One of the glorious things about WordPress is that even a web dev beginner can put together a nice and functional website out of the box. With the right template, plugins, and a little personalization you can build and manage a small website without hiring a single outside professional. Even better, if your website grows or you want something special, you can also easily hire a web developer who specialized in WordPress and can build you the website of your dreams with the same toolkit. But when it comes to security, many site developers decide to work with a WordPress security expert.
Nearly a third of all websites on the internet are running from WordPress. This means security is vital to keep hackers who are familiar with the platform at bay. And fine-tuning your WordPress security is more technical work than most DIY website owners are ready to tackle. You can get started with good security practices on your own. But here are six of the most common reasons why site owners choose to also work with a WP security expert. They do this to secure their site and the sensitive data stored inside.
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1) Your Small Site is Growing in Popularity
Many WordPress website owners start small. A new brand-building awareness, or even a personal blog meant to be your private journal. But over time, your customers, fans, and community grows. The number of people who read your pages or buy your products increases and with great popularity comes greater responsibility. Hackers take an interest in sites with a rising amount of traffic. They assume –often rightly– that site owners have not yet upgraded their defenses to meet their new internet prowess.
If your little WordPress site has been growing in popularity and success lately, then it’s time to beef up your WP security measures as well. A security expert can help you do that exactly right, scaling up or replacing the security you already have. This also ensures you are safe from WP hacker’s latest tricks.
2) You’re Building a New Site to be 100% Secure
Of course, new websites also have a very good reason to consult with a WordPress security expert. Why wait to become hacker bait when you can promise your users and customers absolute data security from the beginning? A brand can build a stronger name by having an unhackable website and customer accounts that are cleverly secure without irritatingly asking for a password every five minutes.
By working with a WordPress security expert, you can build your new site’s security on a rock-solid foundation. This includes all the latest plugins and methods that will upgrade and scale easily over time. This is a fantastic way to start your new WordPress website on the right foot and assure each and every customer that their data is as secure as it possibly can be from day one.
3) You’re Adding Accounts or Payments to Your WordPress Site
Then there are sites that have all-new reasons to be concerned with security. Many websites grow from a few basic pages to extensive customer portals over time. And when that happens, security goes from negligible to paramount. The moment you allow customers to create accounts, you must have top-notch security to defend their names, emails, passwords, security questions, and more. Even basic account information — f hacked — can be used in further identity theft against your users and customers.
Payments go above and beyond, adding a whole new world of security requirements. Not only does an e-commerce store or payment portal put your customer’s card numbers on the line, but you will also need to meet PCI compliance requirements to process most credit card brands. A WordPress security expert can help you meet these requirements. This will also keep customer data safe as you add more features and functionalities to your website.
4) Website Security is Not Your Strong Suit: Hire a Wordpress Security Expert
DIY WordPress administration is one of the most affordable and effective ways for any business or brand to run their own website. A single web developer with some skill and creativity an put together and maintain a pretty fantastic website that serves all your online purposes. But there’s a difference between someone who can design a beautiful website and someone who can provide top of the line security. Web dev is such a diverse set of skills that security experts are often completely different from development professionals.
If you or your on-site web developer is not an expert at website security measures, that’s actually quite normal. In fact, it’s why WordPress security specialists exist in the first place. Many brands hire a web security expert to add the final touches in securing data from malicious hacking attacks. They also consult with security experts on all upgrades and expansions for exactly this reason.
5) Your Website Has Been Hacked in the Past
Nothing makes a website owner more savvy to security needs than getting hacked. Whether you had data stolen, malware crashed your server, or a customer’s account was compromised; getting hacked is always an upsetting and eye-opening experience. Many websites only realize that their security was less than sufficient after a hacker has left their mark in one way or another.
If you have recently been hacked, now is the perfect time to consult with a WordPress security expert. The expert will be able to tell you what your website’s current security risks are, then help you build a rock-solid defense from firewalls to encryption to user passwords to ensure that attacking your site is too much trouble for any hacker to undertake.
6) You Recently Became Aware of Security Weaknesses in Your Website
Finally, you may have recently become aware that there are security weaknesses in your current WordPress website. You may have a friend or colleague with a similar site who was recently hacked. You may have read about a wave of targeted WordPress hacks on sites that are built in a way similar to yours. Or you may simply have realized that you haven’t put as much thought into website security as you ought to.
When this happens, the right answer is to consult with a security expert. They can give you a real perspective on your current gaps in security and how to mend them. Hackers like to target WordPress precisely because one security mistake is likely to be made by thousands of similar WP site owners. But your site doesn’t have to fall into the lemming trap. With a personalized security consultation, you can fine-tune your site’s security to close any security weaknesses you may currently be worried about or unaware of.
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WordPress security is no small matter. With millions of WP sites on the internet, hackers are making a habit of targeting unaware WP site owners. By working with a WordPress security expert for one of the previous six reasons or for reasons of your own, you can ensure that your site is in top condition to resist, repel, and even catch hackers who try to take advantage of your website. For more information about WordPress security and how to improve your own site’s defenses, contact us today!
