5 Tips to Improve Your WordPress Site Security in Under an Hour

Your website is your brand’s digital “front door,” welcoming customers and reflecting what you want them to know or feel about your business.

Your site’s quality and ease of use will often determine a customer’s first impression of your services—meaning you don’t want any problems to arise in their experience using it. And you certainly don’t want those problems to end up costing you time and money!

So, let’s talk about how to keep your WordPress site running smoothly and protect it from threats. We’ll cover some possible vulnerabilities and how your marketing team can rectify these quickly and easily, without calling in an IT expert (although it certainly doesn’t hurt to have one on your team). 

Protecting Your WordPress Site from Hackers & Spam

At Asen, WordPress is our preferred Content Management System (CMS). That said, like any tool, it needs to be used well to effectively serve your brand. 

Here are 5 tips straight from our Technologist, Quinton Mosley, to lock down your site from unwanted guests like hackers and spammers. 

1. Limit access to the site to trusted staff and partners

Just like you wouldn’t give the keys to your house to anyone who doesn’t truly need them, limit access to your website to a select group to help prevent security threats. If there are 20 user accounts on your sites or service accounts and over half of them haven’t logged in months or years, for example, it’s worth thinking about an audit and pruning those user accounts.

2. Integrate Google reCAPTCHA or other spam protections into forms

An easy rule to remember is that if your site accepts user input or contact from visitors, it should have spam and security protections. Thankfully, adding Google reCAPTCHA to forms is a quick and easy process on WordPress that can save you many headaches down the road. 

3. Trust third-party services for payments, transactions, or sharing data 

Again, we’re big fans of WordPress around here – as a CMS. However, rather than trusting WordPress to handle other jobs like processing payments and transactions or sharing data, look for well-reviewed third-party services that specialize in those tasks. 

If you’re unsure which services to use, consult with your trusted IT partners. When you work with Asen, we’re happy to recommend which services will best fit your needs.

4. Audit and test software and services before taking the plunge 

Always take the time to properly vet and test new programs before full implementation. While good security practices like this may take a little more time on the front end, you won’t regret it. As Quinton says:

“Partying like a rock star with new software and services can feel amazing, but if you end up being wrong about choosing a software vendor, it can easily waste time, money, and other resources.”

5. Respond promptly to security advisories and take action when needed

Last, don’t ignore the security alerts that come your way. Owning a WordPress site is much easier than it used to be, especially because WordPress has a great security team and security research is constantly uncovering vulnerabilities. 

So, when you see a security advisory, take the time to examine your site and services and take action if there is a clear danger or threat. 

When to Consult an IT Professional

These are simple and essential steps your marketing team can take in under an hour to secure your site, in turn increasing its effectiveness for your customers. However, there are certain tasks and updates that web professionals should handle. If you need help setting up your website or you’re feeling out-of-your-depth, there’s no shame in bringing in help!

When you properly secure your website, you’ve checked off a key factor in helping your brand thrive! As a full-service agency, Asen has the expertise and resources to help protect your online reputation with close oversight and management of your custom-built WordPress site, so you can focus on other aspects of business.  

Want more tips like these? Follow us on social media (@thrivewithasen) for content like this or View our “Pinfolio” on Pinterest to see samples of our latest work and more.