Hackers attack websites regularly, and a hacker attack can occur once every minute or less in the United States alone. In the UK, websites are under the threat of a cyber attack every minute, and if you are not vigilant with your website’s security, you could very well become a victim. Fortunately, you have more than a few options when it comes to securing your site and keeping out bugs, hackers, and more. So how can you effectively improve your website’s security in 2021? Here’s what you can do.

  • Install a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate

The threat of an attack on your website is all too real, but there’s one relatively simple thing you can do: install a Secure Sockets Layer or SSL certificate. It’s an excellent way to protect not only your website but also anyone who visits or interacts with it. You may not even be aware, but nowadays, when you visit a website, you will often come across “HTTPS” instead of “HTTP” before the website’s name, and it comes with a padlock – this is the SSL certificate.

The SSL can encrypt your website’s data, and if you have an e-commerce website, use a more advanced form of SSL. Google is even wary of sites without SSL, and it will warn users when they’re about to enter a website without it.

  • Make use of anti-malware software

Anti-malware software comes in different forms, and some are free, whilst others come with a fee. You can, for example, make use of SiteLock, which is already utilised by more than 12 million sites, and it comes with various packages. It can protect your site by providing web scanning, malware detection (and removal), a firewall, and more.

You can rely on a website developer or builder (like Expre Digital Ltd) to take care of the security of your site, and some can provide you with the best anti-malware software in conjunction with their security package.

  • Prioritise strong passwords

Everyone knows about passwords – and how they can be cracked by the best hackers out there. Unfortunately, we use them almost every day, and we can take them for granted. But it’s worth remembering that your passwords are the only barrier between your data and a hacker. Fortunately, passwords are easy to change if you want to enhance security.

Did you know that the National Cyber Security Centre came up with a list of the most commonly-used – and breached – passwords around the globe? Not surprisingly, the list includes passwords like “123456,” “password,” “12345678,” “password1,” and “11111111.”

Rather than use the above, change your password strategy and use three different and unrelated phrases, for example. You can also use character sequences generated randomly or make sure that you have a long password. Another strategy is not to reuse any of your passwords – optimise a password manager. Lastly, don’t use your personal info for your password because it will always be the first trick hackers apply.

  • Update your website regularly

It also pays to update your website regularly, which means making sure the software you use for your site is up to date. It’s especially true for platforms like WordPress. Run the updates and plugins for WordPress software so you can avoid becoming vulnerable to glitches, bugs, and hackers.