WordPress Security: How to Secure WordPress Ultimate Guide

WordPress powers more than 40% of the entire internet—but that popularity also makes it a favorite target for hackers, bots, and malware. The truth is, WordPress sites can be extremely secure, but only if you take the right precautions. Whether your site is showing “Not Secure,” you’re seeing the warning “Sorry, this file type is not permitted for security reasons,” or you just want peace of mind that your website won’t be compromised overnight, this is your ultimate guide to WordPress security—written for both business owners and developers.

Are WordPress Sites Secure?

Yes—but only if you make them secure. WordPress itself is constantly updated by world-class developers who take security seriously. The real problem comes from outdated plugins, weak passwords, bad hosting, and poor configuration.

So, when people ask “Are WordPress sites secure?” the answer is:

“WordPress is secure. Your setup might not be.”

The rest of this guide shows you how to make sure your setup is.

OR you could just make sure to hire someone like me, one of the best wordpress web developers in Spokane and I'll make certain your site is hosted on a safe environment and you can choose a one of my website maintenance services.

How to Make Your WordPress Site Secure

Here are the best ways to harden, protect, and optimize your WordPress site—step by step. These tactics are the same ones used by professional WordPress developers and WordPress security experts.

1. Start With a Secure WordPress Hosting Environment

Security starts from the ground up—your server. No plugin can save you if your hosting company runs outdated software or piles hundreds of random sites onto one shared server.

Use premium, secure hosting like:

• Rocket.net — They handle malware filtering, firewalls, automatic backups, and have server-level protection built just for WordPress.
• SiteGround — A solid choice with built-in malware scanning, SSL, and account isolation to prevent “neighbor” hacks.

Avoid cheap hosts like GoDaddy, Bluehost, Network Solutions, or 1&1 IONOS. These hosts are cheap because they oversell space, underinvest in security, and leave your site exposed.

Think of hosting like the foundation of your house: spend wisely once, or pay dearly later.

2. Keep WordPress, Themes, and Plugins Updated

Most site hacks happen because someone ignored an update. WordPress releases frequent patches to fix vulnerabilities, but they only work if you install them.

• Enable automatic updates for minor WordPress releases.
• Delete unused themes and plugins (inactive ones can still be exploited).
• Check your site weekly for outdated add-ons.

If you manage multiple sites, use tools like ManageWP or MainWP to keep them all updated in one dashboard.

3. Move wp-config.php Outside the Root (With Caution)

Your wp-config.php file is like the keys to your digital kingdom. It contains database credentials and other critical settings. Moving it one level above your root directory can make it unreachable by hackers.

For example:
If WordPress is in /public_html/, move wp-config.php to /home/.

But be careful:
This is a developer-level change. Some plugins and environments depend on file paths that break if you move the file. Unless you’re comfortable troubleshooting PHP path issues or .env variables, don’t do this without a backup and staging environment.

A skilled developer knows how to mediate issues that arise if something breaks. If you’re not that person, skip it or hire someone who is.

4. Change Your WordPress Login URL

By default, every WordPress login page is located at /wp-admin or /wp-login.php. Hackers and bots constantly hit these URLs trying to brute-force their way in.

Changing your login URL makes you nearly invisible to these bots.

Use plugins like:

• WPS Hide Login
• Loginizer

Change your login to something random like /my-portal-login and you’ll block thousands of failed login attempts per day—making your WordPress site faster and more secure.

5. Use Security Plugins That Actually Work

There are a million security plugins out there, but only a few are worth your time.

Recommended WordPress security plugins:

• Wordfence Security: A complete firewall, malware scanner, and login security system.
• BBQ Pro: Blocks malicious queries before they touch your site.
• Blackhole Pro: Traps bad bots and automatically bans them.
• Banhammer Pro: Lets you view suspicious visitors and block them instantly.

These tools work together to form layers of defense—like a digital security team that never sleeps. Some Premium WordPress hosting providers tend to have their own security plugins that you can use too.

6. Disable Dangerous Dashboard Access

If you’re not a developer, don’t install plugins that give you access to sensitive files like .htaccess, wp-config.php, or your database through the WordPress dashboard.

Plugins that allow in-dashboard file editing can break your site with a single misplaced line. Worse, if a hacker gains access to your admin account, they can use these same tools to take over completely.

Only experienced developers should handle these files directly. Ordinary users should disable or delete these plugins entirely.

7. Disable File Editing in the Dashboard

Even without a plugin, WordPress lets admins edit theme and plugin files directly through the dashboard. That’s basically like giving hackers a free backdoor if they ever compromise your account.

Disable it by adding this line to your wp-config.php:

define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true);

8. Limit Login Attempts and Add Two-Factor Authentication

A simple plugin like Limit Login Attempts Reloaded or Wordfence can block IPs after too many failed logins. Combine that with two-factor authentication (2FA) and you’ve practically locked the door to everyone but yourself.

9. Secure File Permissions

Set strict file and folder permissions:

• Files: 644
• Folders: 755
• wp-config.php: 600

These permissions ensure that only the correct users (and your server) can read or write these files.

10. Regularly Scan for Malware

Even if your site seems fine, it could still be infected. Malware often hides inside plugins or themes.

Scan weekly using:

• Wordfence Scanner
• Sucuri SiteCheck
• MalCare

They’ll check every file for injected code, backdoors, or spammy scripts.

11. Backup Your Site (Off-Site Only)

If your website goes down or gets hacked, backups are your lifeline.

Use:

• UpdraftPlus
• BlogVault
• Jetpack Backup

Always store your backups off-site on Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3. Never rely on your web host’s backups alone—they could disappear along with your site.

