Is WordPress Secure Enough for eCommerce Sites

Is WordPress Secure Enough for eCommerce Sites

WordPress has become one of the most user-friendly content management systems (CMS) presently in use. It has grown to become very popular amongst millions of users. However, its popularity has made it a good target for hackers.

It is estimated that there are 90,000 attacks per minute against WordPress websites. As a user, this should worry you if you are interested in using the platform for sales. This post offers you insight into how you can secure your WordPress eCommerce site with the best plugins. It also shows you the general safety management procedures you can adopt.

What are the Pros and Cons of Using WordPress eCommerce?

E-commerce has opened up new doors for thousands of entrepreneurs today. More than one-third of websites today are built on WordPress. For e-commerce, WordPress has a plugin called WooCommerce. However, the question that has become persistent is – Is WordPress safe enough for e-commerce?

Check out some of the pros and cons of using WordPress for e-commerce. Let’s start with the pros.

Pros of using WordPress for e-commerce

  • It is free and user-friendly: Presently, WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS). This is because installing it is quite easy and quick. The WooCommerce plugin allows you to convert a website into an e-commerce store by yourself. It is also free.
  • It supports multiple currencies and payment gateways: The platform supports geolocation that enables retailers to transact with multiple currencies. This pulls customers from various parts of the world. This speeds up sales for you.
  • It is SEO-friendly: WordPress can also be banked on to achieve good search engine optimization(SEO). It provides extensions and plugins as well. This way, your rankings on Google increase and you gain better visibility.

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Cons of Using WordPress for e-commerce

  • Security Problems: When it comes to security, users have to put in place, an effective strategy to ensure that they are protected from attackers. Because WordPress has become popular, it is becoming increasingly targeted by cybercriminals.

They do this by finding the flaws in WordPress to hack websites hosted on the platform. If things like plugins and themes are not regularly updated, the site is then vulnerable.

  • Not too effective for big e-commerce stores: WordPress indeed supports the customization of many features, however, it has lots of restrictions to a lot of things too. Big e-commerce sometimes may require specific features which can’t be added. This is because of WordPress APIs place restrictions on some things.
  • Fishy themes and plugins: As an online retailer, you can’t afford to risk the safety of your store’s data. While there are plenty of free themes and plugins available, not all are trustworthy. The free ones don’t necessarily provide you with what you need.

What Plugins Can I Use for My WordPress E-commerce?

Most worthwhile plugins that guarantee the security of your site have a price tag on them. There are however a few others that give this function for free but are limited. It is important to understand what you can gain from using each plugin. In the end, it’s for figuring out ways to keep cybercriminals from your site.

Let’s consider some of these plugins below.

  • iThemes Security: This plugin was formerly known as Better WP security. This plugin is one of the surest ways to protect your website. It has over 30 offerings to prevent hackers from gaining access to your site’s data. It is notable for recognizing vulnerabilities, old software as well as weak passwords.
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This security plugin provides you with change detection. This is essential since most webmasters don’t notice when a file has been tampered with. It also supplements your login protection by using Google reCAPTCHA integration.

  • Wordfence Security: This is one of the most notable WordPress security plugins. It is simple and has strong protection features. One of the main advantages of WordFence is that you’re never kept unaware of the entire traffic trends and hack attempts.

The scan part of the plugin fights off malware, threats and real-time spam. It also scans your files for malware. In addition to this, it monitors your plugins and informs you if they have been removed from the platforms depository.

  • WP fail2ban: The most important feature about this plugin is that it offers protection from brute force attacks. The plugin follows a unique approach in securing your data in a way that is different from most other plugins. It documents all login attempts as well as all system logs.

What Security tips Should I be aware of?

Some basic security strategies that you should be aware of and set up in your e-commerce site include:

  1. Strong passwords: The need for strong passwords cannot be overemphasized. Always use a strong lowercase as well as uppercase letters and infrequently used characters. This will prevent your e-commerce from getting hacked. Additionally, you can use Password Policy Manager for WordPress if you have other users accessing the site.
  2. Keep your site updated: Easy Updates Manager is a strong WordPress plugin. It offers you lots of configuration settings to aid you in automatically keeping your website updated.
  3. Keep your store backed up: One task you should never treat with levity is backing up your eCommerce site. Free plugins like UpdraftPlus can help you back up your e-commerce store to cloud-based applications.
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Conclusion

Implementing the techniques highlighted in this post is of prime importance for your e-commerce site. This is because you are consequently creating a strong and standard website and a business that your customers can trust. Therefore, don’t put off protecting your WordPress e-commerce site anymore.

We hope this article helped you find the most reliable WordPress e-commerce plugins to give your business the best digital experience. All you have to do is read through carefully and apply the guides and recommendations offered here. This would ensure that your WordPress site is secure enough for e-commerce sites.

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