--- title: "Web Security Best Practices for Site Owners - Simply Static" description: "Work through web security best practices for site owners with this detailed guide and set up your website securely." date: "2026-08-05T14:45:00+02:00" language: "en-US" canonical_url: "https://simplystatic.com/tutorials/web-security-best-practices/" source_url: "https://simplystatic.com/tutorials/web-security-best-practices/" content_type: "text/markdown" --- # Web Security Best Practices for Site Owners [website security](https://simplystatic.com/tutorials/tag/website-security/) Looking for web security best practices to help you protect your website effectively? We’ve got you covered. In this guide, we’ve put together the most important web security best practices that can help you protect your website, visitors, and business from various cyber threats. **They cover all the areas of your site that need protecting, including:** - Login pages. - User accounts. - Your website’s software and extensions. - Secure hosting. - and more. Most of these practices exist to prevent threats that come from having a database and dynamic code running behind your site. If you’d rather remove that altogether, there’s another option. You can convert your site with [Simply Static Studio](https://simplystatic.com/simply-static-studio/) to get a secure website without needing many of the tips in this guide. We’ll talk about that more throughout this post. ### Move your WordPress sites to Static Studio and publish them statically. Migrate your existing WordPress sites, keep the familiar WordPress editing experience, and serve lightning-fast static sites from one central platform. [Migrate Your Sites](https://static.studio/?signup=true) *14-day trial • No credit card required • Free migration support* ## Web security best practice 1: Secure your logins and site access For our first web security best practice, you’ll want to make sure that only the right people can log in to your website based on their ‘roles’.  For example, if you have a small team that helps you manage your site, you can create separate accounts for each person instead of sharing one login. Then, assign role-based access control to those accounts based on what each team member actually does. This follows what security professionals call the principle of least privilege. Give each person only the access they need for their role, nothing more. This will help you control who can sign in to your website and what they can do. It also stops the wrong people from accessing your website, stealing sensitive information, or making changes they shouldn’t. ![web security best practices](https://simplystatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/wordpress-login-1024x580.png) ### Ways to secure your logins and access Besides setting the right permissions, here are a few more ways you can strengthen your logins and access: - **Use strong, unique passwords.** You can encourage every team member to create complex passwords for their accounts. They should never reuse passwords across different sites.  - **Secure connected accounts. **You can also use strong passwords for your web hosting account, CMS, email, domain registrar, DNS provider, and other connected services. - **Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all accounts. **This way, even if someone steals your password, they won’t be able to access your website without this second verification step, like a code sent to your phone. - **Limit the number of login attempts. **You can block users or IP addresses after 3 or 5 failed login attempts. This is also known as rate limiting, and most security plugins let you set it up in a few clicks. - **Set session timeouts.** Good session management logs users out automatically after a period of inactivity, so an unattended, logged-in device doesn’t stay open to anyone who walks past it. - **Clean up user accounts. **You can review your user list accounts and delete accounts for former employees or contractors who no longer need access. Remember to use a password manager like 1Password or Bitwarden. These tools generate and store strong passwords so you do not have to memorize them. ## Security best practice 2: Keep everything updated If you use a content management system like WordPress, then your site needs to be running the latest version. This also includes your plugins, themes, or extra features you use.  These tools frequently receive updates. While some updates add new features or improve performance, their main job is to add security patches that fix known flaws. When software vendors discover a security flaw in their code, they release an update to fix it quickly. ![static site plugin updates](https://simplystatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/static-site-plugin-updates-1024x580.png) Installing these updates as soon as they’re made available seals those gaps before a hacker can use them to break into your site. In fact, [97% of all WordPress vulnerabilities](https://patchstack.com/whitepaper/state-of-wordpress-security-in-2025/) are found in outdated software. That’s why it’s very important to update your software immediately. ### What to update **Here are the main parts of your website that you should always keep up to date:** - **The core software. **You can make sure your CMS (content management system) is running on the latest version by checking its official website and updating it. - **[Plugins and extensions](https://simplystatic.com/tutorials/how-many-plugins-is-too-many-wordpress/). **You also need to ensure that all third-party add-ons you use, like contact forms, SEO, or ecommerce receive regular updates. If a plugin hasn’t received an update for the past six months, that’s a red flag. Also, remove any plugins you no longer use. - **Themes. **You need to keep your active theme up to date and delete themes you no longer need.  - **Server software. **Your website builder also runs on a web hosting server, which uses its own software, such as PHP and database systems like MySQL. Upgrading this, too, will keep your site secure. Luckily, most hosts help with that, so you don’t have to. ![enable auto update](https://simplystatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/enable-auto-update-1024x580.png) **Pro tip: **CMSs like WordPress let you enable automatic updates for the core software, plugins, and themes whenever it’s practical. This way, you won’t miss important security updates, especially if you don’t log in to your website regularly. ## Website security best practice 3: Choose secure hosting Web hosts play an important role in protecting your site, but the level of security you get depends *largely* on the type of hosting plan you buy. Almost all reputable hosts provide standard security features like free SSL certificates, DDoS protection, and automated backups. If you pay for higher-quality hosting (often managed hosting or cloud hosting), they do the heavy lifting for you by providing additional security features to protect you. ![simply static studio](https://simplystatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/simply-static-studio-1024x580.png) ### Advanced web hosting features to look out for **Some of these advanced security features include:** - **Web application firewall (WAF). **This filters malicious traffic and blocks many known threats (e.g., DDoS attacks) before they reach your website. - **Malware scanning and removal. **When a malicious file is found, it’s removed immediately before it infects your site. - **Vulnerability scanning. **This scans your website for known security weaknesses and alerts you so you can fix them before they’re exploited. Some businesses go a step further with penetration testing, where a security professional actively tries to break into the site to find gaps that automated scans miss. - **Server isolation. **This keeps your website separate from others on the same server, reducing the risk of cross-site attacks. - **Brute-force protection. **To protect you from brute-force attacks and automated bots. - **Automatic server patching. **So that your site runs on a secure foundation. ![WAF block](https://simplystatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/WAF-block-1024x580.png) ### Hosting security has limits But even with that said, these features aren’t always enough to protect a live WordPress site on their own. Traditional [hosting defenses like WAF struggle to defend against many WordPress-specific vulnerabilities](https://patchstack.com/articles/hosting-security-tested-87-percent-of-vulnerability-exploits-bypassed-hosting-defenses/). So, you’ll still need to pay for extra security tools just to keep your site safe. What if you didn’t have to protect a live WordPress website at all? That is where the [static WordPress hosting](https://simplystatic.com/use-cases/secure-wordpress-hosting/) option comes in. ### An alternative hosting option: Simply Static Studio [Simply Static Studio](https://simplystatic.com/simply-static-studio/) offers a static way of hosting WordPress. While other hosting providers focus on adding more security layers to protect your live WordPress installation, this type of hosting removes it from the public altogether. So, most of what traditional hosts need to protect, like the login page or the database, is not there.  ![static hosting](https://simplystatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/access-account-1024x629.png) You can still edit and manage content in private WordPress. However, your visitors only interact with a secure, static version of your WordPress site. Plus, you don’t have to battle various WordPress-specific attacks like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), cross-site request forgery (CSRF), DDoS attacks, brute-force login attempts, and many other security misconfigurations any longer.  Sometimes, the best security isn’t always adding more protection. It can involve removing what attackers are targeting in the first place. We’ll explore what Simply Static Studio does in more detail later. ## Best practice 4: Set up reliable backups If you want to recover quickly when something goes wrong with your website, you need a recent backup stored in a safe location. This way, if the worst were to happen. Like a failed plugin update or even a simple human mistake, like deleting the wrong folder, instantly wipes out years of work. You can easily roll back to a reliable backup file, restore your website to a recent working version, and get back online without rebuilding anything. ![website backup](https://simplystatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/sss-view-backups-1-1024x637.png) **Here are some reliable backup options you can set up:** - **Daily/hourly backups. **You can automatically back up your website every day, especially if you publish content regularly or your website changes frequently. - **Weekly backups. **If your website doesn’t change very often, backing it up once a week may be enough. The right backup schedule depends on how often your website changes. Whatever schedule you choose, make sure it’s automated, includes both your website files and database, and is tested regularly to confirm your backups can be restored successfully. Also, keep at least one copy of your recent backup in an off-site location. Preferably, a cloud storage service or a dedicated backup service. This ensures you can still recover your website even if your web hosting account becomes unavailable or is compromised. ## Best practice 5: Protect forms and user data Contact forms, login forms, registration forms, and checkout pages all collect information from your visitors. If they aren’t properly protected, they can become targets of spam, malicious submissions, and unauthorized access to sensitive data. The good news is that a few simple security measures can help protect both your website and the information your visitors share. ![static wordpress forms](https://simplystatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/connect-form-studio-2-1024x784.png) **Here are some ways you can protect forms and user data:** - Use CAPTCHA or similar verification tools to stop spam bots and automated attacks from submitting forms. - Validate what people submit. Input validation checks that form data matches what you’re expecting, like rejecting a phone number field that contains a script tag, before it ever reaches your database. - Only collect the information you need. The less personal data you store, the less information is at risk if your website is ever compromised. - Use trusted payment providers if you accept online payments, rather than storing payment information on your own website. - Delete old form submissions that you no longer need, especially if they contain personal information. - Keep your form plugins up to date to protect against newly discovered security vulnerabilities. In fact, for most site owners using a CMS, updating the software is the most practical