When Wordpress came out, it was almost instantly the preferred solution for bloggers, would-be website owners, or anyone who wanted to have a website but just wasn’t tech savvy to create one. Due to word of mouth and persistent advertising, millions of people jumped on the bandwagon and created their own Wordpress site.

Image source: Rose Hosting

Today, there are almost 60 million Wordpress sites making them one of the largest targets for hackers. With millions of hackers around the world creating malware, Trojans, and viruses, one would think that keeping a Wordpress site secure would be an impossible task. Fortunately, most of the attacks are similar in nature and can be repelled.

Unfortunately, the security of your site will heavily rely on your web host. You will definitely need to apply some security measures, but the security of the server itself will be handled by the host, not you. If a hacker gets through the security of the server, it won’t be long until you find your site’s been hacked and your sensitive information has been stolen.

So, if you’re planning to build a Wordpress site or actually have one or more in operation, you might want to double-check your host’s security protocols and your site’s security measures as well.

It is understandable that not every website owner knows how to protect their site or is familiar with the jargon of the website security community. However, if you’re concerned about losing your data or your site to a hacker, you’re going to have to step-up your game and learn about website security.

How to find a responsible host

In an industry that experiences millions of attacks a day, one would think that all the web hosts are security conscious. Unfortunately, that’s not what’s happening. Some web hosts may provide such an image, but in reality, they only apply weak security measures to save costs. There are those who truly care about their clients and provide excellent security for Wordpress sites. How would you know which hosts provide the best security? Here are a few things you should look for in a web host.

Check the number of websites on a shared server – To save on costs and maximize their profits, some web hosts love cramming as much sites as they can on a server. If you have a shared hosting plan, your site could be hosted on a server with hundreds of other sites. When a web host does this, security is not a priority. You should ask your host for the number of other websites that you’ll be hosted along with on the same server.

Even if you’re being hosted on a VPS, it’s imperative that you determine if they provide a secure VPS hosting. Bear in mind that even though you’re on virtual server, you’re still sharing a single physical server with other websites.

Firewall – The firewall acts as your frontline security and this goes for the server as well. Check with your web host to find out what type of firewall they’re running. If your host isn’t running a legitimate firewall, you’re going to have to find another host.

Historically, Linux VPS hosting has provided the more secure environment. If you combine a legitimate firewall with an OS like Linux VPS, you’re practically ensured that your site is secure.

Response – One of the hardest ways to learn about the importance of website security is to experience being hacked. If your site was hacked and you asked for support from your web host, but you didn’t receive the type of response you wanted, there’s no use wasting time, move on to another host. Web hosts that are truly concerned about security will be very interested in your situation since it also affects the security of their equipment. You can be sure they’ll quickly respond when you tell them you’ve been hacked.

Which webhost should you go to?

Plenty of hosts provide adequate security for Wordpress sites. To single out a few would be an injustice to the others since it takes a lot of effort to secure a site so all of them should be recognized. It won’t be difficult to identify a reliable web host since not only do they advertise how much they’re concerned about security, other website owners will attest to their performance.

Do your part

The webhost will play a big part in securing your Wordpress site, but you will also need to do your part. You can secure your site in plenty of ways. For instance, creating a secure password will prevent blunt force attacks. You can also optimize your Wordpress site by ensuring that Wordpress, plug-ins, themes, and everything else you use are regularly updated. Security is the responsibility of everybody, so always do your part in keeping your site secure.

Author Bio:

Joy Mali is a certified digital analyst who helps online businesses to perform better on the web with best solutions & advice. Her content is featured on many mainstream sites & blogs. You can follow her on Google Plus.