Having a website you have spent multiple hours in get hacked can be a very scary and vulnerable thing. This is one of the reasons I always suggest Squarespace or Showit over WordPress. In this blog I will explain why I suggest these sites and what to do if you have a WordPress site but want to be sure it is secure.

The security for Showit (even with a WordPress blog) and Squarespace is phenomenal. I have honestly never heard of anyone with one of those sites getting hacked. They handle it all for you (hosting and everything) and update the site when it needs to be updated. There is no third party involved in hosting your site (like GoDaddy or Hostmonster), it is all done through them. If for some reason your site were to ever get hacked, they both have rock-star support teams that would be right on it. But what if you have a WordPress site? Don’t worry, I got you too.

“My WordPress site was hacked and littered with malware and I have been advised to get website security services. What should I do?” This is a text I got from not one, not two, but THREE of my entrepreneur friends with WordPress sites in the past TWO MONTHS! Here is what you should do to prevent it and keep your website secure:

1. Be super careful about what plugins you add to your WordPress site

This is how hackers get in. I only allow plugins that have thousands of glowing reviews and I code everything else I need. If you don’t know how to code, then you should definitely be using Squarespace or Showit.

2. Get a SSL certificate

If you are unsure if you have a SSL certificate, Google your site and see if It has the s after the http. Also many times it will say “this site may be hacked”. Getting a SSL certificate is very easy (Squarespace comes with a SSL certificate in case I haven’t already convinced you). Simply follow these steps to verify your site using Google Search Console.

3. Keep software up to date

This is a big one. Make sure your server operating system and any software you may be running on your website (such as a CMS or forum) are up to date. I use Hostmonster and they apply security updates to my website so I don’t need to worry about the operating system side of things (check out my blog here about who I suggest hosts your WordPress site). I keep any third-party softwares off my site so I don’t need to worry about security there. WordPress notifies me of any available system updates when I log in.