Most importantly you need to ensure all systems and software are kept up to date. By this I mean your core content management system software, the themes and plugins used in your site, the server where your site is hosted. It’s also important to ensure that your own computer is update and secure – but I’ll talk about this more in the next tip on Passwords and User Roles.
WordPress is an open source software which is regularly maintained and updated. By default, WordPress core automatically installs minor updates. For major releases, you need to manually initiate the update.
Modern websites are also made with loads of plugins and themes that are maintained by third-party developers which regularly release updates as well. These are crucial for the security and stability of your site. You need to make sure that your WordPress core, plugins, and theme are all up to date.
We always advise backing up your website before you update anything. It’s important to test your website afterwards as parts of the site can fall out of alignment (especially on major updates) so you might need to roll things back while you figure out how to fix them.
Of course – give us a shout if you need any help or run into problems with website security, or if you’d like to discuss exSite managing your website for you 🙂