When business owners think about their website, they often picture the front end—the design, copy and user experience. But behind every great site is a website hosting environment that makes it all run smoothly. Hosting is the foundation of your website’s security, speed and uptime, and without a secure hosting setup, your website and business are vulnerable to hackers, downtime and data loss. Here are some of the best practices to protect your website.
Choose a Secure Hosting Provider
“Many business owners don’t realize how critical hosting is until something breaks. And then what? Our job is to make sure you don’t ever have to worry about that, and if something should happen, you have someone to call,” says John Drake, owner of J Drake Web Design. “We keep your site safe, running and backed by real people who know how to fix things fast.”
While it may be tempting to go with the cheapest option, cut-rate hosting providers often skimp on essential security features. A secure host will offer firewalls, malware scanning, server hardening, intrusion prevention systems and routine updates—all designed to keep your site protected from emerging threats.
There’s also a big difference between managed and unmanaged hosting. With unmanaged hosting, you’re responsible for everything: security updates, software patches and troubleshooting. Managed hosting includes built-in support and monitoring—a great advantage if you don’t have a dedicated IT team in-house.
Work with a Local, Accessible Hosting Company
“I’ve had clients come to us after a bad experience with cheap or anonymous hosting providers. They were stuck in endless ticket queues and unable to speak to a human,” Drake says. “That’s not how it should work. We believe in being available and responsive.”
One of a business owner’s biggest mistakes is choosing a faceless, remote hosting provider—especially one that operates entirely through a web interface and offers little to no human support. When something goes wrong with your website, you don’t want to be stuck submitting a support ticket and waiting days for a reply.
Working with an accessible hosting company gives you peace of mind. You know who’s managing your site, and you can pick up the phone or send an email and get a timely, personal response. You also get more customized solutions from someone who understands your unique business needs.
Use SSL Certificates and HTTPS
An SSL certificate encrypts data transferred between your website and its visitors, protecting sensitive information lie login credentials, contact form entries and payment details. Without SSL, your site is vulnerable to attacks and won’t be trusted by modern browsers.
Search engines also favor HTTPS sites, meaning your SSL isn’t just about security, it’s also about visibility. SSL is generally offered as part of your host’s plans, and your host handles installation and automatic renewal for you.
Related post: The Importance of SSL Certificates for Website Security and SEO
Keep Software, Plugins and Themes Updated
Outdated software is one of the most common ways hackers gain access to a website. Keeping your core software, themes and plugins up to date is non-negotiable. Developers regularly release patches to close security gaps, and if you don’t apply them, you leave your site exposed.
A good hosting provider will help monitor your website for outdated components and handle updates for you. If your host also developed your site, that integration makes the update process more seamless and secure.
Implement Regular Backups and Recovery Plans
Website security isn’t 100% all the time. That’s why backups are critical. If your site is compromised, accidentally deleted or goes down due to a plugin conflict, a reliable backup can mean the difference between a quick recovery and days of costly downtime.
Your host will offer automatic backups stored offsite, with a version history so you can roll back to a specific date. Backups should be taken daily, and more frequently for high-traffic or e-commerce sites.
J Drake Web Design is the Right Choice for Your Secure Website Hosting
“Most business owners don’t have time to worry about firewalls, malware scans or software updates—and they shouldn’t have to. That’s our job,” Drake says.
At J Drake Web Design, we keep your website safe. We offer secure, fully-managed hosting designed specifically for your needs. Our hosting includes built-in firewalls, malware protection, routine backups and hands-on monitoring. And when we build and host your site, you can trust that everything will work together seamlessly.
We are not an anonymous online system, so if there’s ever an issue or question, you can speak with us directly. Our goal is to offer you the best personal service so you can focus on your business while we handle the behind-the-scenes technical details.
When you choose J Drake Web Design, you get a long-term partner who’s invested in your success and committed to keeping your digital presence secure, stable and always online.
Contact us today at 804-218-1063.