Secure WordPress: Why It’s Essential for Every Online UK Business
/ Table of contents
- Secure WordPress
- Does WordPress Have Good Security?
- Why Is It Important for a Website to Be Secure?
- What Can Happen If a Website Is Not Secure?
- Are WordPress Sites Easily Hackable?
- What Is the Most Vulnerable Part of a WordPress Website?
- WordPress Security Plugins – KIJO Recommends
- How to Keep Your WordPress Site Secure
- Is WordPress Secure? Final Thoughts
Secure WordPress
For years, WordPress security has been misunderstood. Some still think WordPress is “less secure” because it’s open-source. Others just assume security is purely a technical concern; something for developers to worry about once a site is live. In reality, WordPress security is a brand, revenue and trust issue – and one that marketing managers shouldn’t ignore.
Did you know that 50% of businesses and 32% of charities report having experienced some form of cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months? But, a third of workers rarely think about cyber security when at work.
If your website is central to lead generation, eCommerce, brand perception or customer trust (and for most businesses, it is), then keeping WordPress secure isn’t optional. It’s fundamental. Particularly when 43% of businesses literally lost existing customers because of cyberattacks in 2024…
In this KIJO guide, Jordan Thompson, KIJO’s Co-Founder, breaks down what a ‘secure WordPress’ really means, how vulnerable sites actually become compromised, and what businesses should be doing in 2026 to protect their digital presence properly.
Related Read: How to Reevaluate Your Business and Brand, Audit and Strengthen Your WordPress eCommerce Site
Does WordPress Have Good Security?
Yes, WordPress does have good security… When managed properly.
WordPress itself is built with security in mind. It’s maintained by a global team of developers, receives frequent updates, and benefits from being one of the most scrutinised platforms in the world. Any potential vulnerabilities are usually identified and patched quickly.
Where problems arise is how WordPress is used.
Out-of-date plugins, poor hosting, weak credentials and neglected maintenance are far more likely to cause security issues than the WordPress core itself. In other words, WordPress isn’t inherently insecure, but unmanaged WordPress is.
“WordPress security failures almost always come down to process, not platform. When businesses treat their website like a living system rather than a one-off build, security becomes far easier to manage.”- Jordan Thompson, KIJO’s Co-Founder
Why Is It Important for a Website to Be Secure?
It is important for a website to be secure because it protects far more than just data.
It protects:
- Your brand reputation
- Customer trust
- Search engine visibility
- Revenue and lead flow
- Compliance obligations
For marketing teams, a security breach can undo years of brand-building in days. Users don’t distinguish between a technical failure and a brand failure. If your site is compromised, trust drops instantly.
There’s also a practical knock-on effect. Google actively penalises hacked or unsafe sites, browsers display warning messages, and paid traffic can be wasted if landing pages are taken offline.
Security is part of user experience, whether users consciously realise it or not.
What Can Happen If a Website Is Not Secure?
If a website is not secure, common things that can happen include:
- Malware injected into pages without your knowledge
- Potential fines if you lose sensitive customer data
- Redirects to spam or phishing sites
- Loss of search rankings or de-indexing
- Downtime during key campaigns
- Reputational damage that’s hard to undo
For businesses operating in competitive or high-trust industries, even a brief security incident can have long-term implications.
“From a brand perspective, the biggest risk is actually loss of confidence in you/your product. Once users see a security warning, you won’t get a second chance.”
– Jordan Thompson, Co-Founder at KIJO
Are WordPress Sites Easily Hackable?
WordPress sites aren’t easily hackable – this is one of the most common misconceptions. But, poorly maintained WordPress sites are predictable targets.
Attackers don’t usually target individual brands. They scan the internet for known vulnerabilities, outdated plugins and weak login protections. Sites that haven’t been maintained properly simply stand out.
In that sense, security isn’t about being “unhackable”. It’s about not being the easiest option in a sea of potential targets.
What Is the Most Vulnerable Part of a WordPress Website?
In most cases, the most vulnerable part of a WordPress website come from three areas:
- Plugins and themes that aren’t updated regularly
- Weak admin credentials or shared logins
- Poor hosting environments
Third-party plugins are often the biggest risk, especially when businesses install more than they need or fail to remove unused tools. Each plugin introduces new code and with it, potential vulnerabilities if not managed correctly.
