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WPBeginner»How to Start a WordPress Blog in 2026 (My Expert Advice)
I started my first blog in 2006. That single decision changed everything — it opened doors and eventually led me to create WPBeginner, now the world’s largest free WordPress resource site.
I’m Syed Balkhi, and over the years, I’ve built several successful blogs — some of which now generate a seven-figure income. Blogging has completely transformed my life, and I believe it can do the same for you.
If you’re thinking about starting a blog, you don’t have to figure it out on your own. In this guide, I’ll tell you the exact process I use whenever I start a new blog. I’ll walk you through everything, one step at a time.
You’ll also get personal tips I’ve learned from years of real blogging experience — the kind of advice I wish someone had given me when I was just getting started.
Whether you want to blog as a creative outlet, a side hustle, or a business, this guide is your starting point — and you’re starting with the experience of a successful blogger by your side.
Let’s get your blog online — and take that first step together.
[IMG: How to start a blog for WordPress beginners]
Are you a little nervous about starting your first blog? I promise that the process is easy to follow, whether you are 20 or 60 years old. However, if you need extra guidance, my expert team will help you set up your blog for free. → Click Here to Get Your Free WordPress Blog Setup! ←
[H4] What Is a Blog (And Why You Should Start One Today)
Before we get into the steps, I want to take a moment to talk about what a blog really is — and why starting one could be the best decision you make this year.
A blog is a type of website where you regularly publish content, usually in the form of articles or updates. You can use it to share your thoughts, teach something, tell stories, review products, or even run a business.
When I launched my first blog in 2006, I didn’t fully realize the impact it would have.
It started as a way to share what I was learning, and over time, it opened doors I never expected — including turning blogging into a full-time business.
That’s the beauty of blogging. It’s not just about writing. It’s a way to connect with people, build something of your own, and create real opportunities.
Whether you want to blog as a creative outlet, grow a side income, or build a serious online presence — it all starts the same way.
You publish your first post. You keep going. And little by little, your blog turns into something powerful. ?
In the steps that follow, I’ll show you exactly how I’d start a blog today — using the same process I’ve followed to launch multiple successful blogs. You’ll have my personal tips, tools, and lessons at every step.
And the best part? You don’t need to be a tech expert or a professional writer to get started. All you need is a topic you care about and the willingness to begin.
Step 1: Picking the Right Blog NicheStep 2: Getting Started With Your BlogStep 3. Install WordPress Blogging SoftwareStep 4: Customizing Your BlogStep 5: Writing Your First Blog Post ✍️Step 6: Adding Essential Plugins ?Step 7: Growing Your Blog AudienceStep 8: Making Money From Your Blog ?Step 9: Mastering WordPressBonus Tip: Explore Niche Blogging ResourcesFrequently Asked Questions About Blogging (FAQs)Video TutorialFinal Thoughts About Blogging
Ready? Let’s get started.
[H4] Step 1: Picking the Right Blog Niche
One of the first decisions you’ll make is choosing your blog niche — the main blog topic you’ll write about.
I get asked all the time, “What should I blog about?” My answer is simple: start with something you care about. If you’re passionate about it, you’ll enjoy the process a lot more — and your readers will feel that too.
When I started WPBeginner, I focused on WordPress. I loved helping people learn it, and that gave my blog a clear direction. That passion is what kept me going — even when it wasn’t easy.
Your niche could be a hobby, a skill you’ve picked up, or even something you want to learn more about. Don’t feel like you have to be an expert — just be willing to share what you know and keep learning along the way.
If you’re not sure what to pick, ask yourself:
What topics do I enjoy reading or talking about?
What experiences or skills could I share with others?
Is this something I can write about regularly without getting bored?
Could this topic grow into a business or attract an audience?
Don’t worry about picking the “perfect” niche on day one. What matters most is starting with something that excites you. You can always refine it as your blog grows.
? Bonus Tip: My team put together a list of popular blogging niches that make money. If you need inspiration, it’s a great place to explore ideas.
