Managing WordPress Updates & Security

Keeping your WordPress site updated and secure is like locking your front door—basic, necessary, and the best way to keep the internet’s weirdos out. Whether you’re on Standard Shared Hosting or Managed WordPress Hosting, here’s how to keep your site running smoothly and protected from threats.

WordPress Updates: Keeping Things Fresh

For Standard Shared Hosting Clients

If you’re on our Standard Shared Hosting, updates are manual, meaning you have to check for and apply them yourself. Here’s how:

 1. Log into your WordPress Admin Panel (yourdomain.com/wp-admin).

 2. In the Dashboard, look for the Updates section.

1. If updates are available, click Update Now for:

   • WordPress Core (the engine that runs your site).

   • Plugins (extra functionality, like contact forms or SEO tools).

   • Themes (the design and layout of your site).

2. Test your site after updating to ensure nothing breaks.

Pro Tip: Always back up your site before major updates. If an update wrecks something, you’ll want a way to roll back. Use All-In-One Import/Export Wizard—it's a great backup tool that lets you maintain offline copies of your site.

For Managed WordPress Hosting Clients

If you’re on our Managed WordPress Hosting, updates are automatic, meaning we handle them for you. Here’s what happens behind the scenes:

1. We apply WordPress Core Updates as soon as they’re stable and secure.

2. Plugins & Themes are updated automatically for compatibility and security.

3. If an update causes issues, we’ll revert it and investigate the problem.

What You Can Do: If you ever need to manually update something:

• Log into your Client Portal.

• Open WordPress Toolkit.

• See update statuses and manually update plugins/themes if needed.

Security: Keeping Hackers at Bay

For Standard Shared Hosting Clients

Since you manage security on your own, here’s what you should do:

1. Install a Security Plugin – Use plugins like Wordfence or Sucuri for firewall protection, malware scanning, and login security.

2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) – Set up 2FA on your WordPress login to add an extra layer of protection.

3. Use Strong Passwords – Avoid ‘password123’ unless you enjoy getting hacked.

4. Keep Backups – Regularly back up your site so you can restore it if something goes wrong.

For Managed WordPress Hosting Clients

Good news—you don’t have to stress about security because we handle it for you. Here’s what we do:

1. Automatic Malware Scanning & Removal – We proactively scan for threats and remove them before they become an issue.

2. Web Application Firewall (WAF) – Your site is protected against common hacking attempts and brute-force attacks.

3. Daily Backups – We automatically back up your site every day, so you’re always covered.

4. SSL Included – Every site has a free Let’s Encrypt SSL Certificate pre-installed to encrypt data.

5. Server-Level WordPress Protection – Your WordPress install is protected by default with a server-level Jailbreak implementation that monitors wp-admin logins. Too many failed attempts will result in the IP being blocked for a day.

Locked Out Due to Too Many Failed Logins? If you get locked out (you'll see a 503 error when trying to log in), contact our support team and provide your public IP address. We’ll check the firewall and remove the restriction.

Final Thoughts

If you’re on Standard Shared Hosting, stay on top of updates and security to keep your site safe. If you’re on Managed WordPress Hosting, relax—we’ve got your back with automated updates, security monitoring, and daily backups.

Need help? Our support team is here 24/7. Otherwise, go build something amazing and let us worry about the tech stuff.