WooCommerce is a fantastic tool to start your online store in WordPress and sell products and services online, but like all online tools, you must take precautions to ensure your security. One of the primary security risks you will need to be mindful of is the potential for an attack from hackers. Keep reading to learn how you can secure your WooCommerce store.

Use a Reputable Hosting Provider

The first step to securing your WooCommerce store is always to use a reputable hosting provider for your security needs. Also, consider your store processes and how many GB of data and visitors you have. Once you have found a reputable hosting provider, ask them to provide you with a security plan to protect your WooCommerce store.

Moreover, install an SSL certificate to ensure all traffic between your online shop and the internet is encrypted. This makes it harder for hackers to attack your site or steal your data.

Update Your WordPress Website

Use secure, up-to-date versions of themes and plugins for better WooCommerce security. In addition, updating them immediately can fix security issues and make them safer. Moreover, use the latest version of PHP. When the newest version of PHP is released, the plugin available from WordPress will automatically update.

Review Your User Permissions

Next, consider the following questions:

• Who can access your store?
• What are the user permissions? What are the permissions for the checkout process?
• Who may edit and update the products?

Also, make sure to use a strong username and password for better WooCommerce security. You can even use two-factor authentication (2FA) and a security plugin for your online store. These plugins encrypt your stored data and protect it from attack.

Scan Your Website for Malware

The easiest way to scan for malware is to use a web security tool to search for vulnerabilities on your website. It also checks for any malicious scripts or files on your site. You can also utilize a password manager or security plugin to secure your WooCommerce store from brute-force attacks.

These attacks come from a hacker attempting to guess your password repeatedly to access your online shop. Overall, a security plugin will help you monitor and protect your shop from brute-force attacks.

Inspect Your Site for Downtime

It’s critical to ensure your WooCommerce shop site is operating smoothly. By monitoring your site for downtime, you may quickly identify and treat any issues triggering your site to slow down or stop working, including security breaches. To check your online store for downtime, you must inspect your performance, especially your page status.

Finally, spamming can also result in decreased site performance, as spam messages may slow down your site. So, you’ll need to produce a filter rule to set up a spam filter for your WooCommerce store.

Ultimately, you should always practice the best security methods for WooCommerce. One imperative reason to maintain your website security is that your customers’ data could be stolen if your store is hacked. The good news is that collaborating with an accomplished e-commerce web design company can help you provide a secure payment and checkout process.

Craig Kahl is the President and CEO of Adventure Web Interactive. AWI has been recognized as Baltimore’s Top Web Design Firm by The Daily Record and named one of Silicon Review Magazine’s Top 50 Most Admired Companies in the country. Before founding Adventure Web Interactive in 1997, he was VP of Operations for Campus Concepts, Inc., and the youngest division head in history for Pitney Bowes at age 24. He has a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from the University of Maryland and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Loyola University. Craig is a member of the International CEO Club and Rolling Road Golf Club and loves spending time outdoors with his wife and son.