[H4] Step 2: Getting Started With Your Blog
I have seen many users starting their first blog using a free platform. It feels like the easiest option at the time, but it doesn’t take long before they are hit with the limitations.
You couldn’t customize the design, add features, or even fully own your content.
That’s where WordPress comes in.
WordPress gave me full control. I could grow my site, monetize it however I wanted, and build a real business.
It’s the same platform I used to create WPBeginner, and it’s what I recommend to anyone who wants to start a blog the right way. For more details, take a look at my full WordPress.org review.
Here’s why I recommend starting your blog with WordPress.org:
It’s free and open-source
You don’t need coding skills
You fully own your content and site
You can monetize it any way you like
To get started with WordPress.org, you only need three things:
A domain name – This is your blog’s name (like wpbeginner.com).
Web hosting – This is where your blog files are stored.
30 minutes of your time – That’s all it takes to launch your blog today.
A domain name usually costs $14.99/year, and hosting starts around $7.99/month. That can add up — especially when you’re just getting started.
That’s why I recommend Bluehost — a hosting company I personally use and trust.
Bluehost has been working with WordPress since 2005 and hosts millions of websites. With Bluehost, you’ll get:
Affordable hosting with a free domain name
Fast servers and generous storage
24/7 customer support from WordPress experts
Up to 70% off using my Bluehost coupon
For more details, check out my full Bluehost review.
If you follow this guide and can’t get your blog online within 30 minutes, my team will set it up for you for free. Just contact us using our free blog setup service.
ℹ️ NOTE: If you sign up using my referral link, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. In fact, you’ll save money and get a free domain as part of the deal.
To get started, open Bluehost in a new tab and click the yellow ‘Get Started Now’ button.
[IMG: Bluehost offer for WPBeginner readers]
Then, you need to select the hosting plan you want. Starter and Business are the most popular options.
Next, you’ll choose your domain name.
[IMG: Bluehost Free Domain Name for WPBeginner Users]
After choosing a domain name, you will be taken to the cart page. From here, you can review your order summary and finalize your package.
I recommend choosing the 3-year plan for the best value.
[IMG: Choose the 3-year Bluehost plan for the best value]
Then, click ‘Continue to Checkout’ and fill in your account details and enter your payment information.
Once your purchase is complete, Bluehost will email your login details. You’ll use these to access your hosting control panel (called cPanel), where you’ll manage your site and install WordPress.
[H4] Step 3. Install WordPress Blogging Software
When you sign up with Bluehost using my link, they will automatically install WordPress for you so that you can start building your blog immediately.
Simply log in to your Bluehost account and then click the ‘Edit Site’ button to get started.
[IMG: Bluehost login WordPress]
You can also log in to WordPress by going to yoursite.com/wp-admin/ directly from your browser.
If you are using a different WordPress blog hosting service, such as SiteGround, Hostinger, DreamHost, or others, then you can see my guide on installing WordPress for step-by-step instructions for those providers.
That said, I have noticed that most of the above blog hosting companies now automatically install WordPress to help non-techy users kickstart their blogging journey.
Once WordPress is set up, you’re ready to create your blog pages, customize your blog’s design, and start blogging.
[H4] Step 4: Customizing Your Blog
When I started my first blog, I spent hours trying to make it look perfect. I wasn’t the best designer, so I experimented with different themes, colors, and layouts.
It felt overwhelming at first, but I quickly realized that simplicity was the key to a great blog design.
Your blog’s design is like the face of your website. It’s the first thing visitors notice, setting the tone for their experience. WordPress makes it easy to create a professional design without needing coding skills.
WordPress themes control how your blog looks. When you first install WordPress, your blog will look plain like this:
[IMG: Default WordPress theme]
Don’t worry if it’s not what you imagined. WordPress offers thousands of free and premium themes to completely transform your blog’s look.
To get started, go to your WordPress dashboard and click on Appearance » Themes. Then, click the ‘Add New Theme’ button.
[IMG: Add new WordPress theme]
You’ll find over 7,000 free themes in the WordPress.org directory. You can filter them by Popular, Latest, or specific features.