defense you can do. Generally, if your website collects personal, healthcare, or payment information, you need to comply with GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, or other local regulations. ## Website security best practice 6: Set up SSL and security headers Another way to protect user data is via TLS encryption. SSL/TLS is a protocol that secures data sent between a visitor’s web browser and your website. Without it, your website uses an unsecured HTTP connection. That means anyone on the same network connection can read passwords or credit card numbers. When SSL is enabled, your website uses HTTPS, which means your site connection is secure. ![ssl certificate](https://simplystatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ssl-certificate.png) ### The benefits of setting up SSL - **Protects sensitive information. **You can protect passwords, contact form submissions, payment details, and other personal information as visitors share them with you over the internet. - **Builds trust with visitors. **You can build trust when your site displays HTTPS and the padlock icon in web browsers. - **Supports SEO.** Search engines generally prefer secure HTTPS websites over insecure HTTP websites. ![issue ssl](https://simplystatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/sss-issue-ssl-1024x645.png) ### Don’t forget about security headers While SSL encrypts your data, security headers tell web browsers how to interact with your website more securely. Together, they provide another layer of protection against common web attacks like code injection attacks.  **Some of the most useful security headers include:** - **Content Security Policy (CSP)** controls which scripts, images, and other resources your website is allowed to load. - **HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS). **You can enable this to force browsers to use a secure HTTPS version of your website. - **X-Frame-Options. **You can configure this to prevent clickjacking attacks by stopping other websites from displaying your pages inside invisible frames. - **X-Content-Type-Options. **This helps you prevent browsers from guessing file types. As a result, it reduces certain types of file-based attacks. - **Referrer-Policy. **This controls how much information is shared when visitors follow links from your website. Proper error handling matters too. A poorly set-up site can leak database details or file paths in its error messages, handing an attacker a map of your setup. Your host or a security plugin should hide these details from public view. The good news is that you don’t need to configure these features manually in most cases. Many hosting providers include free SSL certificates that you can enable with a few clicks. Security headers can often be configured through your hosting control panel, CDN, web server, or a security plugin. If you’re unsure where to start, your hosting provider’s documentation or support team can usually guide you through the process. ## Web security best practice 7: Monitor your site You might think your work is done once you’ve secured your website. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Website security is usually an ongoing process. New vulnerabilities are discovered every day, websites can go offline without warning, and suspicious activity can happen at any time. The sooner you detect a problem, the sooner you can investigate it, fix it, and reduce its impact. Otherwise, a small issue can turn into extended downtime, data loss, or unauthorized changes before you even realize something is wrong. To stay on top of your website’s security, it’s important to know what to monitor and set up alerts whenever possible. ![the wordpress security checklist](https://simplystatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/the-wordpress-security-checklist-1024x580.png) ### Key security checks to monitor regularly - **Website uptime.** Get notified if your website goes offline so you can respond quickly. - **Malware. **Scan your website regularly for malicious files or suspicious code. - **User login activity. **Watch for failed login attempts, logins from unfamiliar locations, or unexpected admin access. - **File integrity. **You have to be able to detect suspicious activity or changes to important website files or files that handle sensitive data. - **SSL certificate status.** Make sure your SSL certificate remains valid so visitors can continue accessing your website over a secure HTTPS connection. - **Keep an eye on [site performance](https://simplystatic.com/tutorials/improve-wordpress-performance/) too.** Unexpected slowdowns may *sometimes *indicate that something suspicious may have taken place. Most hosting providers and website security tools can automate these checks and send you alerts, so you don’t have to monitor everything manually. ## Your web security best practices checklist Use this checklist to review your website’s security and identify any gaps. If you can check off every item, you’ve already implemented many of the most important web security best practices we’ve covered so far. | Security check  | What to check | | --- | --- | | **Passwords ** | Use strong, unique passwords for every account connected to your website and store them in a password manager. | | **Two-factor ****authentication**** (2FA/****MFA****)** | Have 2FA enabled on your hosting account, CMS, email, and other supported services. | | **User access** | Ensure you give users only the permissions they need to do their jobs. Then, remove any accounts that are no longer active. | | **Software updates** | If you use a CMS, make sure the core software, plugins, themes, and any integrations are running on the latest versions. | | **Unused software** | Remove plugins, add-ons, or extensions you no longer use. | | **Hosting security** | Make sure your provider provides advanced security features, including WAF, DDoS protection, malware scanning, server isolation, and virtual patching. | | **Reliable backups** | Automate backups on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis depending on how frequently your site changes. Then, store at least one copy offsite after you’ve tested it. | | **Forms and user data** | You can protect forms with CAPTCHA, keep form plugins updated, and only collect the information you need. | | **Data protection** | Comply with GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, or applicable local data protection laws. | | **HTTPS** | Make