The web design and development segment are consistently contributing to greater innovations in the IT domain. Various website builders and platforms efficiently help less tech-savvy business owners create visually stunning websites. Specifically, WordPress has taken the market by storm since it enables organizations to design and customize websites quickly. The platform has become a disruptive innovation in the world of web development.

However, a key aspect that website owners overlook during WordPress development is security. Security should be non-negotiable in the case of website development with WordPress. That’s why the practice of delegating web development projects to the recognized WordPress outsourcing services providers has been increasing in recent times. The dedicated WordPress developers can keep the sites and crucial business/user data secure. The developers help business owners offer a super-secure web experience by incorporating reliable security features.

Securing Web Development with WordPress Outsourcing Agencies

Though WordPress offers a low-code architecture and easy-to-use templates for web development, many business owners face the problem of cyber-attacks. The use of outdated plugins, lack of maintaining security protocols, and poor site administration are the key reasons that make WordPress sites vulnerable. According to a recent survey, 4.5% of WordPress websites are impacted by external security threats.

To address the security vulnerabilities efficiently, collaborating with a WordPress website development services provider through an outsourcing model is the optimal decision. Their dedicated WordPress developers proactively look for security vulnerabilities across all the stages of web development and make sure the final site will remain intact. Even after the development, the developers secure the websites by efficiently deploying security patches and updates. With the help of intrusion detection and monitoring tools, outsourced WordPress developers can remotely detect and mitigate website vulnerabilities.

6 Security Best Practices Followed by Dedicated WordPress Developers

1. Choosing Secure Hosting Provider

It is an important responsibility of WordPress outsourcing agencies to choose a reliable hosting provider and connect it with newly built websites. The dedicated WordPress developers look for hosting providers, who offer security monitoring and custom configuration capabilities. By integrating a trustworthy hosting provider, WordPress developers make websites withstand various hacking attempts and cyber threats.

The hosting environments also enable WordPress developers to use encryption protocols and facilitate secure communication between the server and the end-user’s browsers. To improve security further, WordPress developers configure and incorporate firewalls using a hosting environment. This enables organizations to filter out malicious traffic and secure WordPress-powered sites from external attacks.

2. Enabling Automated Back-ups

For regular yet automated back-up of the website’s database and files, dedicated WordPress developers use intuitive plugins like Jetpack. By integrating this plugin with websites, WordPress developers enable automated back-up of the website’s content, files, and database at regular intervals. Even when a website gets impacted by a security attack, having reliable back-ups enables businesses to quickly restore their site in a clean and secure state.

3. Using Security Plugins

Installing security plugins within websites is an effective strategy that WordPress developers follow to improve safety. With a reliable security plugin like Sucuri, the process of cyber threat detection and prevention becomes easier. Though Sucuri is a free and ready-to-use plugin, installation and activation require the expertise of specialized WordPress developers.

The developers can configure this plugin to perform regular malware scans of a website’s database and files. This enables them to identify and troubleshoot malicious files or suspicious code that could compromise the website’s integrity.

4. Implementing 2FA (Two-factor Authentication)

Dedicated developers from a recognized WordPress web development company incorporate the 2FA mechanism during web development. This enables businesses to obtain a second form of verification in addition to the typical username and password login process. The second form of verification that developers incorporate could be something like an authenticator app, hardware token, or biometric verification.

Two-factor authentication helps website owners verify the user’s identity through a separate channel and ensure the authenticity of users. The developers use intuitive plugins like Wordfence and Authy to implement the 2FA mechanism as a security protocol within WordPress-built websites. This mechanism acts as an additional layer of security for WordPress websites and makes it difficult for malicious actors to gain access.

5. Limiting Login Attempts

WordPress developers use web server configuration techniques to limit the number of login attempts within websites. This security optimization technique helps organizations eliminate brute-force attacks on websites. When hackers try multiple username/password combinations to acquire access, setting up the ‘limited login attempts’ technique would help web administrators eliminate unauthorized access.

Implementing limited login attempts is important for websites with multiple admin accounts, as these accounts are highly vulnerable. Restricting unauthorized access to admin accounts is essential for maintaining control over website accessibility. The limit login attempt plugins impose a temporary lockout period when they detect an excessive number of failed login attempts from a particular IP address. Moreover, the dedicated WordPress developers can modify the plugin settings to maximize the number of permissible login attempts and set the lockout period duration.

6. Securing File Permissions

Before deployment, the WordPress developers set appropriate file permissions for the website’s files and directories. The permissions determine who can access, alter, or remove files from the web server. Through proper configuration of file permissions, site owners can eliminate unauthorized users from accessing confidential information recorded within websites like user data, transaction details, and business documents. Moreover, setting up permissions limits the possibility for hackers to insert malicious code into web files. This eliminates the risk of code vulnerabilities and malware intrusions. Here are two ways that WordPress developers follow to set up file permissions on websites:

• Use File Manager or FTP – The developers connect a website’s server with a File Manager or File Transfer Protocol tool to regulate file uploads and permissions.
• Disable Directory Browsing – Hackers can use third-party tools to access files with minimum protection on the WordPress website. That’s why developers disable the directory browsing option with WordPress sites.

Building Fail-Proof Websites with Outsourced WordPress Developers – Key Benefits

• Protect User Data: It is the responsibility of dedicated developers hired from a custom WordPress development services provider to help businesses secure the data (login credentials, payment details, or personal details) collected through websites. They should also take preventive measures to eliminate scenarios like website breaches and save businesses from legal issues and reputational damage.
• Prevent Attacks: The WordPress developers use frameworks that offer built-in protection from CSRF and cross-site scripting attacks. This way, businesses can eliminate malicious code injection into their web pages and ensure high standard security and integrity.
• Secure Routing: The dedicated WordPress developers integrate secure routing modules with websites. This module eliminates route tampering and URL-based attacks on websites.
• Avoid Malware Complexities: Specialized developers do not use vulnerable themes, plugins, or outdated modules during WordPress web development. This lessens the chances of exposing the site to viruses and threats like spyware and ransomware. Also, by adhering to data protection and security regulations, developers can make WordPress websites highly compliant and avoid getting blacklisted.

Read more – Reasons to Hire a WordPress Web Development Company

Closing Thoughts

Embedding essential security mechanisms into WordPress websites should take the highest precedence. It’s because security measures like 2FA authentication and encryption make websites highly resistant to cyber-attacks. With the help of WordPress development outsourcing agencies, businesses can improve their web security, protect sensitive information, and offer a safe experience for end-users.