Website Security Checklist: 10 Steps to Protect Your Business Online

Small business websites are attacked every day — not because someone targets you personally, but because automated bots scan the internet for any site with a known weakness. The good news: a handful of basic steps blocks the vast majority of attacks.

The 10-step checklist

1. Use HTTPS everywhere. A free SSL certificate protects form data and is a Google ranking signal.
2. Keep everything updated. WordPress core, plugins, themes, PHP and server software.
3. Remove what you do not use. Old plugins, test pages and unused admin accounts are open doors.
4. Use strong, unique passwords with a password manager, and never share one login among staff.
5. Turn on two-factor authentication for hosting, domain, email and admin panels.
6. Take automatic off-site backups daily, and test restoring one at least once a quarter.
7. Add a web application firewall to block malicious traffic before it reaches your site.
8. Validate every form on the server to stop spam and injection attacks.
9. Limit file uploads by type and size, and store them outside executable folders.
10. Monitor uptime and changes so you know within minutes if something goes wrong.

What to do if you are hacked

Take the site offline, change every password, restore a clean backup, patch the hole that let attackers in, and request a review in Google Search Console if a warning was shown. Then put the checklist above in place so it does not happen again.

Alphabyte Technologies offers security audits and managed maintenance plans for business websites across Punjab. If you are unsure where your site stands, ask us for a free basic health check.