Ensuring that your website is secure is not only vital for protecting your personal and financial information, but it’s also crucial for effective SEO. We will go over 2 installments on the significance of website security – one technical and one non-technical.
Getting Started
In order to create a website with effective SEO, it must coded properly. In today’s digital age, website security should be a top priority for any web developer or business. With the increasing number of cyber attacks and data breaches, creating a secure website is not just a good practice but a necessity. In this blog post, we will discuss some essential tips to code a secure website and provide coding examples to help you implement them.
Getting down to the nitty gritty
- Use HTTPS protocol
HTTPS is an essential security measure for any website and probably one of the most important things you’ll ever implement on your website. It encrypts the communication between the user’s browser and the server, making it difficult for hackers to intercept or modify the data. To enable HTTPS on your website, you need to obtain an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate and configure your server to use it. Most hosting providers now offer this for free and automate it, but for the ones that don’t, here’s an example of how to enable HTTPS on an NGINX server using Let’s Encrypt:
To begin, you’ll need to have an NGINX server installed and running. You’ll also need to have a domain name already pointed to your server’s IP address. Once you have these prerequisites in place, you can start the process of obtaining and installing a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate. The easiest way to achieve this is by using Certbot, a tool that will automatically generate and install the certificate for you. Here’s an example of the code you’ll need to run to install Certbot and obtain the SSL certificate:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository universe
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:certbot/certbot
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install certbot python-certbot-nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d example.comIn the above code, replace “example.com” with your own domain name. The Certbot tool will then prompt you to enter your email address and agree to the Terms of Service. Once you’ve done so, Certbot will automatically generate and install the SSL certificate for your NGINX server.
After the installation is complete, you’ll need to modify your NGINX server configuration file to enable HTTPS. The configuration file is usually located in the /etc/nginx/sites-available directory. Open the file using a text editor and add the following lines to the server block:
listen 443 ssl;
ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem;
ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem;
Again, replace “example.com” with your own domain name. Save the changes and reload NGINX using the following command:
sudo systemctl reload nginx
Your NGINX server should now be configured to use HTTPS with the Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate. You can verify this by visiting your website using HTTPS in your web browser. Your browser should display a green padlock icon in the address bar, indicating that the connection is secure.
- Validate user input
One of the most common ways for hackers to exploit a website is through user input. Attackers can inject malicious code into input fields, such as forms or search boxes, to gain access to the website or steal user data. To prevent this, you should always validate user input and sanitize it before using it in your code. Here’s an example of how to sanitize user input in PHP:
$username = trim($_POST['username']);
$username = stripslashes($username);
$username = htmlspecialchars($username);
- Use prepared statements
Another way hackers can exploit a website is through SQL injection attacks, which occur when an attacker inputs malicious SQL code into a vulnerable website’s input field. To prevent SQL injection attacks, you should use prepared statements in your code. Prepared statements are a feature of SQL that allows you to separate the SQL code from the input values, making it difficult for attackers to manipulate the SQL code. Here’s an example of how to use prepared statements in PHP:
$stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM users WHERE username = :username');
$stmt->execute(['username' => $username]);
$user = $stmt->fetch();
- Implement strong password policies
Weak passwords are a common vulnerability in website security. To prevent hackers from guessing or cracking passwords, you should implement strong password policies, such as requiring users to include a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols in their passwords. You can also use password hashing algorithms, such as bcrypt, to encrypt passwords stored in your database. Here’s an example of how to hash passwords in PHP:
$password = password_hash($password, PASSWORD_BCRYPT);
- Keep your software up-to-date
Lastly, it’s essential to keep your software (including your server software, CMS, and plugins) up-to-date to ensure that any security vulnerabilities are patched. Hackers often exploit known vulnerabilities in software, so keeping your software up-to-date is a crucial step in website security
Benefits of cyber security
Once you’ve set up the website security, you can enjoy the many benefits of how security benefits your website’s SEO.
- Security boosts SEO
One of the most significant benefits of having a secure website is that it can boost your SEO efforts. Google, the biggest search engine, prefers websites that are secure and encrypt all data exchanged between the user and the site. This means that websites with SSL certificates rank higher in search engine results, resulting in more visitors and increased site visibility.
- Protects sensitive information
One of the most common techniques employed by hackers is input validation attacks, where they inject malicious code into the system through user input. To mitigate the risk of such attacks, it’s essential to validate user input and sanitize it before processing it. When creating a website or an online store, you will inevitably collect sensitive information from your customers, such as credit card numbers, addresses, or phone numbers. Cybersecurity helps protect this information from theft or cyber attacks. If you don’t secure your website, you risk losing your customers’ trust, and your reputation will suffer.
- Prevents hacking
Hackers can target any website, regardless of size or industry. A successful cyber attack can cause irreparable damage to your website, including data losses, theft, and downtime. Cybersecurity measures such as firewalls, anti-virus software, and regular security updates can help prevent these attacks from occurring. Encrypting data is also essential for protecting it from unauthorized access. However, using authenticated encryption algorithms adds an extra layer of security by ensuring that the data hasn’t been tampered with. AES and RSA are two commonly used algorithms that provide authenticated encryption.
- Ensures compliance
Having a secure website is not only essential for SEO, but it’s also crucial for compliance with various data protection regulations. Regulations such as GDPR require website owners to protect their customers’ data and ensure that they have proper security measures in place. Failing to comply with these regulations can result in significant fines and damage to your business’s reputation.
Conclusion
Cybersecurity is a crucial aspect of website development and SEO. It not only protects against potential threats but also improves website performance, enhances the user experience, and builds trust with users. Businesses need to prioritize cybersecurity to succeed in the digital world and avoid the consequences of a security breach and getting penalized by Google for poor SEO practices. At Points Group, our web developers are the experts in cyber security. Contact us today to learn how we can help keep you website safe.
