10 Techniques for Increasing your WordPress Security

WordPress has become one of the most used tools for posting blogs and website content on the Internet. It is a powerful tool that provides businesses or individuals with the capability to build a website or simply manage existing content. A few specific implementations will reduce the risk of an infiltrated website. By taking only a few minutes to put these techniques in motion, you will be able to boost security and spend less time making repairs. The received reward will be a well-built site, enhanced security, and a reduced chance of typical WordPress oriented attacks. Follow these tips to fortify WordPress and begin gaining an even better experience!

1.    Create Robust Passwords

A weak password is one of the easiest ways for hackers to gain access to your site and begin wreaking havoc. Consider using a secure document to generate a difficult password. Then paste the new password into the login screen for WordPress after permitting Firefox or a similar browser to save it for instant access. A variety of keylogger applications are used to retrieve keystrokes used to enter data such as passwords. This action prevents them from being obtained each time you must log in.

Firefox and Google Chrome, in particular, use a Secure Login add-on that allows the stored password to be retrieved later with ease. To change your password in WordPress, simply go to Users, select Your Profile, and then proceed to the section titled About Yourself. A complicated password can prevent a great deal of trouble as you continue to use WordPress.

2.    Use Professional Web Hosting

The web hosting company you use will determine both site vulnerability and how easy it is to make a recovery after an attack. Dependable companies have solid security implementations to prevent such an attack. This will be your first line of defense in the instance of a hacking attempt. Be certain to take ample time to evaluate available providers before choosing a company to deliver this service.

3.    Select a Unique Username

While it is common to use “Admin” as the WordPress account username, this decision makes it easier for a hacker to gain access to your website. Using “Admin” as a username prevents a malicious attacker from having to determine the information and is a bad security flaw as the hacker will only need to learn your password. Complex usernames create an additional barrier that hackers must break through and immediately stomp out some of the most frequently experienced attacks. The Admin Username Changer plugin is a good choice for boosting security in this area.

4.    Schedule Regular Backups

Scheduled backups as a security recommendation can seem like a given; however, it is an imperative step for ensuring an easier recovery process. A current backup provides the necessary information for getting your website back in order and running quickly. If a problem should arise, you will be able to restore the most recent backup as a simple solution.

5.    Use The Limit Login Attempts Plugin

The Limit Login Attempts plugin may be used to create an additional security layer to further support a strong username and password. It prevents a person from being capable of guessing these items by trying to enter various combinations in the login screen. A set number of login attempts are allowed before the IP Address of the individual is blocked for reaching the limit. Each network operates under a unique signature, which can be blocked over a set amount of time. To change these settings, go to Settings and then select Limit Login Attempts. Once it has been set up, you can return to this same location to see if any attempts have been blocked!

 6.    Delete Plugins or Themes That Are Inactive

Inactive plugins serve as loopholes for hackers as they create possible entry points used to generate malicious attacks. By removing these items, you can eliminate unnecessary security breach points and at the same time avoid the troubles of updating them. If you want to review currently installed plugins, click on Appearance, choose Themes or Plugins (depending on what is desired), and then go to Installed Plugins to view or delete the inactive ones.

 7.    Scan Themes to Detect Malicious Code

It is common to use a theme offered by the WordPress directory or from a trustworthy provider; however, some individuals choose to copy themes found throughout the realm of the Internet. These themes often contain malicious code, which can present many troubles either visually or behind the scenes of your website. If you want to determine the validity and security of a theme, consider installing the Theme Authenticity Checker or TAC plugin. This plugin is designed to scan each them file and determine if utilized code poses a problem to the integrity of your site. Upon activating the plugin, go to Appearance and select TAC to automatically perform a scan.

 8.    Perform Consistent WordPress Updates

Any outdated software is considered to be a high security threat as hackers are capable of making an entrance when a patch or full software update has been overlooked. You can prevent a number of attacks by keeping WordPress current and will be less likely to have to perform extensive cleanup as a hacker finds their way through the loophole.

To check for available updates, log into WordPress, go to Dashboard, and then select Updates. Be certain to check for theme and plugin updates as you perform the process, as some might not be capable of supplying the appropriate amount of support. Consider installing a better supported theme or plugin if this is the case. Changes made by a developer or directly by you will be erased unless they have been made through the theme admin interface.

