The World Wide Web is a wonderful place, a new adventure, new frontier and portal to anywhere in the world. How amazing, right?

Well, yes, absolutely, but with all this freedom and adventure comes more than a few risks. And though cybersecurity is trying to keep up with technology the best it can, there are a few things that everyone should be doing in order to ensure their own safety, their website’s safety and even their company’s safety.

Are these steps difficult? Are they overly technical? Are they time-consuming and labor-intensive?

Surprisingly no. All of the tips outlined below are actually things that anyone, and everyone, should be doing. That’s why they’re simple steps.

We at JSL Marketing want you to be safe, whether we’re the ones monitoring your website or not, we want to make sure that your business is secure and protected from those who might want to do it harm.

Read on to learn how you can protect yourself and the top 5 quick, easy and simple steps you can take to get you to cyber-security bliss.

Know That Cyber Security is a Real and Powerful Thing

Most people do not know how to hack into a website, most people don’t know how to create malware or a virus, and therefore, many people assume that these skills are rare or that ‘no one really knows how to do this’ or ‘no one would want to do this to my site’.

This is simply not true.

Many people know how and very well might want to use their shadow-skills against you or your website.

As strange as it might seem, the very first step in cyber safety is to acknowledge and accept that there are security threats everywhere and yes, it can even happen to you.

Keep Up With Your Accounts – All of Them

All of them? What do we mean by that? You only have the one website, right?

Unfortunately, that idea is wrong and could end up being damaging to your online security.

Your business LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, even email can be hacked, and each can give the hacker sensitive information that you or your clients do not want on the general web.

This means you should not just be monitoring your main business website, but all connecting sites as well – all accounts, all the time. We recommend using software that can protect your computer but also your websites.

Or you could partner with an agency who can provide extra layers of protection and security for all of your accounts and monitor them consistently as well as making sure your host is secure. In addition, an agency partner should scan your website for vulnerabilities, errors or warnings throughout the month both for SEO and security.

Back Everything Up and Often

This could be seen as a no-brainer, but sometimes little saves like this can get away from us and suddenly we don’t have a copy from the last three months.

This tip helps two fold, first it guarantees you always have what you need, but second, it can help you stay up to date with your anti-virus software or malware detection software.

Having a copy of your website ensures that no matter if you break something, your company does, or you get hacked, you have duplicates you can fall back on if needed to restore order quickly.

Choose a Password Worth Having

Contrary to what many websites or accounts require, eight characters just isn’t enough.

Practice good password creation and management and don’t use the same password for multiple sites. Also, never share your password with others, don’t write it down, email it, keep it in your smartphone unprotected or leave it on your desk or monitor.

No, not even on a sticky note. Because the truth is, not all hacks come from the outside, so, please practice safe password measures when you are home, at work, and everywhere in between.

You don’t need to be paranoid, but you do need to be aware and take needed measures to protect yourself and your customers.

Go for HTTPS

This not only adds a security feature for your customers’ peace of mind, it is also free.

And if added security and happy customers aren’t enough, HTTPS sites also make Google happy, as any non-HTTPS site after July 2018 is getting seriously docked in their rankings by Google.

If you encrypt your login pages, payment pages and others which could have private data, then anything any potential hackers do glean will be meaningless and unusable. Poetic justice, no?

Need Help on Your Next Steps?

JSL Marketing and Web Design has a squeaky clean track record when it comes to keeping our clients safe and their websites secure.

We scan for errors or warnings, can set up your HTTPS site, recommend secure hosting sites, keep your website clean, help with password creation, manage your accounts, always keep our software up to date and even backup your data.

That’s everything you have to worry about – poof – gone and in our capable, careful hands.

So, if adding some extra website security sounds like your next step, connect with us at JSL Marketing and see what we can do to make your website happier, healthier and safer.