No matter what kind of website you have—whether it’s a blog with a few hundred readers or an online shop with thousands of monthly customers—you need to ensure its security. This allows you to protect not just all of your data, but also that of your customers. With a secure website, you can establish yourself as a trustworthy entity and also save on costs. Both of these are good for your growth as a brand.
One of the best things you can do to secure your website is to work with a web design company. A competent one would be well-versed in various cybersecurity practices, which they can implement into the process of creating your website. This way, every necessary measure is already in place right at the beginning.
That said, it’s also crucial to understand what goes on behind the scenes. When you know what’s needed to design a secure website, you can make better decisions moving forward to further protect your website and its users.
Read on below for some of the best things you can do to ensure security when designing a website.
How to Design a Secure Website
Use SSL Certificates
A website works by exchanging data with a server. When an action is performed, like clicking a button, the website sends a request and the server responds accordingly. It’s in this process that hackers can get ahold of sensitive information. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution to prevent these hackers from deciphering the data being exchanged: installing an SSL or secure sockets layer certificate.
Basically, what an SSL certificate does is encrypt the data when it passes through the connection between the website and the server. This way, even if hackers are able to somehow access the data, they will have a difficult time interpreting it. As a bonus, search engines like Google will rank you higher because they will view your website as safe and reliable.
The good thing is that many web hosts already provide free SSL certification, so you don’t have to spend extra. However, if your website facilitates financial transactions and other exchanges of sensitive information, it’s better to invest in paid SSL.
Provide Different Access Levels per User
If multiple people need access to your website, it’s best to provide different permission tiers or levels depending on what they do. Make sure to give them unique usernames as well. For example, if you have a content manager who handles your blogs, you can give them access to the blog’s dashboard only to edit, upload, and delete content. This way, you can minimize errors, ensure accountability, and protect customer data.
That being said, you should also have a few other people who will have full admin access to your website besides yourself. This way, if there’s an emergency or if you’re currently unavailable, someone can handle admin duties on your behalf. Of course, make sure to vet the other admin account holders to make sure they’re capable and trustworthy.
Always Update Your Website and Plugins
Much like smartphone apps, your website and its security plugins must be updated regularly. This ensures that any security flaws and other bugs are addressed so that you’re better protected against cyberattacks.
Fortunately, many content management systems and plugins come with auto-update features. If they aren’t activated yet, make sure to do so. You can also ask your web designer and developer to activate these features for you if your website is still in progress.
Have a Backup System in Place
While technology has gotten much better over the past few years, it still isn’t completely faultless. If the servers that website hosting and maintenance your website get overloaded and crash, for example, your materials and data can be compromised. In worst-case scenarios, everything can be gone in a snap.
Thus, it’s wise to invest in a backup system that you can use to relaunch your website and restore data. You should also have automatic backups scheduled every time you make significant changes, so you don’t go back to square one if the unexpected happens. Again, you can ask your web designer and developer to have this feature incorporated into your website.
Lastly, make sure to download all your customer data every so often. About once a month is good, especially if you regularly get new customers signing up.
Conduct Regular Website Scans
Last but certainly not least, once your website is deployed, it’s recommended to conduct regular website scans to check for any vulnerabilities. This way, you can address problems before they get worse; you can also use the results to find more areas to improve.
Like SSL certificates, you can also find plenty of free website scanners online. If you want more features and increased security, however, you’re going to want to invest in a paid service with advanced capabilities.
Keeping your website secure is hard work, but it’s necessary if you want to protect yourself, your brand, and your customers. With these 5 tips, you can lay the foundation of a secure website that’s also aesthetically pleasing and easy to use.
