WooCommerce has made ecommerce so much simpler and is used by millions of online stores today. It is really easy to navigate and is completely free to use. If you want to make things really easy for your customers online, you should really think about installing WooCommerce. Although WooCommerce is very secure, there are still bugs that sometimes slip through the cracks. That is why you have to pay attention to these potential security risks so that they do not affect your website. Here are eight tips for improving your security with WooCommerce.
1. Use a Secure Hosting Service
There are a lot of web hosting services out there, but not all of them are secure. It is very important to do your research and choose a hosting service that is extremely secure. That means that you should not just use the cheapest hosting service you can find. It’s worth it to pay a little extra for a well-established hosting company with a proven track record for strong security measures.
2. Complete Necessary Updates
Every once in a while, WooCommerce will have new updates. It is very important to complete these necessary updates as soon as possible. If you forget about doing the updates that WooCommerce suggests, you leave your site vulnerable to attacks. A lot of hackers will actually target older versions of WooCommerce if they know these iterations have security issues. Do not ever ignore those ‘Please update now’ messages'. It does not take very long to do these updates, and they protect your website from potential threats.
3. Pick a More Creative Username
A lot of WooCommerce point of sale users will use ‘admin’ as their username. While this username is simple and easy to remember, you should avoid using it. If you use ‘admin’ as your username and your password is not that strong, your site is at risk of being attacked. Many hackers will just type in ‘admin’ as the username and try out a bunch of different passwords. It is a really wise idea to change your username to something a little less obvious. For example, you can use your first name with several different numbers.
4. Keep a Backup
Another thing you should do is always keep a backup of your online site. Even if there are a lot of security measures, your online store could still be vulnerable to attacks. If a bug attacks your site and you do not have a backup, you might be out of luck. Therefore, always endure that you have a back up of your important and precious data.
5. Use Security Plugins
Wordpress has a lot of different plugins available at your disposal, including security plugins. If you want to keep your WooCommerce site protected, you should take the time to download at least a few of these security plugins. It will only take a few minutes and will offer a lot of protection.
6. Think of a Strong Password
Do not underestimate the importance of a strong password for your ecommerce site. It might not seem like a big of a deal to use a really simple password, but it will put your site at risk. If you use a password like ‘abc123’ or ‘dog123,’ hackers will easily be able to crack the password. Take the time to think of a unique password that no one would guess. It might make it harder to remember, but at least you will not put your site at risk. You can always write your password down on a sheet of paper. Another thing you can do is use a password manager like LastPass to remember your password for you.
7. Limit Login Attempts
A simple way you can protect your ecommerce store is to limit your login attempts. If you have a number of failed login attempts in a given time, hackers will be able to get into your site easier. If you install a Limit Login Attempts plugin, you can enter the amount of retries will be allowed and how long and IP address will be locked out for.
8. Don’t Put Your Username on the Author Archive URL
When you create WooCommerce page, it will display your username in the URL by default. It might not seem like a big deal, but it can actually help hackers gain access to your site. That is why you should hide your username from the author archive URL.
The idea of someone hacking into your WooCommerce page is scary, but do not let it worry you too much. One of the benefits of using WooCommerce is that it features secure point of sale solutions. By using these tips to complement the security of the WooCommerce point of sale, your customers can shop with confidence and you can have peace of mind.