sure you’re using a valid SSL certificate. This enables data encryption to protect your site connection. | | **Security headers** | You can check what security headers you have in place at [securityheaders.com](https://securityheaders.com/). | | **Site monitoring** | Set up an automated monitoring and alert system for uptime, malware, login activity, file changes, and SSL certificate status. | ### Website security is an ongoing practice But website security isn’t something you set up once and forget. You’ll still need to keep reviewing your security settings, applying updates, monitoring for problems, and responding to new threats. There’s another approach where you can turn your website into a static site, so there’s less security to manage. ## The hosting option that removes most of this work [Simply Static Studio](https://simplystatic.com/simply-static-studio/) is a static WordPress hosting platform that hides parts of your WordPress site that hackers frequently target. Instead of exposing your live WordPress installation, it only publishes a static version of your website that visitors can browse safely. ![static wordpress website](https://simplystatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/static-site-1024x655.png) **This means that the following parts are no longer publicly accessible:** - Your live WordPress installation. - PHP and other server-side code. - Active plugins and themes. - The login page. - The database. Simply Static Studio achieves this by converting your existing [WordPress website into a static site](https://simplystatic.com/use-cases/convert-wordpress-to-static/). Your visitors see the same pages, content, and design, but they aren’t interacting with WordPress itself. When you have all of WordPress hidden in this manner, then you won’t have to worry about constantly protecting what simply isn’t there anymore.  Your new static WordPress site is very secure, much faster, and requires way less maintenance. On top of that, Static Studio handles all technical settings, like WordPress hosting, installations, static hosting, and deployment, so you don’t have to. ![performance](https://simplystatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/performance-1024x686.png) ### Why should you choose Simply Static Studio? **Here are a few reasons:** - It removes WordPress’s public attack surface altogether by publishing a static version of your website. - Your static site is no longer vulnerable to WordPress-specific attacks that target the core software, plugins, themes, and the database. This includes many common web attacks, such as SQL injection, XSS, or CSRF. - A significant portion of the ongoing web application security best practices checklist is unnecessary. There are only a few components left to protect, manage, and monitor constantly. - It improves performance. Static files are usually ready to serve and load instantly. - Simply Static Studio is a managed platform. It installs WordPress for you, configures it, hosts it, and helps you deploy your files anywhere you want. The best part is you can still edit content in the familiar but private WordPress dashboard. To put it plainly, Static Studio uses WordPress where it is strongest but removes it where it creates risk, costs, and complexity. ## What is the OWASP Top 10? If you want to get a bit more technical and understand the kinds of security risks these web security best practices protect against, the OWASP Top 10 is a great place to start. The OWASP Top 10 is a widely recognized list of the most critical web application security risks. It is published by the Open Worldwide Application Security Project (OWASP). They explain each threat, its impact on websites, how to prevent it, and a few example scenarios. **Some of the risk categories include:** - Broken access control. - Security misconfigurations. - Insecure design. - Injection vulnerabilities (such as SQL or command injections). - And six others. You can find the full list on this page: [OWASP Top 20 | 2025](https://owasp.org/Top10/2025/)  #### Why website security is important to keep on top of As you know, data breaches can be very costly to a business, often costing millions of dollars to fix. Because the risks are too high, website owners have to focus more on site security and data protection. Taking just a few simple steps today will help you protect your visitors, prevent costly hacks, and keep your website running smoothly for the long term. ## Start applying web security best practices today. Having a strong web security strategy can help protect your website and the people who visit it. In this guide, we’ve suggested several website security best practices you can follow to improve your site’s security. You don’t have to implement all these web security best practices at once. But the sooner you do it, the lower your risk of running into avoidable security problems. Finally, if you’re looking for a simpler way to reduce security management, consider making your WordPress site static. By publishing a static version of your WordPress website, you remove the parts that hackers usually target, so it no longer needs protection from those types of attacks. We recommend [Simply Static Studio](https://simplystatic.com/simply-static-studio/) as the best static WordPress hosting platform for the job. It offers an easy way to build, manage, and publish static WordPress websites without giving up the familiar WordPress editing experience. Want to worry less about website security and site maintenance? Start your free Simply Static Studio trial today and see how simple static WordPress hosting can be. ### Move your WordPress sites to Static Studio and publish them statically. Migrate your existing WordPress sites, keep the familiar WordPress editing experience, and serve lightning-fast static sites from one central platform. [Migrate Your Sites](https://static.studio/?signup=true) *14-day trial • No credit card required • Free migration support* ### Security Workbook Sign up and get our actionable **WordPress Security Workbook** as a download straight to your inbox. #### Thank you! You have successfully joined our subscriber list. Table of Contents ### About the Author ![](https://simplystatic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/gina-lucia-2026.png) **Gina Lucia** Head of content marketing at Simply Static with years of writing experience in the WordPress and WooCommerce space. Speaks much more humanely compared to our founder.