As of 2025, a staggering 43.4% of all websites use WordPress, making it the most widely used website building software in the world. Its popularity is not surprising as it is free, easy to use, and has tens of thousands of plugins to add more features. Whether you’re an individual blogger or working with a professional WordPress web design agency, there are countless websites and resources that help users with every aspect of building, editing, and maintaining their sites. It is also one of the few platforms with web hosting solutions specifically designed for it. Yet, WordPress is also used by cybercriminals. It is a prime target due to the millions of sites, many of which are not adequately secured. Here, we review some of the most important security tips for WordPress websites to ensure that you are not among those who fall victim to hacks.
An SSL Certificate: What is it?
Before delving into WordPress security, it is important to understand the basics of website security in general. Since SSL certificates appear first in your URL, they are the most important component of website security.
For both ends of your website connection, an SSL provides an encryption key. To verify whether a website is SSL certified, a user’s browser will ping through an unsecured line when they first visit it. A signed SSL certificate for a website that allows encrypted data to pass through will be returned if the website is an SSL site. The certificate and encryption key are used by the browser to decode that data and display it to the user.
How to Get an SSL Certificate?
First and foremost, you can purchase and install an SSL certificate on your hosting platform from your domain provider. SSL certificates may also be available as a package or add-on from your hosting platform. While you can use a third-party, it is usually better to get your SSL certificate directly from the provider.
Essential WordPress Security Tips and Practices
Securing your WordPress website is crucial, especially given its widespread use and appeal to hackers. Whether you’re managing the site yourself or working with a web design and development agency, it's essential to start with strong, unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication for all user accounts. Keep your WordPress core, themes, and plugins updated to close off known vulnerabilities. Use only reputable plugins and themes, preferably from the official WordPress repository or trusted developers. Installing a security plugin can help monitor suspicious activity and block malicious login attempts. It’s also wise to set up regular backups and consider using a web application firewall (WAF) for added protection. By following these best practices, you can significantly reduce the risk of your site being compromised.
Security-Focused Hosting
Choosing a hosting company that takes security seriously is the first step in protecting your WordPress website. While security firm Astra reports that 30,000 websites are hacked every day, 43% of which are small businesses, the UK government claims that half of UK businesses have been cyber-attacked in the past 12 months. A reputable web host will take strict precautions to protect its customers from these types of attacks.
Get a Security Plugin
Installing a security plugin can improve the security offered by your web host. Additionally, plugins like Solid Security, Word Fence, and Shield Security come with a firewall that identifies and blocks questionable traffic. These firewalls can be configured to block users or bots from accessing specific IP addresses and locations, as well as anything that repeatedly attempts to log in and can be a brute force hacking tool.
Additionally, these plugins notify you if your IP address has been blacklisted, which can happen on shared hosting accounts if you have unscrupulous neighbors. They also check your website for malware, vulnerabilities, and harmful links.
Password Protect your Directories
Did you know that the file manager on your website allows you to password protect specific directories? This ensures that if someone ever gains access to your control panel, they will need to enter a different password to access your admin and other directories. This can be set up using cPanel’s directory privacy feature or, for more experienced users, by editing your .htaccess file.
Remove Old Plugins
While you may be careful to set up automatic updates for currently active plugins and themes, you sometimes forget to do the same for inactive ones, leaving them exposed. The easiest way to make sure this doesn't happen is to not do it. If you change your mind and want to use them later, you can always reinstall them.
Common Plugins for Best WordPress Security
Plugins Against Malware and Spam
Since you use antivirus software to protect your computer, it makes sense to use a WordPress security plugin to protect your website. If no attackers are found or are found too late, website traffic can drop significantly. When search engines like Google identify a website that is infected, they warn the user and block the site from appearing again.
The entire installation is scanned for viruses and malware by the anti-malware security plugin. The plugin helps the user in eliminating any malware remnants in the following step. Similarly, the antivirus plugin enhances the security of WordPress by providing spam and malware protection. Antivirus software finds security flaws and protects against potential attempts to exploit them. Bad Behavior is another helpful plugin that blocks link spam in guestbooks or comments by stopping spam bots before they can do anything.
Plugins for Maximum Login Security
It is common to underestimate the importance of having a strong password. In addition to using the additional security that plugins provide, users should always consult the WordPress password security guidelines. A helpful defense against hacking attacks, also known as brute force attacks, is the Limit Login Attempts plugin. Here, hackers try to decipher the user’s login information by fusing the username with known passwords. If they succeed, they can change the source code without permission or leak data. Thousands of credentials are typed into the system every minute during a hacking attempt. If you configure the Limit Login Attempts plugin to disable after four failed attempts, the hacker will have fewer login attempts.
Plugins as an All-in-one Solution for WordPress Security
In the form of WordPress security plugins, so-called all-in-one solutions integrate several security measures. With just one simple plugin, the goal is to make WordPress as secure as possible by preventing security breaches and removing any existing instances. These all-in-one plugins, such as iThemes Security, have the advantage of being suitable for users with varying levels of experience. These key features, such as the Acunetix WP Security plugin, can be deployed by less experienced users with just a little basic understanding. The plugin scans for any potential security flaws on the website. The user not only recognizes the problem but also learns what steps to take and what resources are needed to fix it.
Common Issues with WordPress Website Security
Humans vs. Bots
Determining whether a request is coming from a user or a bot is a problem that often comes up with WordPress website security. It can determine whether an access attempt is malicious or legitimate. One of the most frequent but important issues is distinguishing between the two.
To get your website to show up in search engine results pages, you still want the bots used by search engines to be able to access and read it, so you don’t want to block them all. But you also want to prevent malicious bots from flooding your site with traffic or adding code. Analyzing access attempts and finding solutions that don’t interfere with search engines or your real users is the biggest issue here.
Plugins
Knowing what is and isn’t a good plugin is another recurring issue. Checking user reviews is an easy way to determine this. A solid plugin that is likely safe is one that has thousands of downloads, five-star reviews, and is updated frequently. Conversely, a low rating or popularity may indicate a higher likelihood of malicious code, backdoors, or other issues.
You can check your plugins using additional systems in addition to user verification. Before using them in production or development settings, you can, for example, install them on an air-gapped dummy site and run them with security tools like WordFence or run a malware scan to find any malicious content in the plugin.
Conclusion
WordPress is one of the best website building software available in terms of price, usability, and the wide range of features you can add to your website. However, you should implement security measures and inspect them periodically as you are a common target for hackers. Hopefully, the advice given here will help you protect and maintain your website.