Are you running your own website and searching for how to secure a website? This article is all about how to secure a website.
When you’re running a business, having an online presence is essential if you’re going to succeed. Both online marketing and technology are constantly evolving, and not having an up-to-date website is going to lose you business to your competition. What this means is you need to build a site that reaches all your customers, including those using their PCs, tablets, or mobile phones. In fact, it’s predicted that by the end of 2019, almost 94% of small and medium businesses will be optimized for mobile, with people searching for information and making online purchases in numbers never seen before.
Once you recognize that your marketing plans need to include your own website, there are numerous decisions to make and steps to take to ensure the launching of your site goes smoothly and as planned. Not only will you need to build the base of your website, deciding on design and functionality, you’ll also need to take into consideration securing your website and keeping data and customer information safe.
Here’s what you need to know about securing your business website.
Quick Overlook
1. Select a secure and reliable host
Hosting is all about where your website resides on the internet. A reliable host provides you not only with good value for the cost but also with the space and speed you need for your website as your business expands. It should also provide you with security for your website from being hacked and from malware attacks.
There are many website host providers available – do your research and read reviews from other small businesses. As well, more and more businesses are choosing to host their business data and website through a third-party provider on the cloud.
Using cloud-based computing can help you reduce the business costs of maintaining your own website and also provide additional security. There’s lots of support out there for cloud based solutions, such as IT support in London from Computers In The City, who can help you set up and fully support cloud services for your website.
2. Acquire an SSL certificate
You’ll need a secure SSL certificate (secure sockets layer) if you’re going to be transmitting any sensitive and financial data. This includes both your business and customer information. SSL is a protocol for encryption that masks outgoing and incoming web requests.
As the owner of a website, you’ll be responsible for getting a valid certificate and for keeping it up to date. Without this, you put both your data and customer information at risk. With users around the world being more aware of security than ever before, it’s vital that you don’t miss this step. Marketing research shows that up to 84% of buyers will abandon the transaction if it’s done on an insecure connection.
3. Use CDN for better website performance
There’s no doubt that internet speeds are now much faster around the world, but if the users connecting to your website are located on different continents, you’ll want to consider using a CDN (content delivery network). Why? Because the further your customers are from geographic location of your data center, the longer it will take for your website to load, leading to a frustrating customer experience that may just make them click away to another site.
A CDN delivers your website content to your customers much faster, based on their own location. CDN consists of POPs (points of presence) on network servers that are situated all around the world. When your website loads, a user’s browser reads the data from the CDN server closest to them, which means faster and secure load time for both mobile and web users.
4. Use a software firewall
Another way to add a layer of security to your website is by using a software firewall. Where once firewalls were typically used for hardware devices, they’re also being used at the software level. A firewall can help to monitor the connections that are incoming and block out any of those connections that may be a potential threat, such as those that are a DDoS attack (distributed denial of service).
5. Implement an automated backup strategy
With cybersecurity being a top concern, doing regular website backups has become a basic activity for any business. Not only is the goal to prevent the loss of information and sensitive data, it’s also to keep website secure. Why? Your customers need to feel safe in knowing that your site is reliable and one they can trust.
Your backup strategy for your website should these four points:
- Backup everyday.
- Be a complete backup of all information and data on your website.
- Stored offsite in a separate location from your servers. Such as in a cloud environment as well as backup tapes stored offsite in a secure location.
- Be easy to access and restore in the event of a security breach or if the website is technically compromised.
Concluding Thoughts
Don’t be fooled into thinking that building and maintaining your business website is a waste of money and time. Websites are here to stay. Does your website found online? It also lets you tell a story of who you are and what your business is all about. Websites are also a cost-effective way to make the most out of your marketing budget. Letting you connect fast and easily with your customers and potential customers.
With that in mind, follow the steps outlined here to keep your website safe for both you and your users.