How a Secure Website Protects Your Business
According to Forbes “Small businesses are more frequent targets of cyberattacks than larger companies”
How secure is your website? Are you fully in control of your website security? Do you have a dedicated and trustworthy website designer who is? Or are you leaving it to chance? Whatever the current state of your website security, I wanted to write this blog to explain the benefits of having a secure website to protect your business and provide some tips on how to keep your business safe online, let’s dive in.
Protect Your Business
Adequate website security protects your business from cyberattacks, loss of business and funds and lets your customers know your business is above board and credible. This creates trust with your customers and keeps your business safe online.
Protect Your Customers
Customers place a lot of trust in business websites by allowing access to their private information and financial transactions. Protect your valued customers and your business from scams and cyberattacks.
Get an SSL certificate
An SSL certificate (or a ‘Secure Sockets Layer’) is the first thing you need to add to your website to secure it and will prevent any third parties gaining access to or modifying your website data. SSL certificates will protect customer information, boost your credibility by showcasing a secure website and will improve your website ranking in Google. Talk to me about SSL certificates sometime.
Install Antivirus Software
When installed on your website, Antivirus software will continuously and actively monitor your website at all times looking for threats. This can protect against data theft and loss, financial loss, website disruption and damage to the online reputation of your business.
Vet Your Comments
If comments aren’t disabled on your website, I highly recommend you set up an approval process on your website to avoid them being automatically published. Spammers will often target comment sections on websites which will harm your Google ranking and be off-putting for genuine followers and commenters on your website.
Get Compliant with GDPR
Since Brexit, the UK is no longer part of the GDPR in the EU but is instead regulated by the UK GDPR which is very similar. All websites must state their privacy policies and gain consent from website users before collecting any data and are liable for keeping that data safe. This is the responsibility of the website owner (not developer)
Cookies, Consent and Copyright
As above, according to the UK version of GDPR, as a business owner with a website, you will need to notify your website users if you use cookies on your website, explain what those cookies are and how their data is collected. The user will then have the option to opt in or out of that data collection. Using a copyright symbol on your website will deter any users from unlawfully stealing your content and protects your online assets. This is also the responsibility of the website owner (not developer)
I hope this blog has helped you get clear on the facts around having and maintaining a secure website. If you are just beginning to think about setting up a website for your business, I would love to help you get inspired and get started. Contact me here.
Article Source: Forbes