Securing your WordPress site isn’t a one-and-done deal. No matter how much you trust your security plugin or how thorough you were with website hardening, a safe website today does not make for a safe website tomorrow. To keep hackers at bay, you have to regularly conduct WordPress security audits and fill in the safety holes you find.
Website hacking tactics are always progressing, and with them so are preventative measures to keep your site safe. Think of it as a cycle. The safer a website is, the more creative hackers have to be to get into it, which means your website has to get even safer, and so on.
Aim to conduct a WordPress security audit every three months at least. Every month is better, and every week (or even daily, depending on how sensitive your site is) is best. And of course, if you feel that there’s something wrong with your site, then conduct a security audit immediately. Any of the following should raise a red flag:
- Your website is slow and sluggish all of a sudden.
- There’s a big drop in website traffic for no apparent reason.
- There are new accounts, login attempts or “forgot password” requests.
- New links that you didn’t add are on your site.
The following steps are must-dos to keep your site in tip-top shape, safety-wise. With a checklist on hand, you’ll make your audits streamlined instead of overwhelming.
