How to Actually Secure Your WordPress Site (Without Crying Into Your Coffee)
Listen, having a WordPress site is kind of like owning a house. Except instead of bad plumbing and nosy neighbors, you’ve got bots, hackers, and shady plugin updates trying to break in and steal your stuff (or worse, mess up your layout — rude).
So if you’re running a self-hosted WordPress site, not WordPress.com, but the real-deal, open-source version, then guess what? You’re the landlord, and security is your job now. But don’t panic. I’ve got you.
Here are five dead-simple ways to secure your WordPress site, no tech degree or sleepless nights required.
1. Update Your Stuff. Yes, All of It.
If your theme, plugins, or core WordPress software has an update available and you’ve been ignoring that little orange dot for 3 weeks, STOP. That update exists because a vulnerability was found, and hackers love old code like toddlers love sticky fingers.
To do it:
Boom. You’ve just locked out 90% of the lazy hacker bots sniffing around the web. And if you’re too busy to remember updates, grab a plugin like Wordfence or Easy Updates Manager to keep you in the loop.
2. Stop Using “Admin” as Your Username. I Mean It.
If your login is admin and your password is password123, I need you to pause this article and go fix that immediately. That combo is basically an open invitation to hackers.
Choose something unique for both your username and password, or better yet, use a password manager like LastPass to generate strong logins that aren’t tied to your dog’s name or your high school mascot.
Bonus points: Set up two-factor authentication so even if someone gets your login, they can’t actually get in without your phone. Take that, bots.
3. Make It Hard to Steal Your Content
Is someone out there copy-pasting your blog posts like they wrote it themselves? Ew. You worked hard on that content, don’t let someone snag it without a fight.
Here’s what you can do:
Will this stop a determined thief? Nah. But it’ll slow down the lazy ones — and those are usually the ones causing the most trouble.
4. Get SSL — Like, Yesterday
If your URL still starts with http instead of https, your browser is probably throwing shade at you. That little padlock next to your URL? It matters, especially if you’re collecting any kind of user data.
SSL encrypts the info being shared between your site and your visitors, which keeps credit cards, emails, and contact forms safe from creeps with packet sniffers.
Most hosts include free SSL these days (shoutout to Hostinger), so if yours doesn’t, it might be time to move on.
5. Back It All Up (Before You Break It)
Raise your hand if you’ve ever broken something on your site and wished you could time travel. 🙋♀️
Regular backups = peace of mind. Whether it’s a rogue plugin, a bad update, or a hacker with too much time, you need to be able to roll things back without breaking a sweat.
Use a plugin like:
Just make sure you’re storing backups off-site, like Dropbox or Google Drive, so they’re safe even if your site crashes.
TL;DR: Securing Your WordPress Site Doesn’t Have to Be a Nightmare
Most WordPress security issues come from people not updating their stuff, using weak logins, or skipping backups. Don’t be that person.
Take 10 minutes today to tighten things up, and you’ll save yourself hours (and possibly hundreds of dollars) down the road. Future You will thank you.