9.    Implement WP Security Scan

WP Security Scan is a plugin designed to check the website for vulnerabilities and offer suggestions for fixing these issues. Begin by checking folders to ensure the right permissions have been set. This can be done by going to WSD Security and then selecting Scanner. The tool may also be used to quickly change your password, which can be accomplished by choosing Password Tool under WSD Security.

A database is used to store your theme and plugin information such as settings, posted content, and associated pages. Consider backing up the database prefix and changing it as each WordPress install has its own unique prefix. Begin by backing up the current database. To access the backup option, go to WSD Security, select Database, and then choose Database Backup. Click on Backup Now to begin the process and links will be supplied for downloading each database to the logged in computer. Enter a random string of characters to alleviate the security vulnerability and then click on Start Renaming to complete the process.

10. Implement the Sucuri Sitecheck Malware Scanner

The Sucuri Sitecheck Malware Scanner plugin can be used to scan your WordPress site for spam, malware, and additionally harmful issues. Begin by installing the plugin and performing a scan. To access this feature, click on Sucuri Free, select Sucuri Scanning, and then choose Scan this site now! A clean report is the desired result; however, the plugin will offer cleanup options in the instance of a problem. You can also use the tool to toughen up your WordPress install by removing vulnerabilities of certain folders. To use this feature, click on Sucuri Free, then 1-click Hardening, and finally select Harden It! under each folder until the desired or necessary ones have been made secure.

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Dominate Your Competitors

Starting a business is no easy task. You have to find capital, research your key audience and if you are a one man show you are wearing multiple hats. Once you get your business off the ground, you have more time to look into what your competitors are doing currently. You probably did research when you first started, but the landscape in your industry could have changed since the last time you did a good in-depth look.

Audit their Sites
When you decide to dive deep into competitor analysis, you have to start somewhere. Pick your top three or four competitors and see what they are doing. Audit their site and see what keywords they are using, how their site is laid out and what sites are linking back to theirs. Chances are you will see comparisons. Are they on similar sites? Are they using similar keywords and key phrases? How do their sites look similar and differ? What do you like about each?

How Can You Do It Better?
Once you have the information you need, the ball is in your court. How can you do it better than them? What are your strengths? Do you have a rock star SEO team that can blow them out of the water? Plan out a great strategy that will benefit your website and company. Remember Google can be fickle, and what works for one website might not work for another.

Revisit your strategy monthly. There are too many moving parts to online marketing not to. Stay up-to-date on industry trends and news. You never know when Google might pull out another major change to their algorithm. Make sure you stay ahead of the curve, it can help your site and blast your competitors out of the water.

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Know the Difference Between Good vs. Bad Content

Content is king. We hear that constantly. Google likes content creators—that is just a fact. However, there is a difference between good and bad content. Content is only king if it is useful to the reader. Do you know the difference?

General Content
Have you ever searched for something and clicked on a link excited to read what it had to say only to find out it was a general piece of content? I know I have. General content isn’t useful and in the end will make your visitors leave your site to find better quality content. Dive a little deeper in your content and you will see the results.

Address Key Concerns
Is there a burning topic in your industry? If so, address it and let your clients know how your company is addressing that issue. You can set yourself up as an expert in your field doing this type of content. Wouldn’t it be nice if people when to your blog first when they want to know what is going on in your industry?

Do you Find the Information Useful?
When in doubt ask yourself this question. Do you find the information you are giving to your audience useful? If not chances are they won’t either. If you take a step back and ask yourself this question after writing a blog post or email chances are you can tweak anything if need be.

In the end the difference between good and bad content is usefulness. What value does your content give your readers? If you can’t answer these questions, chances are your content could be rewritten. Once you set your company as an expert in your industry with great content, you will start to see the influx of visitors to your site—and hopefully (and most importantly) an influx in revenue.

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Visibility Counts

Having a great product or service is a must in today’s turbulent economy. The second component to creating a great business is being visible. If no one knows you exist, how can they benefit from your product? There is no magic formula for visibility. If there was every business would do it and that would make things even more interesting wouldn’t it?

Know Your Audience
We spoke last month about the importance of knowing your key audience. This is pivotal if you want to reach them. Where do they consume their information? How do they like to be reached? Once you can answer these two questions you can start the process of reaching them in an effective way.

