There are many viruses and other threats your website is exposed to day by day. This means that your business could also suffer if you’re not aware of these and don’t do anything to prevent them.

When it comes to protecting your website, there are a couple of things you need to know before you decide what’s best for you.

In this article, we will go through all the possible threats your website is exposed to (especially malware and viruses), and we’ll give you the knowledge you need to keep your website secure.

First, let’s see the most common threats you face after setting up your website.

• Spam- Some spam can have malicious intentions, and they can overload your server or they can get blacklisted by Google. The links and comments posted by spambots could also be malicious, which can lead to more serious problems if users click on those links and install malware on their device. This way, Google’s crawl bots can recognize malicious URLs and they can rate your website unsafe.
• DDoS Attacks- DDoS Attacks became popular in recent years, because of Operation Payback that targeted credit card outlets such as Visa and Mastercard. DDoS attacks deny users access to different websites. They overload a server with traffic in order to take it offline, this way the host will have a hard time getting it back online.
• Viruses and Malware- Malware is the biggest threat to every website. Websites, but other personal devices, like your computer are the main targets for malware for many reasons. They are used mostly to access private data, eat up web server resources, or display a message for the hacker in case of a high-traffic website.
• Blacklisting- Search engine blacklists are another important threat to your website. Blacklists mostly have a positive impact, weeding out websites that have been compromised, but that could mean your website can get on the blacklist, and you will have a hard time getting it off.

These are the most common threats your website is exposed to. It’s important to be aware of these and take action to protect your website.

As we mentioned above, this article is going to focus mainly on Malware, which is the biggest threat to any website. Lucky for you, there are several options you can choose from in order to protect your page.

Next, we are going to give you some tips on how to keep your website secure against Malware.

1. Scan your site regularly- This is an important step to take. You need to scan your website regularly for potential Malware. There are online services that can help you do that by scanning your whole site for malware, viruses, changed files, and other vulnerabilities. It’s important to scan your site regularly, but let’s not forget about other personal devices, especially your computer. Check your computer for malware regularly which can easily spread to your site if you download an infected file. 
2. Take regular Backups- This is another way of protecting your website against malware. Doing regular backups will ensure that you can quickly restore your site in case of a malware infection. Store your backups offsite to make sure you always have access to them in case your hosting provider gets infected due to a security attack or power outage. 
3. Perform Updates-According to statistics, 39.3% of infected WordPress sites use an outdated version of WordPress. This can easily lead to a Malware attack on your website. Performing safe updates regularly will ensure that your website is up to date reducing the chances of Malware attack.
4. Use HTTPS-This was once required if you had an e-commerce website. HTTPS stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure and it’s recommended for all websites in order to keep them safe from Malware. HTTPS is a secure version of HTTP. HTTPS will be activated when you install an SSL certificate on your website.
5. Use secure Passwords- Using a secure and strong password on your website and other accounts as well, will reduce the chances of getting hacked. So many people still use the same password for every account they have. Your passwords should be longer than 8 characters, with a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers or other special characters. LastPass is a great feature you should use to generate a secure password and to store all your passwords in a secure place.
6. Install a Web Application Firewall- There are over 1 million new malware strains created each week, which means your website can easily be infected by a new virus every day. Web Application Firewalls (WAF) can help you to get rid of attackers or prevent them from even visiting your website. WAF evaluates website visitors based on where they’re coming from, how they’re behaving or what information they’re requesting. WAF will block all malicious traffic.
7. Register your domain privately –When you register your domain with WHOIS, they will replace your information with theirs, and this way no one will be able to look up who you are in the database. This is a paid service that will ensure your identity and personal data remains protected.

In conclusion, keeping your website safe against malware and hackers is an ongoing process and it comes with responsibility, so it’s important to be aware of all the steps you can take to prevent your website from getting infected.

Once they reach your website, Malware but other viruses and hackers as well can be very hard to get rid of and might require the help of a professional. In this case, you should consider consulting with someone who can assist in doing web maintenance services for your website

With the above 7 critical steps mention, it will give knowledge on how to take in order to keep your website secure against Malware.