WordPress is the world’s most popular CMS and it’s estimated that over 455 million websites are powered by it. This is mainly because of how user-friendly, robust, and stable the platform is. But this popularity comes with a downside. WordPress is not only popular with users, but with hackers as well. Since they know that so many websites use WordPress, they spend a lot of time studying it. WordPress tries to release updates to patch issues, but every time, hackers eventually end up finding new vulnerabilities, and the cycle continues. This is why you need to always be on your toes if you’re running a WordPress site and know some of the classic mistakes to avoid. Here are some security tips all WordPress site owners should follow.

Forget Free Themes

Getting an independent free theme for WordPress is never a good idea and we can’t see a reason for you to use one. There are so many reliable sources for high-quality and safe themes that you could go for instead. Sites like ThemeForest have premium WordPress themes and you can find a great professional-looking and safe one for under $10. So, unless you don’t have that kind of money to spend, we would suggest that you go with that option instead.

Update Often

As we said earlier, WordPress routinely releases updates to fix vulnerabilities, and if you want your site to be as safe as possible, you have to always have the latest version. You can check for updates by looking at the top of the dashboard when you log in. If there’s a new update, you will see an announcement with a link to initiate the process.

Update your theme and your plug-ins too. When hackers can’t find vulnerabilities with the core platform, they usually turn to bad plug-ins or outdated ones. So, look for updates for your plug-ins regularly and remove those that aren’t updated regularly.

Do Regular Back-Ups

Continuously back up your website in case you fall victim to an attack. If your website is damaged beyond repair, you’ll have a second version ready and will be able to get back online instantly.

You can do backups manually or you can use a plug-in. Using a plug-in is usually the best option if you’re not very tech-savvy and it will automate the process. Services like Jetpack, for instance, will not only backup your website every day for you, but will allow you to restore it in one click, so consider checking them out.

Limit Login Attempts

You also can’t let people perform unlimited login attempts or they’ll be able to use brute force to get to your dashboard. You can limit login attempts by using a plug-in like LoginLockdown or WP Limit Login Attempts. Also, make it a habit to switch passwords every two to three months.

WordPress is relatively safe as long as you follow best security practices. Stay updated, learn about new types of attacks, and try to make the job as hard as possible for hackers.