5 Steps to Secure a Website

The internet hosts and transmits vast amounts of data, which is being exchanged each minute. As an individual, you may think that your small business website would not be interesting to hackers, yet in today’s digital environment, there is value in everything that is online. Even a small business website is expected to hold some sort of data that could lead to critical and sensitive information - perhaps a login name and password being used across all online accounts.

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SMEStreet Desk
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The internet hosts and transmits vast amounts of data, which is being exchanged each minute. As an individual, you may think that your small business website would not be interesting to hackers, yet in today’s digital environment, there is value in everything that is online. Even a small business website is expected to hold some sort of data that could lead to critical and sensitive information - perhaps a login name and password being used across all online accounts.

If you own a small business, your website represents your brand and reputation, along with valuable information that not only belongs to you but your customers as well. Since most small business owners are not experts on online security protections, their websites can become easy targets for cybercriminals. As per GoDaddy’s Global Entrepreneurship Survey 2019, about 21% of Indian entrepreneurs fear cybersecurity as a rising concern impacting the growth of their business.

Here are a few tips to help protect your website and your company and customer’s data:

  1. Install an SSL Certificate for your website

For those running an eCommerce website or performing any kind of online transactions, SSL is NOT OPTIONAL.  Customers are putting their trust in your business while sharing personal information like their name, address, email and banking details on your website. As a business owner, it is your responsibility to help protect that data. In fact, Google has started using website protections as a ranking signal, to help ensure that people who use the search engine will be directed to only authentic and safe websites. The encryption used in SSL Certificates helps to protect the transmission of data to and from your website. To get this protection for your website, you can install an SSL Certificate from a trusted Certificate Authority (CA) like GoDaddy, among others. A website with SSL protection will show a padlock and the word ‘Secure’ in the address bar. These prominent security indicators show your customers your site and business is legitimate and builds customer trust. In addition, websites that have SSL Certificates for their website also get a better search ranking visibility on Google.

  1. Embrace password management

While using the same password everywhere is a common practice, this can land you and your business in potentially serious trouble. Hackers can gain access to all your confidential information from all your accounts that use the same password, through cross-application password access. Hence, it is advisable to keep a password which is hard to guess, using special characters, yet that you can remember and not the same one for all your accounts. Additionally, you may want to consider using a password manager app to help keep your passwords in one place.

  1. Enable two-factor authentication

Even with a strong password, there are chances that cybercriminals can hack into your account.  Enable two-factor authentication for account sign-in, to provide an extra layer of security to your website.  Two-factor authentication is a method of confirming user’s identities by using a combination of two different ways to verify themselves, prior to accessing the requested resources. It adds an additional layer of security helping to protect the user’s credentials and access. Some examples include push notification, entering a second password, or a biometric factor.

  1. Always back up your data

The last thing a small business owner would want is to lose their data to a cyber-attack. Regularly backing up your data is another crucial measure that must be considered. There are a variety of backup providers available on the market today such as GoDaddy, AWS, among others, offering more services, in addition to safeguarding critical business files and folders.

  1. Invest in security solutions

A security shield is the first step of defence that a cyber-criminal tries to break. It is important to deploy a good cybersecurity solution, like using a continuous automatic monitoring website security service, to provide comprehensive digital protection for your online business, from external threats. Ensure that your security solution includes anti-virus, anti-spam and firewall protections.

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