Five habits that keep a WordPress website healthy

WordPress powers a huge share of the web, which is exactly why attackers love it. The good news is that most hacked or broken websites have the same few causes, and a little routine care prevents most of them.

1. Update regularly, but safely

Out-of-date plugins are the most common way into a WordPress site. Updating them matters, but an update can also break a page. So we always back up first, update, then check the site. If anything breaks, it's rolled back automatically.

2. Remove what you don't use

Every plugin is a door. A plugin you installed three years ago and never use is still a door, and it's often an unlocked one. We flag plugins that are unused, abandoned by their makers, or withdrawn for security reasons, and recommend what to remove.

3. Keep the admin list short

Old staff accounts, agency logins from a previous redesign, "test" users: each one is a password that could leak. Review who has admin access every few months. We alert you if a new admin account appears unexpectedly.

4. Watch for the quiet signs

Hacks are rarely dramatic. More often it's a file that shouldn't be there, or a page that redirects visitors elsewhere. Our security watch checks every site we host every hour, and our team looks into anything new straight away.

5. Keep the padlock on

The padlock in the address bar (SSL) tells visitors your site is genuine and keeps their details private. Certificates expire, and an expired one makes browsers show a scary warning. We renew them automatically and check them regularly.

Bonus: speed

A slow site loses visitors before they've read a word. Page caching, image optimisation and a tidy plugin list make a big difference, and we can tune your site for you.

Want to know how your website measures up? Free digital growth check for a free overview in plain language, then order the full audit if you want every detail and a fix list.