You might not realise until it is too late, but your website is vulnerable to hackers and viruses. Thankfully there are a few steps you can take to protect your website.
This blog post is for anyone with a website who want to make sure it is protected and is secure. You will learn about the best website security practices and how to protect your website against hackers. This article will also provide some tips on how you can keep your website safe from malware, spam, viruses, and other threats.
As a website owner, you should know that not all website security issues are created equal. Some of them can be resolved quickly with little effort, while others might require professional help or take a lot of time to fix.
How can I check if my website is secure?
A simple way to check that your website is secure is to check you have an SSL Certificate installed on your website. This can be easily done by checking in the browser bar where you type in the URL. Inside the URL bar next to the domain name you have typed in, you will see a padlock symbol, and the website will also begin with https:// rather than http://. This indicates that your website has an SSL Certificate installed and is secure.
It’s a good idea to also check every page of your site, though, as there are cases where images/links can cause the individual page to be unsecure. If you think your site isn’t secure, you will see in the URL bar that it says not secure, or the http:// part of the domain may be red. Having a secure website is highly recommended these days, and we strongly recommend that you get your website secure as soon as possible.
Why is website security important?
If your website is an e-commerce store taking payments or asks for any personal information such as names, an email address, date of birth or a phone number, then it’s highly recommended to have website security installed. The website visitor needs to trust your website, and if it is not secure, then it might be a turn off for them to use or buy anything from your site. This can have an effect on your website conversion rate. It can also lead to a lack of trust in your website, which can lead to a bad impression of your business. Trust is so important in website security because if your website is not secure, then it can lead to fraudulent transactions.
It might be tempting for website owners and business people to think of website security as unnecessary, but it’s actually very important that you keep up with the latest security updates because there are many threats and hackers that are looking for website vulnerabilities to exploit.
Having a secure website will not only give you peace of mind but also ensure that your website visitors have a safe experience.
Is website security important for my Google ranking?
Yes! Google has made security a ranking factor for websites as a way to encourage companies to have stronger cybersecurity. Google wants to give its search engine users the most relevant and safest website possible. If your website is not secure, it will not rank as high in Google search results.
Why am I getting spam emails through my website?
Email spam through your website forms is when unwanted messages make their way through your website’s forms from spambots. Spambots are malicious or spam-generating programs that crawl websites looking for email addresses and other personal information. The best way to prevent spambots from getting through your website is to add a CAPTCHA to your forms. One way to prevent spam bots from submitting your website’s forms and sending your spam is to place a CAPTCHA field on each form.
What can I do if my website is hacked?
A hacked website is really frustrating – it’s troublesome for your business and visitors. It’s important to take website security seriously and know what steps you can take when a website is hacked. You might get an email or notification saying “This site contains malware” or “The site ahead contains harmful programs”, this a definite sign that you have a problem!
If your website is hacked, you’ll need to take the following steps right away:
- Change all of your website passwords and create a different password for each account. Don’t use “password” as one of them!
- Perform a website backup -up and website security audit.
- Update to the most current version of your website platform.
In conclusion, the security of your website is an important factor in business. Make sure that you have a website security audit and website backup done on your website frequently to keep it secure. Safety and security is a priority these days with online shopping and entertainment booming, especially during 2020 and into 2021, so it will help your business image and reputation if you can offer a safe and reliable platform everyone can trust.
Mindsite Web Services offer secure Australian hosting and perform regular back ups and security updates. If you need any help or advice on this topic be sure to get in touch with the team!