Hover over a theme to see a Preview, which shows how it might look on your site.
[IMG: Browse free WordPress themes]
Remember, the preview won’t be perfect until you customize it later.
When you find a theme you like, just click ‘Install.’ Once installed, click ‘Activate’ to make it live on your site.
[IMG: Activate WordPress theme]
Early in my blogging journey, I realized that less is more when it comes to design. A clean, simple blog not only looks better but also makes it easier for readers to find what they’re looking for.
Once your theme is active, you can go to Appearance » Customize to adjust colors, fonts, and layouts. You can even add your logo to make your blog unique.
If you’re using a block theme, you’ll find the editor under Appearance » Editor.
[IMG: Launch site editor]
For even more control, I recommend using a page builder like SeedProd or Divi.
I have SeedProd on many of my business websites and blogs. You can read more about it in my detailed SeedProd review.
These tools are called page builders and offer intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces for creating custom designs. You can create custom headers, footers, and layouts without writing any code.
[IMG: Editing the online coaching business theme in SeedProd]
If you’re not sure where to start, check out my guide on selecting the perfect WordPress theme. Keep your design clean and user-friendly, and you’ll be off to a great start.
Once your design feels right, you’re ready to start creating content!
[H4] Step 5: Writing Your First Blog Post ✍️
When I wrote my first blog post, I had no idea how much impact it would have. I spent hours rewriting it, trying to make it perfect.
Looking back, I wish I’d just focused on getting it published. The most important step is to start, and WordPress makes it easy to do just that.
To write your first post, go to your WordPress dashboard and click Posts » Add New. This will open the editor, where you can start typing your content.
[IMG: Writing blog post]
WordPress uses a block-based editor that lets you create beautiful layouts for your posts. It’s simple to use and incredibly flexible.
Check out this complete WordPress block editor tutorial if you need help getting familiar with the editor.
Once you’ve written your post, click the ‘Publish’ button in the top-right corner. That’s it — your blog post is live!
[IMG: Publishing a blog post]
While writing, you’ll notice sections like Categories and Tags on the post screen. These help you organize your content. I recommend reading our guide on the difference between categories and tags to use them effectively.
To get the most out of WordPress’s features, check out our detailed guide on adding a new post. It covers everything from embedding videos to adding headings, bullet lists, and call-to-action buttons.
If you’re struggling with ideas for your first post, don’t worry. Many new bloggers, including myself, face this challenge. Here are some helpful resources:
Free blog post idea generator tool by WPBeginner
130+ blog post ideas that your readers will love
50 types of blog topics that are proven to work
How to write a great blog post (structure + examples)
How to create an effective content plan in WordPress
I also use keyword research to find even more blog ideas. It helps your content rank higher in search engines and attract more readers. I’ve written a step-by-step guide on how to do keyword research using the same methods I use for WPBeginner.
My advice? Don’t aim for perfection with your first post. Just start writing and hit publish. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll learn and grow as a blogger.
[H4] Step 6: Adding Essential Plugins ?
When I first started blogging, I wanted my site to do more than just publish posts. I wanted contact forms, email lists, and other features to help me grow my audience.
That’s where plugins come in. They are like apps for your WordPress website. They let you add powerful features to your site without needing any technical skills.
Today, there are over 60,000 free plugins available in the WordPress directory, so there’s a plugin for just about anything you can imagine. For details, see this article on WordPress plugins and how they work.
If you’re new to plugins, don’t worry. My team has created a step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Now, let’s look at some essential plugins that every blog should have. I’ll share my personal recommendations based on what’s worked best for me and my audience.
[IMG: WPForms Logo]
1. WPForms
When I first started blogging, I quickly realized I needed a contact form so that users could send me questions, feedback, or reach out about business opportunities. After trying several contact form plugins, I settled on WPForms.
Why I recommend WPForms
Beginner-friendly with a drag-and-drop builder
Pre-built templates to save time
Flexible features that grow with your blog
For a detailed breakdown of all its features, check out my detailed WPForms review.
