication, a security process that requires users to provide two means of identification to log into the site. This process can be used for both WordPress(.com) as well as self-hosted sites.

4. Use Strong Passwords: 

Not many site owners pay desired attention to using strong passwords for their site. In fact, according to an online research conducted by info-graphics nearly 8% of WordPress sites are attacked because of using weak passwords. Therefore, make sure to change your password to something that's difficult to crack. Ideally you should use a long password to strengthen your password security.

5. Avoid using “admin” as Username: 

 One of the most common mistakes that site owners make is using “admin” as their site's username. This often results in launching brute-force attacks on a WordPress site. And thus, make sure to create a username that's less obvious.

6. Keep a Back Up of Your Website: 

In your worst case scenario, when your site is somehow hacked despite following good security practices, you can run your site backup and make it up and running in no time. Make sure to keep a backup of your site on regular basis. You can hire WordPress expert to get the job done. But in case, you want to perform the task on your own (i.e. learn how to back up your site), you can refer to WordPress Codex to obtain required resources to get assistance.  

To conclude, if security of your WordPress site has been a concern for you, then abiding by the aforementioned simple tips will certainly help you eliminate some of the potential security risks.