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Five simple steps to make your website safe (and not suffer the punishment of Google)

You leave the house for the bread and, when you are arriving at the portal, you doubt if you have left the door closed.Typical.If we check again, it is almost never open.It is rare that we neglect the security of our house.However, on the Internet, things are different, and we do not always protect our page as we should .This is what you have to do to make your website safe and nobody penalizes you otherwise.


Browsers go for you


After the powerful (and mediatic) cyber attacks suffered in recent years, Internet security has been gaining relevance.If the WannaCry and company have had something positive, it is precisely that everyone is much more aware of the dangers cybernetics.The main browsers have been put to work to increase security and the news is not good if your website is not protected. Related


Firefox, from Mozilla, has been increasing its notices for unsafe situations on the pages visited by the user for a long time.Yes, warns when your password could be subject to theft or when the connection to a website does not meet the safety standards.


Chrome, from Google, the most used, has gone a step further in its last update (number 62, published in October).If the website is not protected by the SSL protocol , Chrome it notifies you directly in the browser bar.Also, if your activity can be seen by other users with whom you share the network, it is recommended to go to an incognito window.


Five simple steps to make your website safe (and not suffer the punishment of Google)


And users (and SEO) know it


And what else does it matter? In the end it's just a warning, isn't it? Users can continue to access the web, even if it is not secure.The problem is that they may not want to.According to a survey published by Hootsuite a few weeks ago, most users look at the security protocols of a page .And 82% say they leave immediately if they feel their activity is unprotected.


In addition, search engines, and mainly Google, have been increasing their penalties for unsafe websites, that is, SEO, the organic positioning of a page, is weighed down by its poor security The main reason is that users leave unsafe pages and, if Internet users leave a website quickly, it doesn't deserve to be rewarded by Google's algorithms.


In addition, search engines directly penalize aspects that influence the security of a website, such as having an outdated CMS (WordPress, Joomla, etc.) or not having anti-spam protectors.Finally, as they include in this analysis of Medium, a hacked website becomes part of a multitude of blacklists that are difficult to leave.


Five simple steps to make your website safe (and not suffer the punishment of Google)


How to make your website safe


Regardless of each other's computer knowledge, there are a number of things that can be done to increase the security of a website.With more or less external help, here are five tips that will protect your page and its users .


1.Keep the platform and scripts updated


Whatever your CMS (content management system), the system on which your website is built, it is advisable to have the latest updates installed .As with Windows or other operating systems (at margin of equipment performance), having the updated platform means having the latest security updates published by developers.In the case of WordPress or Joomla, it means providing a website with the support of a large community.


The same goes for scripts or any plugin installed on the web (those applications that simplify tasks such as creating a photo gallery, reproducing a video or integrating social networks).Have the latest version of the developer or manufacturer is to improve security.


2.Turn your URL into HTTPS


It is always recommended, but even more so if on the web in question transactions with sensitive data are carried out , such as bank information.For your website to be secure, whether HTTPS, it is necessary to hire an SSL certificate, or Secure Sockets Layer.This provides the website with a protocol secure to transmit encrypted information.There are several types depending on the needs of each and its cost is not high.Some CMS, such as HubSpot, even include it by default.


3.Electronic commerce? Secure payment gateway


If the website in question processes payments, that is, it has an integrated payment system or gateway through which to make purchases with cards, make sure it is protected.There are many online solutions in addition to those that usually provide the banks themselves.


Five simple steps to make your website safe (and not suffer the punishment of Google)


4.Secure your passwords


It may seem obvious, but it is important. Your platform and web access passwords must be secure .You can choose to find a robust password yourself (no, admin and 1234 are not valid) or you can use a password manager like LastPass, TrueKey or Dahslane, who will take care of it for you.


5.Consider the use of a CDN


The above steps are usually sufficient to ensure medium protection on the web, however, sometimes extraordinary measures need to be taken. One of the most common cyber attacks is called DDoS , in which hackers collapse the server where your website is hosted by making more requests than it can take to overload it, then start rejecting requests from legitimate users.


To protect yourself from these cases, you need to hire extra services with the hosting company.One of the usual solutions is to have a content distribution network (CDN) ) Basically, it consists of a network of several servers distributed in different points between which the work is distributed.If one of these servers is attacked, the others cover his back.


So, from simple (and basic) to more advanced, these are five steps you can take to protect your website, a central part of our online identity and our businesses.There are many more specific solutions, but These tips will make your website safe and avoid the punishment of users, search engines and browsers.

Images: Google, iStock

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