Pricing: Free Lite Version | Paid version starts from $49.50 / yr
[IMG: MonsterInsights logo]
2. MonsterInsights
Understanding your audience and tracking your blog traffic is important. I use MonsterInsights, the #1 Google Analytics plugin for WordPress, to monitor traffic and improve my blog content.
Why I recommend MonsterInsights
Beginner-friendly and easy to set up
Shows detailed

WPBeginner»Ultimate WordPress SEO Guide: Rank in Google & AI Search (2026)
“I write great content, but nobody ever finds it.” We hear this frustration from WordPress beginners constantly, and we experienced the exact same struggle when we first started.
It is frustrating to spend hours writing a blog post only to see zero traffic. Luckily, getting search engines to notice your site does not require complicated magic.
We developed a simple, step-by-step system that now brings millions of visitors to our own websites every month. In this SEO guide, we will walk you through our exact process that’s working today in the era of AI overviews beyond the traditional blue-links.
[IMG: WordPress SEO for Beginners to WordPress SEO for Beginners - Ultimate Guide]
This guide provides a comprehensive roadmap to boost your WordPress SEO with actionable strategies you can put into practice immediately.
To help you navigate this in-depth guide, we have created a handy table of contents below:
[H4] Table of Contents
What Is SEO? (And Why It Matters in 2026)WordPress SEO BasicsSetting Up Your SEO PluginOn-Page SEO for WordPressBuilding Authority and TrustOptimizing for AI SearchLocal SEO for WordPress SitesTechnical SEO for WordPress SitesWordPress SEO Best PracticesVideo TutorialFrequently Asked Questions About WordPress SEOMore SEO Tools and ResourcesRelated WordPress SEO Guides
[H4] What Is SEO? (And Why It Matters in 2026)
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization which is the the practice of structuring your website and content so search engines like Google can find, understand, and rank it. When done well, SEO turns your website into a magnet for free, organic traffic from people actively searching for what you offer.
You can think of SEO like organizing a library. Your content is the books, and SEO is the cataloging system that helps readers find exactly what they need. Without it, even the best content sits unseen on a dusty shelf.
[IMG: What is SEO (Definition)]
In 2026, SEO has evolved beyond traditional blue-link rankings. Google now surfaces content in AI Overviews (AI-generated summaries at the top of search results), featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, and knowledge panels. A modern WordPress SEO strategy needs to optimize for all of these, not just position #1.
Search engines remain the largest source of traffic for most websites. Based on our experience managing sites with 100M+ annual pageviews, we believe making your WordPress site search-engine friendly is the single highest-ROI investment you can make.
The best part is that the same SEO strategies also work for ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and other AI search tools that are gaining popularity.
[H4] WordPress SEO Basics
WordPress is built with clean, standards-compliant code that follows SEO best practices out of the box. That’s one reason so many people choose WordPress. But there are a few foundational settings you need to verify before doing anything else.
[H5] Check Your Site’s Visibility Settings
WordPress comes with a built-in option to hide your website from search engines (which is useful during development). However, if this option gets checked accidentally, then it makes your website unavailable to search engines.
If your website is not appearing in search results, then the first thing you need to do is to make sure that this option is unchecked.
Simply go to the Settings » Reading page in your WordPress admin and make sure the box next to “Discourage search engines from indexing this site” is unchecked.
[IMG: Search engine visibility option in WordPress Settings]
[H5] Using SEO-Friendly URL Structures in WordPress
SEO-friendly URLs contain words that clearly explain the content of the page, and they are easy to read by both humans and search engines.
For example:https://www.wpbeginner.com/how-to-install-wordpress/
If your website URL looks something like ?p=10467 then that’s not SEO friendly.
You can correct that by going to Settings » Permalinks page and selecting the “Post name” option.
[IMG: Post Name Permalink]
Warning: If your site has been running for 6+ months, don’t change your permalink structure without setting up proper 301 redirects first. Changing URLs on an established site can break links and lose existing rankings.
For more detailed instructions, take a look at our guide on what is an SEO-friendly URL structure in WordPress.