Get Social
Social media is popular for a reason—it allows companies to reach their audience in real-time and with little to no cost. Long gone are the days where your only option was direct mail. Now you can talk to your customers directly. Make sure you know where your customers are and start talking. Zappos is a great case study on how they leveraged Twitter as a customer service tool.

Leverage Email
Smartphones hold about 40% of the cell phone market. That means most people have the ability to check their email anywhere and everywhere. Take advantage of this and send email updates to your clients. This could be a quick email to outline a special you are offering, or it could be some tips on how to paint your home (if you are a home improvement company).

The more you talk to your customers, the more likely they will come back for more. Take advantage of online techniques and how you can reach thousands of people with a click of your mouse. Have you found ways to make your company more visible? If so, let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Know Target Customer

Customer service is the most important thing in business. It doesn’t matter if you are B2B or B2C customers are customers. That said, do you know who they are? Their age? What type of education they have? What about their average income? Knowing your target audience is a must in business.

Do Your Homework
Think about your product or service. Who do you envision is buying it? Now you have a good idea of who your customer is, so now you have to think like them. Where do they find their information? What makes them get excited? What is the price point they are looking for in your type of product?

What are their Online Habits?

People consume information in different ways. Some might like information sent to them via email, others like social networks like Twitter or Facebook.  Social media is a great way to reach your audience and learn what they like and don’t like. Before you can do that, you need to know where they are engaging. Once that is established, the rest can follow.

What’s the Tone of Your Messaging?
With more and more people engaging in social media and reading blogs a conversational tone has become more popular. In many cases people want to feel like they are talking with their friend, not a stark corporation.  If your industry allows, try using a conversational tone in your messaging and see if it works for your company.

People Change
Remember that people change. This isn’t to say your entire demographic will suddenly wake up and change everything about themselves. But as technology evolves so does habits. Make sure you stay up-to-date on the latest trends and how your audience decides to welcome them.

In the end it comes down to how you monitor your audience. Keeping an open mind and realize they might change their habits over the years will set you up for success.

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Research Money Phrases

Everyone wants to know the special words that turn someone from interested to a buying customer. Wouldn’t it be nice if you knew the magic words? The fact is there isn’t one key phrase for everyone. There are however key phrases that attract the right type of people.

Know Your Demographic
Before you can research any key phrases, you need to know what your customers are searching. This is where your website analytics is so important. Using an analytics tools like Google Analytics will show you how people found your site—and more importantly what they typed in the search engines to find your site.

Look to Competitors for Ideas
Seeing what keywords and phrases your competitors find relevant will give you even more incite. How can you see behind the magic curtain? Go to a competitors website, right click and select view page source (make sure you aren’t on an image) and voila! You get to see the basic code for the entire page—including keywords and meta description tags.

Test, Test and Test
When it comes to anything related to online marketing (or marketing in general for that matter) make sure you test and track everything you do. If you don’t, you won’t know what key phrases are working and what aren’t. Key phrases aren’t going to stay the same year after year.

Still don’t know how to find your key phrases? Put yourself in the mind of your customer. What would you type in a search engine to find your product? Start there. You’ll be surprised how easy it is once you start digging a little. Using tools like analytics, researching your competitors and testing is going to give you that edge you need to start producing great results.

Have you been through this process already? Give us your tips in the comments below.

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Dominate Competitors

Starting a business is no easy task. You have to find capital, research your key audience and if you are a one man show you are wearing multiple hats. Once you get your business off the ground, you have more time to look into what your competitors are doing currently. You probably did research when you first started, but the landscape in your industry could have changed since the last time you did a good in-depth look.

Audit their Sites
When you decide to dive deep into competitor analysis, you have to start somewhere. Pick your top three or four competitors and see what they are doing. Audit their site and see what keywords they are using, how their site is laid out and what sites are linking back to theirs. Chances are you will see comparisons. Are they on similar sites? Are they using similar keywords and key phrases? How do their sites look similar and differ? What do you like about each?

How Can You Do It Better?
Once you have the information you need, the ball is in your court. How can you do it better than them? What are your strengths? Do you have a rock star SEO team that can blow them out of the water? Plan out a great strategy that will benefit your website and company. Remember Google can be fickle, and what works for one website might not work for another.

