As a real estate agent, your website is one of your most important assets. It represents you and your business online, but it also serves as a valuable source of information for potential clients. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your website is safe and secure. Here are a few tips to help you do just that.
Add HTTPS and an SSL Certificate
Adding a secure socket layer (SSL) certificate to your website is one of the easiest ways to ensure that your customers’ data is safe and secure. Having an SSL certificate encrypts the information submitted through your site with a private key, making it virtually impossible for hackers or cybercriminals to intercept and use that information for their gain.
There are a few different ways to add an SSL certificate to your website, including free options. Many hosting providers will offer low-cost or even free certificates as part of their service. Several online tools are available that can help you install the certificate yourself.
Beyond adding an SSL certificate to your site, you should also ensure that your site’s URL starts with “https://” instead of “http://.” It will ensure that all traffic to your site is encrypted and secure.
Minimize Idling at Your Website
Another way to keep your site safe and secure is to minimize the amount of spamming time. Idling is when your website isn’t being used for an extended period, and it can leave you vulnerable to attack.
There are a few different ways to reduce idling on your site. One is to make sure that you make the searches fast. Use a caching plugin to speed up page loading and reduce the time your site idles.
Besides, WordPress plugins are a crucial tool for website security, as they help minimize the risk of idling and make it harder for hackers or cybercriminals to gain access to your site. They can also help improve load times and optimize performance, which can be crucial in keeping your website safe and secure.
Additionally, many plugins and extensions offer security features that can help to protect your sites, such as malware scanning and two-factor authentication. Therefore, when looking for the most powerful IDX plugin for your WordPress, take time. It is where you focus on aspects such as the user-friendliness of the search. Ascertain whether there are mapping tools that give you clear images of the properties available.
Install a Web Application Firewall
This type of firewall works by shielding your website from cyberattacks and other threats, much like how a traditional firewall protects your computer.
A WAF can also be used as part of a content delivery network (CDN) to provide additional protection for your site. A CDN caches data from your site to be available faster and more reliably, and a WAF can use that data to protect your site from attacks.
When it comes to choosing a WAF for your website, be sure to look for one that offers complete control over the firewall settings so that you can customize them as needed. You should also ensure that the service has multiple servers worldwide and can provide quick alerts if something goes wrong.
Keep Software And Plugins Up-To-Date
Ensuring that all of your software and plugins are up-to-date is one of the most important things you can do to keep your online property safe. This includes everything from your web browser, to your content management system (CMS), to any third-party plugins you use on your site.
Regularly updating all of these tools ensures that your website has the latest security patches and protections to prevent hackers and other online threats from gaining access to your site.
If you’re not sure whether your website is up-to-date, or if you’d like to add an update notification plugin to ensure you’re always kept in the loop, check out some of the following options:
● Updates Notifier for WordPress:
This plugin sends an email notification whenever a new update is available for your WordPress site
● Sucuri SiteCheck:
This tool scans your website for malware, spam, and other known exploits and notifies you of any needed updates.
Ensure That You Have Regular Backups
This will ensure that you can quickly restore any lost or damaged files if something does happen to your site. There are a few different ways to backup your website, including using a hosting provider’s backup service or a third-party backup tool. Whichever method you choose, test your backups regularly to ensure they’re working as intended.
If you choose to keep your website backup on a home computer or hard drive, keep it up-to-date and store it securely. This will ensure that you have a copy of your website if it’s ever lost or damaged.
Automating your backup protects your site in case of unexpected data loss. Automated backups occur on a schedule that you set, so you can be sure that your data is regularly backed up and protected. Additionally, automated backups are often stored off-site, which means they’re safe even if something happens to your physical location or servers.
Select a Smart Password
This is especially true for real estate agents, who need to keep track of passwords for their website, their email, and any other programs or databases they might use. To make things easier, it’s a good idea to use a password manager to help you keep track of all your passwords.
A password manager is a program that stores all of your passwords in a secure, encrypted database. You only need to remember one master password to access all of your other passwords. Many password managers also offer additional features like two-factor authentication and the ability to generate strong passwords, which can help keep your online property safe and secure.
When it comes to passwords, longer is almost always better. The best passwords are at least 12 characters long and include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
You should also avoid using personal information in your passwords, such as your name, address, or birthdate. And if you’re using the same password for multiple accounts, be sure to change it up every so often to keep your information safe.