I provide 3rd party backups for clients who host their websites with one of my website management services.

12. Protect Your Uploads Folder

Hackers love to sneak malicious PHP files into /wp-content/uploads/. You can prevent this by adding this to your .htaccess inside the uploads folder:

<FilesMatch "\.php$">
  deny from all
</FilesMatch>

This simple rule blocks PHP from executing in that folder—keeping uploads safe and code clean.

13. Add SSL and HTTPS Everywhere

SSL doesn’t just secure your website—it also improves SEO and user trust.
Google rewards HTTPS websites with higher rankings, and visitors are more likely to stay on a site that shows a padlock icon.

If you’re not sure your SSL is working, use Really Simple SSL to force it site-wide and fix mixed-content errors.

14. Fix “Sorry, This File Type Is Not Permitted for Security Reasons”

That message means WordPress is blocking potentially risky file types. You can safely extend what’s allowed by installing WP Extra File Types or adding file MIME types manually.

Avoid using full file manager plugins that let you upload or edit unrestricted files—those are a hacker’s dream.

15. Use Secure, Actively Maintained Themes

A huge chunk of WordPress vulnerabilities come from themes, not the WordPress core. When a theme is abandoned or coded sloppily, it becomes a weak point for your entire site—even if your plugins and WordPress are fully updated.

Always choose themes that are:

• Regularly updated and supported by an active developer community
• Compatible with the latest WordPress versions
• Built with security, accessibility, and speed in mind
• Used by a large community (which helps detect and fix issues quickly)

Themes like Divi (by Elegant Themes) are excellent examples of this. Divi has a massive user base, constant development, and professional support. Its developers release frequent security patches, and since it’s a closed ecosystem, Divi’s modules are tightly integrated and less likely to conflict with random third-party code.

On the other hand, Elementor—while incredibly popular and flexible—relies heavily on third-party widgets and add-ons from external developers. Each of those can become a potential weak spot. Elementor’s core is fairly well maintained, but its “ecosystem sprawl” means you’re trusting dozens of unknown developers to keep their add-ons safe and updated.

So yes, Divi is generally more secure than Elementor, purely because of its controlled, centralized architecture. When something breaks in Divi, Elegant Themes fixes it. When something breaks in Elementor, you have to hope each add-on author gets around to patching it.

If you want to go even leaner and tighter, GeneratePress is arguably the most secure of them all. It’s lightweight, developer-friendly, and open-source—but with a minimal codebase that leaves little room for exploits. GeneratePress doesn’t rely on page-builder scripts or massive module libraries, so there’s less attack surface overall.

In short:

• Divi – Highly secure, constantly updated, strong support ecosystem.
• Elementor – Secure core, but risky when loaded with third-party add-ons.
• GeneratePress – The leanest, most secure choice for developers who want speed, stability, and zero bloat.

If you’re serious about speed, SEO, and long-term site stability, GeneratePress or Divi are both top-tier options. Elementor is powerful, but its flexibility can become a liability if you don’t keep every component meticulously updated.

16. Use .htaccess Rules for Extra Protection

Here are a few simple .htaccess rules to harden your site:

# Protect wp-config.php
<files wp-config.php>
  order allow,deny
  deny from all
</files>

# Protect .htaccess itself
<files .htaccess>
  order allow,deny
  deny from all
</files>

# Disable directory browsing
Options -Indexes

# Prevent PHP execution in uploads
<Directory "/wp-content/uploads">
  <Files "*.php">
    deny from all
  </Files>
</Directory>

These small rules make a big difference in blocking direct access to critical files.

WordPress Security Plugins: Summary Table

Plugin	Best For	Free / Paid
Wordfence Security	Malware scans, firewall, brute-force protection	Free + Pro
BBQ Pro	Lightweight malicious query blocker	Paid
Blackhole Pro	Blocks bad bots automatically	Paid
Banhammer Pro	Visitor/IP management	Paid
Sucuri Security	Cloud firewall & malware cleanup	Paid
Loginizer	Custom login URL and brute-force prevention	Free + Pro

Why Is My WordPress Site Not Secure?

If your browser says your WordPress site is “Not Secure,” it means you’re missing an SSL certificate. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encrypts the data between your website and your visitors—like passwords, credit card numbers, and form entries—so hackers can’t intercept it. Why do hackers hack?

Without SSL, your site still loads, but every visitor sees that browser warning. It’s like hanging a sign on your front door that says “Please rob me, I forgot to lock up.”

How to Fix It:

1. Ask your web host for a free SSL certificate (many include it automatically).
2. Install the Really Simple SSL plugin to automatically configure HTTPS across your site.
3. Go to Settings → General and change your WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) from http:// to https://.
4. Redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS in your .htaccess file.

After that, your visitors will see the secure padlock icon and Google will reward you with better rankings.

The Ultimate WordPress Security Mindset

Security isn’t a one-time fix—it’s an ongoing process. You need to:

• Keep backups and updates current.
• Use premium hosting like Rocket.net or SiteGround.
• Avoid plugins that give you access to .htaccess or database edits.
• Regularly scan for malware.
• Use SSL and firewalls at all times.

Every website on the internet is being probed by bots, but with these steps, your WordPress site will be secure, stable, and fast.

A secure site isn’t just safe—it performs better, ranks higher, and earns trust from both users and search engines.

Final Word:
WordPress security is like health—it’s cheaper to maintain than to recover from disaster. Follow these tactics, use trusted plugins, and stick with premium hosting, and you’ll have a website that runs smoothly and confidently for years to come.