[00:00:35] If you're new to the podcast, the last episode of the month is a discussion of a popular budget buster in the marketing space. We analyze the pros and cons so that you can decide if it's something you need to pay for or if your marketing dollars are better spent elsewhere. And this episode is not going to be any exception to my usual rule that I do not make a recommendation one way or the other because only you know your situation.
[:
[00:01:23] Website security is a super important topic and I don't want anyone to think that this episode is meant to be a recommendation of any kind. Only you know the circumstances of your website setup, and so it's important that you do your due diligence surrounding anything discussed in this episode. All right.
[:
[00:02:00] You don't want your website to be vulnerable to security breaches, which can cause significant downtime for your business. This malware that I speak of comes in a lot of different forms. It might be adware that displays unwanted ads on your website. It could be ransomware that hijacks a website until a ransom is paid.
[:
[00:02:47] When you're analyzing the security of your website, it's important to note that there are different layers of security that are available to you, and this starts at the top with WordPress itself. Building your site using WordPress means that you do have some security features built in, like two factor identification and things like that.
[:
[00:03:29] And so your host likely layers on additional protection for your website. Because it is in their best interest that your website is secure as well. And so the protection that they provide usually includes protection from brute force attacks. There are usually firewalls, malware detection, malware removal, and then site backups.
[:
[00:04:19] Obviously there's an additional layer of protection, but it goes deeper than that. When I was brushing up on the security measures provided by my host, in preparation for this episode, I discovered some interesting wording, and so I'm going to quote directly from my host's website. So they said, quote, we scan your websites for malware every day.
[:
[00:05:07] End quote. So this is why many people turn to third party plugins to fill in the gap between when something happens and then when something is done about it. Because like my host admitted on their website, there can be a lag between when they discover it and when they're able to help you with it. Many bloggers swear by security plugins because they just provide peace of mind in case something does go wrong and their host can't help them right away.
[:
[00:06:12] Those are often already provided for you through your host, so that means you usually need to pay for a premium plugin in order to get access to those additional security features. And the price tags for these plugins can vary. I saw that additional protection can range from $36 to $200 per year. So really it is not a huge cost by any means for the additional peace of mind.
[:
[00:07:13] And then, as we've discussed in a previous episode. Incompatibility from plugins can cause some pretty dramatic website mishaps. And so anytime you add a plugin of any kind to your website, you're running that risk of incompatibility, but there's something about these security plugins that make it even more risky.
[:
[00:07:57] And then, as I mentioned before, hosts have a lot of skin in the game when it comes to the security of your website, so I am sure they would be happy to answer your website specific questions. I hope that this episode has given you some food for thought when it comes to keeping your website secure. If you have a budget buster you'd like me to address in this series, you can submit your idea on my website.
