How to keep your WordPress website secure and fast as a hobby developer
If you have set up a blog, a portfolio for freelancers or a website for your company, it is more than advisable to keep the website secure and fast. As a hobbyist, however, you often don't give this enough thought and are not always immediately aware of it. At MijnHostingPartner.nl we have a number of tools that make maintenance easier for you. And you can always guarantee a secure and fast website, even with minimal effort. Let's discuss the steps and measures in this blog post!
It all starts with the right foundation, theme and plugins
A WordPress website can consist of many different components. The trick to keeping your website as secure and fast as possible is not to overdo it. And to make tactical decisions when doing so. For example, before you install a separate plugin, see if you can't just add this little table via WordPress itself. After all, the fewer plugins you have, the fewer resources your website has to use to make certain pages available to visitors. So keep your plugin list as small as possible and make sure that they don't have a major impact on loading time.
Certain themes and of course theme builders have a big impact on the speed of your website, so pay attention to this and don't install extensive themes and plugins. This will make maintenance easier, your website will generally be faster and you can rest assured that your website will last a while!
The security of the WordPress website
To ensure WordPress security, you need to consider this from the start, so be careful when choosing a theme. Check the reviews and the latest updates of the theme. It should be updated regularly. It is also important that you take the perhaps logical steps. Set a strong password that you don't use for anything else and make sure you set up an up-to-date e-mail address so that you receive all information on time.
Install timely updates yourself and/or enable automatic updates
One of the most important aspects of maintaining your WordPress website is regularly updating the software. This applies not only to WordPress itself, but also to the themes and plug-ins you use. Developers frequently release updates to close security gaps and fix performance issues. It is advisable to check and implement these updates regularly. You can have them updated automatically, but some people prefer manual updates to avoid potential conflicts. In any case, regular updates are essential for the secure and smooth operation of your website.
Creating and managing backups
It is crucial to make regular backups of your website. Despite all precautions, unexpected events such as server outages, hacks or human error can occur, which can lead to data loss. If you make regular backups, you will always have a copy of your website at hand that you can restore if something goes wrong. There are several plug-ins that allow you to create automatic backups and send them to an external storage location, such as a cloud service or FTP storage. You can also do this without a plug-in directly from the control panel with a scheduled task. Check these backups regularly to ensure that they are running correctly and that you can restore them quickly in an emergency.
Put a few things on the calendar
Having a structured approach to maintaining your website can be very helpful. Schedule regular checks in your diary to make updates, check backups and carry out security checks. Performing these tasks at regular intervals will help you avoid forgetting or putting them off, which can affect the security and performance of your website. Make it a routine to check the health of your website, e.g. weekly or monthly, depending on the size and importance of your website.
Maintaining a WordPress website can be a challenge, especially for hobbyists, but with the right tools and a systematic approach, you can significantly improve the security and performance of your website. If you know the right steps and perform them regularly, you can enjoy a fast and reliable online presence.
