10 Tips for Website Security

When creating a website, one of the most important things to consider is how to make it safe and secure, for both you and your site visitors. But how exactly do you do that? Here, we’ve listed our top 10 tips:

1. Ensure your website uses SSL

Ever noticed that little padlock in the website toolbar? We hope you have, as it’s a sure sign to know that you are using a website with an SSL (Secure sockets layer) certificate. An SSL certificate ensures that any data that goes between a user and a web server is encrypted and so without this, your site visitors are at a higher risk of having their data stolen. It’s a bit like having a website security guard. If you want to know more about this you can check out our blog on website security here**insert link.

2. Have a secure password

You wouldn’t leave the house without locking it up would you? Well then, think of your password as your digital key. We use these digital keys to keep our social media accounts, emails, banking (and so much more) secure and locked, which is why it’s so important to have a secure password. Try to avoid using your pet’s name or “password123”. Instead use a password that contains uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.

3. Be careful when clicking links in emails

These days we get inundated with emails from people we don’t know. You simply forget to untick the “send me marketing emails” box and next thing you know you have 17,341 unread emails in your inbox, right? This also means it’s easier to be scammed. Companies frequently send discount codes, or links to online sales, but if you have an email from your long lost Nigerian cousin saying he’s left you 15 million pounds, it’s probably a scam(sadly). Stop and think before clicking on any links in an email. A lot of the time it will be a phishing email that can fool you into giving out your personal information, or it may even contain a virus that can harm your devices. 

4. Have a backup website

We all know the importance of having a plan B, and no we’re not talking about face masks, vaccine passports or anything to do with a new covid variant. What we do mean is that if there is a problem with your website, you need to ensure that you have a backup website that can be used. This will cause minimal disruption to your business and ensure that your website is safe and secure.

5. Have a malware and virus checker on your website

This will minimise the risk of your website being infected with malicious malware or viruses that could compromise the security of your website.

6. Know who has access to your website

Be careful who you grant access to your site. Check that they are people you can trust, and ensure they are security conscious too. Always know who these people are-keep a list and update it regularly to ensure your website doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

7. Use trusted plugins on your website

You’ve probably heard the word plugin thrown around, but what is it? A plugin is a tool (or piece of software) that allows you to expand what you can do on your website. For example, if you want to sell products on your website you will need a plugin to do that. Therefore, it is so, so important to use trusted and reputable plugins.

8. Host on a secure server

Have you ever clicked on a website only to be brought to a page that says “your connection to this site is not secure?” This page means that the website isn’t using HTTPS. HTTPS stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure and ensures that all information going through the website gets automatically encrypted. Choosing a secure server is necessary to enable HTTPS on your website. 

9. Don't give out your password

Need we say anymore???

10. Finally..use SMK!