11 Ways to Secure WordPress Website in 15 Minutes
“Security is not about perfectly secure systems. Such a thing might well be impractical, or impossible to find and/or maintain. What security is though is risk reduction, not risk elimination. It’s about employing all the appropriate controls available to you, within reason, that allow you to improve your overall posture reducing the odds of making yourself a target, subsequently getting hacked.” — codex.wordpress.orgI am starting this post with these lines because I think this is the most accurate description of the security of a system. Getting a WordPress website that increases the reachability of your business is the key. However, security of a website is always paramount. Although in spite of having a complex description, it has become insanely easy to implement. With such ease, any user can secure WordPress website. So, let’s reduce the risk and follow the checklist which will not take more than 15 minutes.
So, let’s get started,
#1: Make Sure of Backing up your WordPress Website

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#2: Delete the Old WordPress Directories

#3: Delete All the Non-Essential Plugin, Theme or Extension

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#4: Complete Update of your WordPress Website→ Top to Bottom

- Update all the plugins.
- Don't forget to update your WordPress theme.
- Update all the core installations.
What if you have a custom WordPress Theme?
If the theme you’re using on your website is a custom WordPress theme, and if you’re not able to update it, you must hire a developer to do that for you. You just simply cannot leave it. Some say it an unfortunate reality, some say it a self-created problem or some says it a necessary step. So, just don’t install and forget. You can actually configure for Automatic Updates to ensure the regular updates. → To Auto-update WordPress core files, copy paste these codes in the wp-config.php file:define( 'WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE', true );→ For the plugins, use:
add_filter( 'auto_update_plugin', '__return_true' );→ For Themes, use:
add_filter( 'auto_update_theme', '__return_true' );
#5: Secure your CPanel and WordPress Admin Accounts

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#6: Install a WordPress Security Plugin

#7: Start Using Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

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#8: Change the “Admin” Username

#9: Always Go for Limited Login Attempts

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#10: Enable SSL for Data Security

#11: Hide the version of your WordPress
Now, if you delay in the update of WordPress update, I recommend you to hide your WordPress version as it might work as breadcrumbs for telling hacker any useful information. There are three areas where your WordPress version is hidden. 1. The Generator meta tag (Header)meta name="generator" content="WordPress 4.0"2. Query strings on script (& Styles)
subscriptions.css?ver=4.03. RSS Feed’s generator tag
https://wordpress.org/?v=4.0In order to get rid of the version number, in all the three areas, in functions.php file, enter these codes,
/* Hide WP version strings from scripts and styles * @return {string} $src * @filter script_loader_src * @filter style_loader_src */ function fjarrett_remove_wp_version_strings( $src ) { global $wp_version; parse_str(parse_url($src, PHP_URL_QUERY), $query); if ( !empty($query['ver']) && $query['ver'] === $wp_version ) { $src = remove_query_arg('ver', $src); } return $src; } add_filter( 'script_loader_src', 'fjarrett_remove_wp_version_strings' ); add_filter( 'style_loader_src', 'fjarrett_remove_wp_version_strings' ); /* Hide WP version strings from generator meta tag */ function wpmudev_remove_version() { return ''; } add_filter('the_generator', 'wpmudev_remove_version');Also, make sure that you remove the readme.html file from the install folder as this also expose your version number. So, these are the 11 ways by which you can secure WordPress website in just 15 minutes. Let’s have a quick recap and make sure that you understand everything.
Also Read: 7 Effective Ways to Make Your WordPress Website Load Faster!
Step1 - Make sure of Backing up your WordPress Website. Step2 - Delete the Old WordPress Directories. Step3 - Delete all the non-essential plugin, theme or extension. Step4 - Complete Update of your WordPress website→ Top to Bottom. Step5 - Secure your CPanel and WordPress admin accounts. Step6 - Install a WordPress security Plugin. Step7 - Start Using Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). Step8 - Change the “Admin” Username. Step9 - Always go for limited login attempts. Step10 - Enable SSL for Data Security. Step11 - Hide the version of your WordPress. So, these are the steps to secure WordPress website. If you stuck somewhere let me know through the comments I will help you up to my full potential. Till then have a good one.