Website Security Basics Every Business Owner Should Know

You might think your small business website isn't a target for hackers. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong. Small business sites are actually prime targets precisely because they often lack proper security measures.

The good news is that basic website security isn't complicated or expensive. A few sensible precautions can protect your business, your reputation, and your customers' data.

Here's what every business owner needs to know.

Why Small Businesses Are Targets

Hackers don't just go after big corporations. Small businesses are attractive because:

• Easier targets — often running outdated software with known vulnerabilities
• Less monitoring — attacks may go unnoticed for longer
• Valuable data — customer details, payment information, email lists
• Stepping stones — compromised sites can be used to attack others
• Automated attacks — bots scan millions of sites looking for weaknesses

A hacked website can damage your reputation, lose customer trust, hurt your search rankings, and even result in legal consequences under data protection laws.

1. Use HTTPS (SSL Certificate)

If your website address starts with "http://" instead of "https://", you have a problem. The "s" stands for secure, and it means data between your site and visitors is encrypted.

Why it matters:

• Protects data in transit — form submissions, login details, payment info
• Builds trust — visitors see the padlock icon in their browser
• SEO benefit — Google favours secure sites in rankings
• Required for some features — many modern web features require HTTPS

What to do:

Most hosting providers offer free SSL certificates through Let's Encrypt. If yours doesn't, switch to one that does. There's no excuse for running an insecure site in 2025.

2. Keep Everything Updated

Outdated software is the single biggest security vulnerability for most websites. When security flaws are discovered, updates are released to fix them. If you don't update, those flaws remain open for attackers to exploit.

What needs updating:

• Content management system — WordPress, Joomla, etc.
• Themes — even if they look the same, updates include security fixes
• Plugins and extensions — every one is a potential vulnerability
• PHP version — the underlying software your site runs on
• Server software — your host should handle this

"I've seen sites hacked through plugins that hadn't been updated in three years. The vulnerability was publicly known — attackers just scanned for sites still running the old version."

What to do:

Enable automatic updates where possible. Check for updates at least monthly. Remove any plugins or themes you're not using — they're still a risk even when inactive.

3. Use Strong Passwords

This sounds obvious, but weak passwords remain one of the most common ways sites get compromised. "admin/admin" or "password123" are still frighteningly common.

Password best practices:

• Make them long — 12+ characters minimum
• Use a mix — letters, numbers, symbols
• Make them unique — don't reuse passwords across sites
• Use a password manager — you can't remember good passwords for everything
• Change default usernames — don't use "admin" as your login

Enable two-factor authentication:

2FA adds a second verification step — usually a code from your phone. Even if someone guesses your password, they can't get in without the second factor. Enable it on your website admin, hosting account, and domain registrar.

4. Back Up Regularly

Backups won't prevent an attack, but they're essential for recovery. If the worst happens, a good backup means you can restore your site instead of rebuilding from scratch.

Backup essentials:

• Back up everything — files AND database
• Automate it — manual backups get forgotten
• Keep multiple versions — sometimes you need to go back further than yesterday
• Store off-site — if your server is compromised, backups on it might be too
• Test restores — a backup that doesn't work isn't a backup

Many hosting providers include automatic backups. Check what's included with yours, and consider additional backup solutions for critical sites.

5. Limit Login Attempts

Brute force attacks try thousands of password combinations until they find one that works. Limiting login attempts stops this by locking out users after several failed tries.

What to do:

• Install a security plugin that limits login attempts
• Lock out IPs after 3-5 failed attempts
• Hide your login page — change it from the default /wp-admin or /admin
• Block known bad IPs — many security tools maintain blocklists

6. Choose Hosting Carefully

Your hosting provider plays a significant role in your security. Cheap hosting often means shared resources with hundreds of other sites — if one is compromised, others can be affected.

What to look for:

• Automatic updates for server software
• Malware scanning and removal
• Firewall protection
• DDoS protection
• Regular security audits
• Good support — if something goes wrong, you need help fast

Quality hosting costs more, but it's worth it. The cost of recovering from a hack far exceeds the difference between cheap and quality hosting.

7. Be Careful What You Install

Every plugin, theme, or script you add to your site is potential risk. Some are poorly coded. Some become abandoned and stop receiving security updates. Some are actively malicious.

Before installing anything:

• Check when it was last updated — avoid abandoned software
• Read reviews — look for security concerns
• Check the developer's reputation
• Only install what you actually need
• Never use nulled/pirated software — it's often bundled with malware

8. Monitor Your Site

You can't fix problems you don't know about. Regular monitoring helps you catch issues early.

What to monitor:

• Uptime — get alerts if your site goes down
• File changes — unexpected changes could indicate compromise
• Blacklist status — check if search engines have flagged your site
• SSL certificate expiry — don't let it lapse
• Security scan results — regular automated scans

Google Search Console will alert you to some security issues. Security plugins can provide more comprehensive monitoring.

What to Do If You're Hacked

If the worst happens:

1. Don't panic — but act quickly
2. Take the site offline — prevents further damage and protects visitors
3. Contact your host — they may be able to help identify the issue
4. Restore from backup — if you have a clean one
5. Change all passwords — assume they're all compromised
6. Update everything — close the vulnerability that was exploited
7. Scan thoroughly — make sure all malware is removed
8. Request review — if search engines flagged your site
9. Learn from it — understand how it happened to prevent recurrence

If you handle customer data, you may have legal obligations to report breaches. Check your responsibilities under GDPR and other relevant regulations.

Security Checklist

Here's a quick checklist to assess your current security:

• ✓ Site uses HTTPS with valid SSL certificate
• ✓ CMS, plugins, and themes are up to date
• ✓ Strong, unique passwords on all accounts
• ✓ Two-factor authentication enabled
• ✓ Regular automated backups running
• ✓ Login attempts are limited
• ✓ Hosting provider has good security reputation
• ✓ Only necessary plugins installed
• ✓ Regular security scans running
• ✓ Someone is responsible for monitoring

If you can't tick all of these, you have work to do.

Written by Chris

Web developer and founder of Colourjam. Keeping client websites secure for over 20 years. Based in Moray, Scotland.