The ultimate website security checklist for growing businesses

As your business grows, so does your online footprint. From new domains and tools to third-party integrations, each addition introduces a new type of potential risk. Yet, many small and mid-sized businesses feel that cybersecurity is only something reserved for larger enterprises.

Well, they couldn’t be more wrong. Attackers often target smaller companies precisely because they are less secure.

The good news is that adopting strong website security measures doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. By following effective best practices and using the right tools, you can protect your business and its internal customer data, while also gaining a significant boost in customers’ trust.

Use our checklist to stay ahead of threats and keep your website resilient as you grow.

1. Map your attack surface

Before you can defend your website, you must first understand what needs to be defended. Your “attack surface” includes everything that could potentially be exploited, from your hosting environment to your plugins to even your team members’ access credentials.

Take time to map your digital presence so you can get a clear picture of where weaknesses may exist. This activity can also help you recall forgotten assets, such as abandoned subdomains, test environments, or integrations that may have been silently increasing your exposure in the background.

• List all domains, subdomains, dev/staging sites, and connected tools (APIs, CRMs, analytics).
• Identify every entry point, such as login pages, APIs, admin routes, uploads, and webhooks.
• Review who has access to hosting, CMS, or databases, what level of access they have, and why.
• Remove unused accounts, old staging URLs, and inactive integrations.
• Check what’s publicly visible about your business so you can avoid exposing sensitive directories or data.
• Categorize every third-party app (e.g., payment processors, data storage platforms, and analytics trackers) based on the kind of risk it makes you vulnerable to. Make a note of how frequently each of these apps is updated and reviewed.

2. Lock down your platform and stack

A secure website starts with a strong foundation. Weak configurations or outdated software are among the most common security vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit to gain unauthorized access. Regularly updating your WordPress core, plugins, and themes is essential to minimizing vulnerabilities and protecting your site against the most common exploits.

Hosting providers like EasyWP play a critical role in your website’s security levels. Choose a provider that offers robust security features and proactive protection (like malware scans and file integrity monitoring). Doing so will save you hours of manual work and reduce your risk of downtime, too, as an added bonus.

• Enforce HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) sitewide and configure HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) and secure cookies.
• Ensure your SSL certificate is valid and up to date to encrypt data between your site and its visitors.
• Apply Content Security Policy (CSP) and Subresource Integrity (SRI) to block SQL injections, cross-site scripting attacks, and other similar threats.
• Use a strong web application firewall to filter out malicious traffic and block DDoS attacks. Enable rate limiting for login attempts.
• Regularly update your website’s CMS, plugins, and themes to keep everything secure and performing smoothly.
• Delete inactive or abandoned plugins and themes.
• Set proper file permissions and disable directory listing.
• Turn on automated malware scans (e.g., using the MalwareGuardian tool).
• Set up proper file protection mechanisms to prevent unauthorized changes or tampering with your website files by users or malware.

3. Protect data and accounts

Your customers trust you with sensitive information – don’t make them regret it. Their trust in you is only as strong as your ability to safeguard it. The slightest slip-up in data protection and privacy controls could result in massive financial and reputational damage.

A strong identity and access management policy will ensure that only the right people can gain access to the right data at the right time.

• Set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) for admin and hosting logins.
• Assign user roles only as needed, staying in line with general role-based access control (RBAC) recommendations. For example, not everyone needs admin privileges. A content manager should not be able to modify technical website configurations.
• Avoid shared user accounts to maintain clear accountability.
• Encourage unique, complex passwords and enforce periodic changes.
• Use secure password storage methods, and never keep them written or stored in plain text.
• Keep sensitive keys and API tokens separate from your website code. Store them in your hosting environment or web server settings, and manage web server processes securely to avoid unauthorized access or slowdowns instead.
• Only collect data that you actually need. Overdoing data collection can open you up to unnecessary, avoidable security threats and also add to your data storage and processing costs.
• Implement data encryption not just in storage but also during transmission.
• Set short session timeouts and limit concurrent admin sessions.
• Remove inactive users, API tokens, and outdated credentials.