Hosting also plays a significant role. Cheap or poorly configured hosting environments can expose sites to unnecessary risk, regardless of how well WordPress itself is set up.
Related Read: Performance & Speed Optimisation for WordPress x WooCommerce
WordPress Security Plugins – KIJO Recommends
WordPress security plugins are not a silver bullet, but they are an important layer in a broader security strategy.
At KIJO, we recommend Solid Security Pro (formerly iThemes Security Pro) for all WordPress builds. It offers a robust set of features including login protection, file monitoring, vulnerability scanning and detailed security reporting.
Used properly, it helps businesses stay proactive rather than reactive – identifying risks before they become problems.
That said, plugins should support good practices, not replace them.
Related Read: The Top 9 LMS Plugins on WordPress
How to Keep Your WordPress Site Secure
Keeping WordPress secure is about consistency. Most security issues don’t come from sophisticated attacks – they come from small, avoidable gaps that compound over time.
Here’s what a genuinely secure WordPress setup looks like in practice.
Treat Updates as Non-Negotiable Maintenance
Core, theme and plugin updates often include security patches that close known vulnerabilities. Leaving updates unchecked, even for a few months, can expose your site to automated attacks.
A secure approach means:
- Updating WordPress core as soon as stable releases are available
- Reviewing plugin and theme updates regularly (and removing anything unused)
- Avoiding unsupported or poorly maintained plugins altogether
For marketing teams, this usually means agreeing an update cadence with whoever manages the site and not just waiting until something breaks or a campaign is live.
Lock Down Access, Not Just Logins
User access is one of the most common entry points for security issues. The goal isn’t to restrict productivity, but to ensure people only have the permissions they genuinely need.
This includes:
- Limiting admin access to essential users only
- Assigning appropriate roles (editor, author, contributor) rather than defaulting to admin
- Removing accounts for former employees, freelancers or agencies
- Enforcing strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication
For larger teams or agencies, clear access rules prevent accidental changes and reduce risk if credentials are compromised.
Choose hosting that prioritises security
Not all hosting environments are created equal. Cheap hosting may keep costs down, but it often lacks the safeguards that protect WordPress sites properly.
A secure hosting setup typically includes:
- Server-level firewalls and malware scanning
- Automatic backups and restore points
- Isolated environments to prevent cross-site contamination
- Proactive monitoring for unusual activity
Hosting is part of your security stack, not just a technical detail. For brands, it’s often worth investing in hosting that’s designed for WordPress rather than generic, shared solutions. We offer dedicated, secure WordPress hosting here at KIJO. Learn more about what we offer, here.
Backups should be automatic, frequent and tested
Backups are your safety net, but only if they actually work.
A reliable backup strategy means:
- Automatic daily backups stored separately to the server
- The ability to restore quickly without developer intervention
- Take manual backups when making large changes, and also when running regular maintenance
From a marketing perspective, backups protect campaigns, content and lead data. If something goes wrong, recovery time matters just as much as prevention.
Monitor, don’t just react
Many businesses only discover security issues after damage has been done. Monitoring helps surface problems early.
This can include:
- Alerts for failed login attempts or suspicious activity
- File change detection to flag unauthorised edits
- Regular security scans to identify vulnerabilities
Tools like the aforementioned Solid Security Pro help centralise this information, but monitoring still needs ownership. Someone should be responsible for reviewing alerts and acting on them.
Make security part of everyday website management
Security shouldn’t live in a separate conversation. It should be embedded into how the website is managed day to day.
That means:
- Including security checks in content publishing workflows
- Considering security impact when installing new plugins or features
- Scheduling regular reviews alongside performance and UX audits
For marketing managers, the most important factor is ownership. Security works best when responsibility is clear. Whether that sits with an internal team, a trusted partner or a web agency that understands both technical risk and brand impact, is up to you.
Remember: when security is routine, it becomes far less stressful and far less visible to users.
Is WordPress Secure? Final Thoughts
WordPress is secure but only when it’s respected.
For businesses that rely on their website as a growth engine, security cannot just be a technical checkbox. It has to be integrated as part of brand trust, customer experience and long-term performance.
When security is handled properly, it fades into the background. When it’s neglected, it becomes painfully (and destructively) visible. The good news? With the right setup, processes and partners, keeping WordPress secure is entirely manageable – and well worth the investment.
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