The Ultimate Guide to WordPress Security and Maintenance Best Practices

When it comes to running a successful website, WordPress is a popular choice for businesses of all sizes. But, with great popularity comes great responsibility. Your WordPress website is more than a digital storefront—it’s a critical part of your brand’s online presence. So, keeping it secure and running smoothly is crucial. Neglecting website maintenance can lead to performance issues, security vulnerabilities, and, worst of all, costly downtime.

Ready to ensure your WordPress site is both secure and performing at its best? Let’s dive into the ultimate guide to WordPress security and maintenance best practices.

1. Regular Updates: The First Line of Defence

WordPress is a dynamic platform that regularly releases updates to improve security, functionality, and performance. Keeping your WordPress core, themes, and plugins up to date is your first and most crucial defence against security threats.

Did you know that over 60% of WordPress hacks are caused by outdated themes, plugins, or the core itself? That’s a staggering number, and the good news is, you can easily avoid it by staying on top of updates.

• Pro Tip: Always test updates in a staging environment before pushing them live, especially for major updates, to avoid breaking your site.

2. Backups: Your Insurance Policy

No matter how secure your site is, things can (and sometimes will) go wrong. Whether it’s a hack, a server crash, or a simple human error, having a backup can save you from losing everything.

• Daily backups: If your site is regularly updated with content, consider daily backups. For static sites, weekly backups might be enough.
• Off-site storage: Store your backups in a secure, off-site location (like cloud storage) to ensure that they’re safe even if your hosting environment goes down.

Question: When was the last time you checked your backup strategy? If you’re not sure, now might be a good time to review it.

3. Strong Passwords and User Management

You’d be surprised how often sites get hacked simply because of weak passwords or poor user management. It’s 2024, and if you’re still using “password123” or “admin” as your username, it’s time for an upgrade.

• Use strong, unique passwords for all users, and encourage the use of a password manager.
• Limit user roles: Only give people the access they need. If a user doesn’t need admin privileges, don’t give them admin access.
• Two-factor authentication (2FA): Adding 2FA ensures that even if someone gets hold of your password, they won’t be able to log in without a second verification step.

Stat: According to a report, 81% of data breaches occur due to weak or stolen passwords.

4. Install a Security Plugin

Security plugins are your digital bouncers. They monitor your site for suspicious activity, protect against brute force attacks, and often offer features like malware scanning and firewall protection. Some of the most popular WordPress security plugins include:

• Wordfence
• Sucuri
• iThemes Security

These plugins can help prevent common threats and notify you if something goes wrong.

Pro Tip: Don’t just install a security plugin—configure it correctly. A poorly configured security plugin can give a false sense of security.

5. SSL Certificates: Encrypt Your Data

An SSL certificate encrypts the data transferred between your website and your users, making it harder for hackers to intercept sensitive information. Plus, Google now uses SSL as a ranking factor, so having that little padlock symbol next to your URL is good for both security and SEO.

Most hosting providers offer free SSL certificates through Let’s Encrypt, and they’re easy to set up. If your site isn’t HTTPS yet, now’s the time to make the switch.

6. Monitor Site Performance

Website performance isn’t just about speed—it’s also a key indicator of your site’s health. Regular performance monitoring helps you identify issues before they become serious problems, such as slow load times, broken links, or resource-heavy plugins.

A slow site can negatively impact user experience and SEO. In fact, 53% of mobile users will abandon a website if it takes longer than three seconds to load.

Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTMetrix to monitor your site’s speed and get recommendations for improvements.

7. Database Optimisation

Over time, your WordPress database can become bloated with unnecessary data—revisions, trashed posts, spam comments, etc. This can slow down your site and increase the risk of data corruption. Regular database optimisation helps keep your website lean and fast.

Tools to use:

• WP-Optimize: Automates database cleaning and optimisation.
• Advanced Database Cleaner: Another plugin that helps you remove unnecessary data.

Question: Is your website feeling a little sluggish? It might be time to clean up your database.

8. Limit Login Attempts and Monitor Activity

Brute force attacks—where hackers use trial and error to guess your login credentials—are a common threat to WordPress websites. Limiting the number of login attempts can stop these attacks in their tracks.

• Limit Login Attempts Reloaded is a popular plugin that lets you set a cap on how many times someone can try to log in before being temporarily locked out.
• Activity Log Plugins: These plugins keep a log of user actions on your site, so if something looks suspicious, you can investigate it quickly.

9. Run Regular Security Scans

Think of security scans as your website’s regular health check-up. Security plugins can scan your site for malware, vulnerabilities, and other issues. Schedule scans regularly to catch potential threats before they escalate.

Many premium security plugins include automated scans, but it’s a good idea to run manual scans as part of your maintenance routine.

10. Implement a Website Firewall

A website firewall acts as the first line of defence, filtering out malicious traffic before it even reaches your site. Firewalls can prevent a wide range of attacks, including SQL injection, cross-site scripting, and brute force attempts.

Many hosting providers include firewalls in their packages, but you can also use a security plugin to add an extra layer of protection.

“WordPress security isn’t a set-and-forget task—it’s an ongoing commitment to keeping your website safe, fast, and healthy.”

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Final Thoughts: Stay Proactive, Stay Secure

The key to a secure and high-performing WordPress website is regular maintenance. From updating your core files to monitoring performance and running security scans, proactive steps will protect your site from threats and keep it running smoothly.

At Two Hours Sleep, we specialise in WordPress maintenance and offer assurance plans that take care of everything—so you can focus on running your business while we keep your website safe. Whether it’s protecting your e-commerce store, member portal, or business website, we’ve got you covered.

Ready to protect your WordPress site?
Let’s chat about how we can help keep your site secure, fast, and problem-free.

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By following these best practices, you can ensure your WordPress website remains an asset—not a liability—to your business.