Use a Secure Web Host
It’s essential to choose a web host that offers secure hosting services. This means that your website will be hosted on a server that has been specifically designed to protect websites from cyberattacks and other online threats.
Therefore focus on the server security features that better protect your uploaded website data. Look for hosts that offer features like intrusion detection systems. It would be best if you also considered using a host with multiple servers worldwide to provide additional protection.
When choosing a web host, be sure to look for one that offers features like malware scanning and removal, DDoS protection, and firewalls. Additionally, you’ll want to ensure that the company has a good reputation for providing reliable and secure hosting services.
A rootkit is malicious software that allows an attacker to gain control over a computer or network without being detected. A rootkit scanner is a tool that helps to detect and remove these types of threats.
By default, only known FTP users can access your website’s files. If you need to allow an unknown user to access your site, you can add their IP address to the list of allowed IP addresses in the Security Settings section of the Control Panel.
If you’re looking for a secure and reliable web host for your real estate website, SiteGround or WP Engine are two good options. Both companies offer malware scanning and removal, DDoS protection, and firewalls, which help protect your website from cyberattacks and other online threats. Whether you choose SiteGround or WP Engine, your site’s security is the bottom line.
Change Your CMS Default Settings
These settings are the preferences and settings set by your content management systems (CMS), such as WordPress or Drupal. These settings are intended to provide a baseline level of security for your website, but they can often be adjusted to suit your needs better. Some of the key CMS default settings that you may want to consider changing include:
● Disabling File Editing
This setting prevents users from being able to edit files directly through the CMS interface. This can help prevent accidental or malicious changes to your website’s files.
Changing the Default Username:
Many CMSs use “admin” as the username for the main administrator account by default. However, this is a common username that hackers will target, so it’s essential to change it to something unique.
Some content management systems have default settings that may leave your site vulnerable to attacks. You’ll need to ensure that all the default settings are changed to more secure and reliable options to fix this.
It’s essential to regularly check for updates for all of the software on your website, including your CMS and any plugins or add-ons that you use. Keeping everything up-to-date can help prevent vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit.
Record User Access and Administrative Privileges
When you give someone access to your website, you must record their name and the level of access. This will help you to track who is accessing your site and what they’re doing on it. It’s also important to keep track of administrative privileges.
This includes the username and password for your CMS and any other accounts you have set up to manage your site. This is helpful, especially when your real estate website grows. As your site becomes more popular, you’ll likely need to give access to more people, and it’s essential to have a system in place for tracking who is doing what on your site.
Additionally, keeping track of administrative privileges will help to ensure that only authorized users have access to sensitive information, like your CMS login credentials. In short, keeping your real estate website safe and secure is a critical part of maintaining the health and integrity of your site.
Know Your Web Server Configuration Files
These configuration files are the files that contain the settings and options for your web server. They include the server’s hostname, IP address, and directory paths. By editing these files, you can change how your server behaves.
You’ll need to use a text editor like Notepad or TextEdit to edit these files. It’s essential to only edit the configuration files for your web server, as editing other files could cause severe issues with your site.
Web server configuration files control how your site is set up and maintained. While you likely won’t need to access these files directly, it’s essential to understand their function.
Try to avoid using any outdated scripts or programs on your website. This includes old versions of MySQL and PHP and any other software that its developers no longer support.
Tighten Network Security
Make sure that your network security is up to date and effective. This includes installing a firewall and ensuring that all of your devices are protected with antivirus software. Consider only allowing trusted devices and computers to access your network. You’ll need to set up a password for your router and use it to restrict access to your network.
If you’re not using your computer, you should log out so that someone else can’t use it without your permission. To make this easier, you can set up your computer to log out automatically after a short period of inactivity. This has helped many, especially after moving from the computer quickly.
Make sure that you’re well-informed about the latest network vulnerabilities and how to protect yourself against them. Stay up-to-date on the latest security threats and ensure that you’re doing everything to keep your website safe and secure.
Having a safe and secure real estate website is critical to ensuring that your site remains functional and free from hackers. You should change your website’s settings to be more secure, keep track of user access and administrative privileges, know your web server configuration files, avoid using outdated scripts or programs, and tighten network security. By following such tips, you can help to keep your site safe and secure.
