This article was first published on November 22, 2021 and last updated on January 2023.
A website is the perfect place to sell your product or service, describe your company and present your brand. When learning how to make a website secure, security should be a high priority. Website users not only value good security, but Google also ranks secure websites higher in search results to give their users the best possible experience.
Know how making a website secure can be a bigger task than meets the eye. In this article, we’ll go over seven tips on how you can create a secure website for your small business. Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
How to Make a Website Secure: 7 Different Ways
- Find an Option Secure Hosting Certificate
- Install an SSL/TLS Certificate
- Extended Validation Certificate (EV SSL)
- Organization Validated Certificate (OV SSL)
- Domain Validated Certificate (DV SSL)
- Use strong passwords
- Choose plug-ins and add-ons carefully
- Create levels
- Get Support
- Allow plenty of time for testing
How to make a website secure: 7 different ways
1. Find a Secure Hosting Option
Not all website hosts offer the same level of security. Having a secure hosting service is critical to setting up a secure website. It’s important to shop and look around and not just go with the cheapest when making your decision.
Schedule a call to speak with them over the phone about specific questions or concerns you may have. You can also view reviews and testimonials from past customers on their website. This way, you can see how similar companies within your niche or industry have worked with them.
You need to find a website host that is capable of protecting your own servers from attacks. Knowing how they operate and troubleshoot unprecedented situations is an important factor to know before signing with a company. There are also some hosts that provide added extras such as SSL/TLS and regular backups of your site. All of these factors should be considered when finding a secure hosting option for your small business.
2. Install an SSL/TLS certificate
If you want your customers to register on your website or make purchases, you need to know that the connection between your website and your customer’s device is completely secure. An insecure connection leaves your customers susceptible to data theft and computer viruses.
In the event something like this turns out worse for your customers, it’s not a position your small business wants to be in. I’ve set up a secure website with an SSL/TLS certificate that helps both your small business and your customers feel comfortable.
A trusted Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate or certificate authority Transport Layer Security (TLS) will be able to provide a reliable connection that ensures security. An SSL/TLS certificate is a technology that protects and encrypts sensitive data transferred between your clients and your server.
It also ensures HTTPS encryption, which is a necessary requirement to protect sensitive information according to Google and the payment card industry. guidelines. When you see a gray padlock in front of your URL, this helps you know that an SSL/TLS certificate has been added and that you are secure on the website. This can also help protect privacy in communication and show that you trust the person you are talking to is real.
There are three different types of SSL/TLS certificates your small business can choose from. choose:
Extended Validation Certificate (EV SSL)
While this certificate requires the most rigorous validation process, it is available to all types of businesses. Processing time can take from a few days to a few weeks to process. It is recommended for all eCommerce businesses. The EV SSL Certificate (also known as an Extended Validation Certificate) verifies that your company is a legal entity and requires business information to prove domain ownership.
The EV certificate validation process has all the same components than OV (see below), but has additional steps, such as confirming that the applicant is employed by the company that is applying for a third party (usually another person within that company). Audits are repeated annually to ensure the sincerity of the issuance process. For small businesses that want to maintain the highest levels of authenticity, this certificate would be the best choice.
Organization Validated Certificate (OV SSL)
This OV SSL certificate (also known as high security certificate) requires real agents to validate domain ownership and other organizational information. This information includes your name, city, state, and country where the business resides and you also need the legal status of the business.When customers click the padlock in the address bar, they can be shown this information.
This therefore gives customers the opportunity to see who is behind the site and trust a little more on them. Like the DV SSL certificate (you’ll learn more about this in the next section), the OV SSL certificate requires additional documentation to verify the identity of the companies. Processing time for this certificate can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. It is recommended for all businesses and enterprises.
Domain Validated Certificate (DV SSL)
The DV SSL certificate (also known as a low security certificate) is usually the more standard type of certificate issued.
While performing the certification process, it ensures that the domain name is registered and that no information other than encryption information is displayed. An administrator must approve the request and confirm it via email or set up a DNS record for the site.
The processing time for this certificate can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. It is recommended more for the use of internal systems only. The DV SSL Certificate is most ideal for businesses that need a lower cost SSL certificate quickly without the work of sending company documents.
3. Use Strong Passwords
Simple as it may seem, hackers gain access to many websites because the passwords that protect them are too weak. Create strong passwords to help protect your site from hacking attempts to access your accounts.
This means being around 12-16 characters or more, a combination of unrecognizable letters, symbols and words should help do the trick. You should also regularly change your passwords to help with confidentiality.
Even using the same ones for more than one account can be convenient for you, but negative for hackers who access more than one account. Good password security can help maintain the integrity of your website and help keep your business accounts online.
4. Choose plug-ins and add-ons carefully
Out-of-date software is more susceptible to hacking and cyberattacks. Just as you update your computer’s operating system to keep it safe, you should update your website plugins and add-ons. Also find out when the software was last updated by its creator. Some plugins are extremely important to the security of your website.
Continuously updating and verifying them should be a process your business considers. When a plugin or plugin has been neglected for a long time, it is likely to pose risks to your website. When it comes to choosing these website extras, be sure to check their ratings and number of downloads to verify their credibility.
5. Create levels of access
Setting up a secure website includes creating different levels of access for your digital accounts. Everyone who keeps their websites up to date will have their own login details. You can choose to enforce different levels of access for each of these logins.
As an owner or your small business, you must have full access to the entire website. But it’s important to be aware of the dangers of sharing your login information.
A careless employee or freelancer could cause serious damage if your site is given free rein. Limit their access to the specific parts of the website that they need to complete their daily tasks. This way, you avoid exposing your website to unnecessary threats.
They could even bring potential threats and viruses when the wrong devices are used. Being aware of all possible scenarios is why creating different levels of access is so important to your small business.
6. Get Support
If you’re not tech-minded and don’t know much about online security measures, there’s a lot to learn about how to create a secure website. Getting the right help and support could save you time and improve the overall security of your website.
Get a development company on board to ensure that even the most technical security features are incorporated into the website. design of your website. Having professional knowledge and support can help your small business move from scratch. It also helps build essential security for your website.
7. Allow plenty of time for testing
When creating a new website, a lot of time and thought goes into the design and user experience. These are important aspects of your website, but they shouldn’t overshadow security issues.
A good developer will spend a lot of time between completion and launch of the website testing and adjusting security features. Trial and error testing helps improve bugs you might not have seen the first time. Take all the time you have to experiment with new security protocols to find what works best for your small business.
How to make a website secure with Boostability
Learning how to make a website secure is no easy task. You need to update your CMS and any plugins as per the instructions. Also keep up to date with any changes to website security advice. Keeping your website secure is just as important as creating a secure website in the first place. It’s important to grow and strengthen your small business website through protected security, SEO, and any updates that occur.
If you ever get stuck and need professional help, Boostability is here! here to help you! Our white label SEO services can help get your client’s websites seen by customers online. Connect with one of our SEO experts today to learn more about our SEO partner program and how we can help you!
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