Three key actions we take with every new WordPress business website

Although 2820 Press still hasn’t reached its first birthday, I’ve been developing sites on WordPress since it forked from b2 almost a decade ago. Over the past few years, WordPress really proved itself as capable of delivering a quality experience for business websites, especially when paired with custom theme design.

However, I still find myself running a lap of usability and security exercises whenever I start working on a new WordPress installation. With a simple content audit and some project management work upfront, I can create a more secure WordPress environment that allows me to focusing on automating my workflow. My hit list includes:

• Database hardening. Some of the most notorious WordPress hacking incidents happen on shared servers—a common installation on low-cost web hosts. I like to rename WordPress database names and table prefixes, so they’re nearly impossible for hackers to find. Then, I partner with web hosts to ensure that only the valid WordPress application within the same domain can make database calls against the live database. That way, my client’s protected from remote attacks, even when the attack emerges from the same hosting facility.
• Cloud backup. Many of our clients still prefer to host their sites in shared environments, and that’s generally fine. However, I like to know that we can restore a site quickly if that client’s “roommate” gets hit with a spike in service or a DDoS attack. Therefore, I install an automatic backup system that copies both the WordPress database and the front end code to a secure, remote location. In the worst case scenario, we can usually get traffic rerouted to a backup server at an alternate host within about 15 minutes.
• Page caching.Of course, we never want to see our clients experience downtime, at all. That’s why we encourage our clients to use third-party caching networks, like Akamai or CloudFlare. Not only does a caching system speed up your pages by reducing the load on your WordPress installation, it can keep your site alive during a hardware failure or a hostile attack.

You can find tutorials online that can walk you through all three of these procedures. Or, you can let our team handle it all. Our Most Popular Content Marketing Package includes WordPress maintenance and management, regardless of the host you currently use. Contact our team today to learn how you can take WordPress installation, backup, and security off your plate.