How to protect your Wordpress site (as small business)

If you're a small business owner or marketer, your WordPress website is not just "an online brochure".

It's your:

• credibility
• lead generator
• first impression
• and often your main sales channel

Yet WordPress security is still something that's either:

• ignored completely, or
• handled with way too many plugins and panic-driven decisions

Both are risky.

The good news?

You don't need enterprise-level security or 20 plugins to protect your site properly.

You *do* need to make a few smart, high-impact choices.

In this article, I'll show you **the best of the best things you can do to protect your WordPress site** as a small business — without slowing it down or breaking it.

This guide is written for **marketeers and small business owners**, not sysadmins.

What Are You Actually Protecting Against?

Let's clear up a common misconception first.

Most WordPress hacks are **not targeted attacks**.

They're automated.

Bots scan thousands of websites every day, looking for:

• weak passwords
• outdated plugins
• badly configured hosting
• easy entry points

If your site is slightly harder than average, bots usually move on.

That's the goal.

1. Use WordPress' Own 2FA (Lightweight & Effective)

Login security is still the **number one weak point** of WordPress sites.

If someone gets access to `/wp-admin`, the game is basically over.

Why passwords alone are not enough

Even strong passwords fail because:

• they get reused
• they leak via other platforms
• they're shared internally (yes, this still happens)

That's why **Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)** is no longer optional.

Why the built-in WordPress 2FA is the right choice

WordPress now offers a **native 2FA solution**, and honestly — that's exactly what most small businesses need.

**Why I recommend it:**

• lightweight
• no extra SaaS dependency
• no bloated dashboards
• maintained by WordPress itself

It does one thing, and it does it well.

**Best practice:**

• enable 2FA for all admin users
• preferably also for editors
• use an authenticator app
• store recovery codes safely

This alone already blocks a huge percentage of real-world attacks.

2. Stop Installing Plugins "Just in Case"

Plugins are great. I work with them daily.

But every plugin you install:

• adds extra code
• increases maintenance
• increases your attack surface

More plugins ≠ more security.

3. Why Heavy Security Plugins Often Do More Harm Than Good

This might sound counterintuitive, but it's important:

Overly heavy security plugins often cause **more problems than they solve**.

Common issues I see in practice:

• slower websites
• broken forms or checkouts
• conflicts with caching or CDNs
• false positives blocking real users
• endless warning emails no one understands

Many security plugins try to be:

• firewall
• malware scanner
• login protector
• file monitor
• backup system

…all at the same time.

That's rarely a good idea.

Security should be **boring, predictable and stable**.

4. Fewer Plugins = Better Security (and Performance)

One of the most underrated security improvements is simply **reducing your plugin count**.

Ask yourself regularly:

• do we really need this plugin?
• is it still maintained?
• could this be done natively or with a small tweak?

Red flags:

• no updates in 12+ months
• unclear changelog
• abandoned support
• "all-in-one miracle plugins"

Inactive plugins are **not harmless**.

If they're installed, they can still be attacked.

5. Good Hosting Is Part of Security (Not a Separate Thing)

If there's one area where small businesses underestimate impact, it's hosting.

Cheap hosting is cheap for a reason.

What poor hosting usually means:

• too many sites on one server
• no proper isolation
• no server-level firewall
• slow response to incidents

If one site on that server gets compromised, others often follow.

6. What "Good Hosting with Built-In Security" Actually Looks Like

Good WordPress hosting includes:

• server-level firewalls
• malware scanning
• account isolation
• DDoS protection
• automatic security patches
• proper backups

This kind of security happens **before WordPress even loads**.

That's far more effective than trying to fix everything with plugins afterwards.

👉 CTA: Hosting that actually protects your site

If you're based in **[your region / city]** and want WordPress hosting that's:

• fast
• secure
• and actually maintained

I offer **managed WordPress hosting with built-in security**, specifically for small businesses and marketing teams.

👉 **[Learn more about my WordPress hosting & maintenance](#)**

7. Keep WordPress, Themes & Plugins Updated (Yes, Really)

Most WordPress hacks exploit:

• known vulnerabilities
• that already have patches
• that simply weren't installed

**Best practice:**

• enable auto-updates for WordPress core
• auto-update trusted plugins
• remove unused themes and plugins completely

An outdated plugin is one of the easiest entry points for attackers.

8. Use Proper User Roles (Not Everyone Needs Admin)

This is especially relevant for marketing teams.

Giving everyone admin access is easy — until something goes wrong.

Why this matters:

• admins can install plugins
• admins can edit code
• admins can break everything

**Principle:** least privilege wins.

Admins only where necessary.

Editors for content.

Nothing more.

9. Don't Forget the Basics: SSL, Backups & Monitoring

These aren't "advanced", but they are essential.

SSL (HTTPS)

• always enabled
• enforced site-wide
• no mixed content

Backups

• automatic
• off-site
• easy to restore

If restoring your site takes hours or a developer — that's not a proper backup.

Monitoring

You don't need enterprise tooling, but you *should* know when:

• your site goes down
• something unusual happens
• disk space suddenly explodes

Good hosting already covers most of this.

10. Security Is a System, Not a Plugin

Strong WordPress security is:

• layered
• simple
• preventive
• boring (in a good way)

Not:

• reactive
• plugin-heavy
• panic-driven

The "Best of the Best" WordPress Security Stack

If you only do these things, you're already ahead of most sites:

• use WordPress' built-in 2FA
• keep plugin count low
• avoid heavy security plugins
• choose high-quality hosting with built-in security
• keep everything updated
• use proper user roles
• have solid backups

That's it.

Final Thoughts (From Someone Who Fixes Broken WordPress Sites)

Most hacked WordPress sites didn't fail because WordPress is insecure.

They failed because:

• basics were ignored
• hosting was an afterthought
• security was outsourced to plugins

If you're a small business owner or marketer, that's actually good news.

You don't need to become technical.

You just need to make **better decisions upfront**.

👉 CTA: Want this handled properly?

If you'd rather **not think about security, updates and hosting at all**, I offer:

• managed WordPress hosting
• maintenance & updates
• security best practices by default
• personal support (no ticket hell)

Especially suited for small businesses and marketers who want peace of mind with their WordPress site.

👉 Check my WordPress hosting & maintenance services

Or just get in touch — always happy to help you think things through.