Revisit your strategy monthly. There are too many moving parts to online marketing not to. Stay up-to-date on industry trends and news. You never know when Google might pull out another major change to their algorithm. Make sure you stay ahead of the curve, it can help your site and blast your competitors out of the water.

 

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Build a Site with SEO in Mind

There are a million different details that go into building a website. You need to know what the look of your brand is, how it will translate across the site and how user friendly your website is laid out. Another aspect to a website overhaul is how it will perform in the search engines. If your current website isn’t optimized correctly, this is your chance to start your SEO plan right.

Research Keywords
Take the time to research keywords for your main website pages. This can become a tedious task, but it will pay off in the end. What are the words that represent what your company does? Are people searching for those words? Keyword research is a balance between what you find relevant, and what people are actually typing into Google.

Internal Linking
Internal linking is a great way to boost your rankings and also give users what they want. Besides filling out your keyword tags on your website, make sure you are linking internally. On that same note, you don’t want to over optimize your site. Google rolled out last month a new update, cutely named Penguin. This update is to help combat web spam. Specifically over optimizing and linking on spammy looking blog networks. Be smart in your linking strategy and you’ll be fine.

When implementing a new SEO strategy, make sure it is one that is fluid. Meaning, it is always evolving and can be improved upon. Static SEO strategies won’t improve your rankings, and could potentially harm you. Staying up-to-date on new trends and updates is going to yield the best results.

Research, testing and standing back and looking at the big picture is going to help you in the long run. If you can keep this in mind while building your website, you will be one step ahead of the game.

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SEO Follow Up

Follow up. Two words that can mean so much. When it comes to online marketing follow up is not only a must, but a fine tuned tool in your arsenal of tactics. Following up can mean the difference between landing a client, or landing a guest blogging opportunity. That said, how can you do it effectively?

Don’t do it too early.

You don’t want to follow up one day after you send a pitch. The person may have not had time to read your email, or it isn’t on their top list of priorities. You’re a busy person, you know how hectic things can get. Remember this when reaching out to someone–they’ll appreciate it.

Keep it short, sweet and to the point.

When following up, make sure you don’t write the next great American novel. Just send a quick note checking in on the status of your request. If you are looking for a guest post opportunity, send a few links of your articles to showcase your work. This frees up the editors time searching for articles by you, and it also allows you to funnel them to great articles you’ve written.

It’s ok to check in twice.

After your initial pitch, wait around a week before checking in. Others say 3-4 days, but a week is more than long enough. If they still don’t reply, give them one more try. Sometimes they are just busy. By your third email and/or phone call if you haven’t heard back I wouldn’t reach out again. They clearly aren’t interested and you don’t want to keep wasting the energy.

Following up is an art. You have to fine-tune it as you develop your skills. Once you figure out how to, you usually can get great results from it. Don’t forget that if someone doesn’t respond right away doesn’t mean they’re not interested. They may just be having a busy week.

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Structuring Effective Campaigns

Whether you are starting your first online campaign or your one hundredth, there are always ways to improve on your delivery. Making sure you are organized and have a good foundation to execute is a must when creating marketing campaigns.

Work Backwards
What is the goal of your campaign? Once you have that figured out work backwards until you have come up with a plan. How are you going to be able to reach that goal? What steps do you need to take to get it done? Working backwards is a great way to figure out many of these details.

Research
Once the plan is in place start researching. Know your plan and how to execute it inside and out. Have exact reasons and if need be case studies to back up your point. This is very important when you are trying something new. Upper management may need some solid proof this could work, so hit the books if necessary.

Set Mini-deadlines
After you have gotten a plan in place and researched it’s time to set deadlines for all deliverables. Make sure you have mini-deadlines set to keep you and your team on the right track throughout the campaign. This will give you smaller victories to celebrate along the way and keep you on track.

Set Measurable Goals
Besides setting mini-deadlines make sure your tactics are measurable. This will help prove to upper management the campaign actually worked, and will also tell you what didn’t. Knowing is half the battle in online marketing, and knowing what doesn’t work is just as valuable as knowing what doesn’t.

One last tip to remember is to breath. Sometimes getting too caught up in an important campaign can get in the way of our judgment. Clearing your head and taking a deep breath before getting to aggravated can go a long way.

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