4. Monitor, log, and respond to incidents

Continuous monitoring is as important as setting up your defenses in the first place. It can help with early detection of anomalies, before they turn into full-blown incidents. By logging all activities and automating alerts, you can maintain constant visibility over what’s happening behind the scenes.

Also, incident response readiness is key. Clearly define who is responsible for investigation and communication, and outline the exact steps to contain damage, so you can act quickly when needed.

• Enable real-time security alerts for failed logins, file changes, suspicious admin activity, or other red flags in website activities.
• Log key actions, such as login attempts, plugin installations, and configuration changes, for a decent amount of time, say 90 days.
• Centralize security logs for easy review and anomaly detection.
• Use automated scanning tools and review scan reports regularly.
• Create a detailed incident response plan for seamless communication, investigation, and action.
• After any incident, perform a root-cause analysis and document all the steps that were taken to mitigate it.
• Set up security tools that can send any urgent notifications to a monitored inbox.
• Conduct regular security audits to evaluate your monitoring systems and confirm that alerts and response procedures are up to date and functioning correctly.

5. Updates, testing, and vulnerability management

Security is an ongoing cycle of prevention, detection, and response. Staying proactive about updates and vulnerability management helps narrow down attack windows.

Carry out some quick checks before every deployment as part of your CVE management plan. Scan for outdated dependencies, confirm backups are working, and figure out if any code changes might weaken your defenses.

• Review updates weekly. Apply security patches within a certain time window, e.g., 48 hours of release.
• Automate minor updates where possible. Test major updates in staging before production.
• Run regular, periodic scans for outdated or vulnerable plugins, themes, and dependencies.
• Replace unsupported components and maintain a blocklist of risky plugins.
• Integrate simple security tests into your deployment pipeline as part of a broader vulnerability management process. Doing so will enable you to identify weaknesses early on and fix them before attackers get to you.

6. Backups, recovery, and dependencies

Even with the strongest defenses, you could still be at risk for data breaches and outages. What separates resilient businesses from vulnerable ones is the level of preparedness they exhibit. Comprehensive backup and recovery planning ensures that, if something goes wrong, you can restore operations with minimal disruption. Testing these systems regularly is the only way to ensure they’ll work when needed. 

These practices help maintain a secure environment and minimize the impact of any potential security breach.

• Schedule daily encrypted backups stored off-site.
• Test full restore procedures quarterly to verify data integrity.
• Document who manages backups and where recovery instructions are housed.
• Define acceptable recovery times for different failure scenarios.
• Track all external dependencies and make sure that failsafe fallback options are put in place for each of them.

7. Build a security-focused culture

Even the best technology can’t secure your website if your team isn’t aware of how to use it properly. Building a culture of accountability and awareness ensures that your defenses remain strong and easily scale up as your team and business grow.

• Remind your team that everyone (not just IT!) plays a part in keeping all sensitive data safe.
• Provide short, regular training sessions on topics like phishing, safe password practices, and data handling.
• Encourage all team members to report suspicious emails or activities right away.
• Create a simple internal guide that outlines what to do if something seems suspicious.
• Build a healthy, open culture where team members feel comfortable asking questions without hesitation and raising security concerns.

Putting your checklist into practice

Website security isn’t just a one-time thing. It’s a continuous commitment. As your site evolves, so should your defenses. By closely following this website security checklist, you’ll always be ready to tackle the latest threats without losing focus on running and growing your business.

From governance and proper access control to encryption and monitoring, every layer plays a role in your long-term success. Security done right fosters confidence, not complexity. Make these steps part of your regular routine, and your website will remain both fast and fortified for the long run.

Explore our trusted guides, tools, and information dedicated to WordPress security, providing easy access to up-to-date information and solutions for any challenge.