How many times over the past year have you heard about a business website getting hacked? It seems to happen on a daily basis. Getting hacked is not only a large pain, it’s also risky business. Your information and your customer information can be placed in the hands of untrustworthy strangers. The good news is that there are steps you can take right away to help protect your blog against hackers.

#1 Update Everything

If you’re like many business owners than your WordPress site has an abundance of useful plug-ins that make running a WordPress based business easy and effective? Update those plug-ins Update your template, and update the version of WordPress you’re working with. The simple step of updating helps protect you from hackers who have an easier time accessing older versions.

#2 Delete the Unnecessary

Delete unused accounts, plug-ins, templates and other unused items on your blog. Also delete the ability to access your log-in from the home page of your state. And delete the version of WordPress you’re working with from the footer of your blog.

#3 Backup Automatically

Install a plugin that backs up your site automatically. These plugins allow you to set your backups hourly, daily, or weekly. They also email you a copy of the backup so you have it with you should hackers get into your site.

#4 Double Authentication

Consider implementing two-step verification. Whether you’re logging into your blog or into your email, you’re at risk. This is absolutely important if you email yourself passwords to keep track of them. There are plug-ins that can initiate the two step verification process. You can also utilize Google’s system to protect your Gmail account. It is a simple and important step to take to protect yourself from hackers and identity thieves.

#5 Install Security Plug-ins

WordPress security plug-ins accomplish several important things. There are plug-ins that lock down your site when someone tries to log in incorrectly more than three times. They are blocked from trying to log in again. This prevents brute force attacks. Some plugins monitor activity on your site and send reports. And others assess vulnerabilities and make changes to your site to protect you from hackers.

While there are many plug-ins that accomplish these tasks individually, there are also some plug-ins, like Better WP Security, that manage several of these tasks. They offer comprehensive protection.

Preventing your blog from being hacked is probably impossible, however taking these steps can help protect you. They’re quick and easy to take care of and a little protection can go a long way.