[H5] WWW vs. Non-WWW
If you are just starting out with your website, then you need to choose whether you want to use www (https://www.example.com) or non-www (https://example.com) in your site’s URL.
Search engines consider these to be two different websites, so this means you need to choose one and stick to it. You can set your preference by visiting the Settings » General page. Add your preferred URL in both the ‘WordPress Address’ and ‘Site Address’ fields.
[IMG: Change the WordPress Address and Site URL to Your New Domain]
Despite what someone else might say, from an SEO standpoint, there is no advantage to using one or another. For more detailed information on this topic, see www vs non-www ΓÇô which is better for WordPress SEO.
[H4] Setting Up Your SEO Plugin
All websites need a WordPress SEO plugin because it handles the technical groundwork such as title tags, meta descriptions, XML sitemaps, schema markup, canonical URLs, and more. Instead of installing separate plugins for each task, we recommend using one comprehensive solution.
[H5] Choosing the Best WordPress SEO Plugin
We’ve tested every major SEO plugin on the market across dozens of live WordPress sites. In 2021, after years of using Yoast SEO, we switched WPBeginner to All in One SEO (AIOSEO) because it was innovating faster and offers more built-in features.
If you are considering, here’s our list of top WordPress SEO plugins:
AIOSEO – best all around WordPress SEO plugin used by 3 million websites. Powerful free version available as well.
Yoast SEO – legacy WordPress SEO plugin that’s popular but isn’t innovating anymore.
RankMath – popular SEO plugin but was recently acquired by a private equity, so innovation has stopped.
SEOPress – new comer in the market.
For a detailed walkthrough, see our complete guide on how to set up All In One SEO for WordPress.
[H5] Add XML Sitemaps in WordPress
An XML sitemap is a file that lists every page on your website in a format search engines can read. It does not directly boost rankings, but it helps Google discover and index your content faster.
If you are using AIOSEO, your sitemap is created automatically. You can find it at:
https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
[IMG: Add XML sitemap in WordPress]
Beyond the standard XML sitemap, you should also consider adding specialized sitemaps depending on the type of site you run:
Sitemap TypeWhat It IsWhen to Use ItCommon Use CasesImage SitemapA sitemap that includes image metadata (captions, titles, file URLs) alongside page URLsUse it if images play a key role in how visitors discover your siteEcommerce product images, photography portfolios, and more.Video SitemapA sitemap that includes video metadata like thumbnails, titles, descriptions, and durationWhen you want Google to discover and index your video contentVideo tutorials, product demos, online courses, media sitesNews SitemapA sitemap designed for timely news content published in the last 48 hoursIt’s best suited for you if you publish content eligible for Google NewsNews publications, media outlets, and pressRSS SitemapA feed-based sitemap that notifies search engines of newly published or updated contentWhen you want faster indexing of new content without waiting for a standard sitemap refreshBlogs, news sites, content-heavy publishersHTML SitemapA human-readable page listing all your site’s URLs in an organized structureWhen you want to improve internal navigation and help visitors find contentLarge websites, resource hubs, directories, knowledge bases
AIOSEO handles all of these sitemap types automatically.
The next step is submitting your sitemaps to Google Search Console so Google knows where to find them.
[H5] Add Your Site to Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a free tool that shows you exactly how Google sees your website. You can see which search terms bring people to your site, how your pages appear in results, and whether Google has any trouble crawling your content.
If you are using AIOSEO, follow this guide to connect Google Search Console. Otherwise, see our step-by-step tutorial on how to add your WordPress site to Google Search Console.
Once connected, click ‘Sitemaps’ in the left menu and submit your sitemap URL. Google will start using it to crawl your site more efficiently.
[IMG: Add a new sitemap]
We recommend checking your Search Console at least monthly. Pay attention to:
Performance report – shows which queries bring impressions and clicks
Coverage/Indexing report – flags pages Google cannot index or has excluded
Core Web Vitals report – highlights speed and user experience issues (more on this below)
Pro Tip: AIOSEO includes a Search Statistics dashboard that brings your Google Search Console data right inside WordPress, so you can track SEO progress without leaving your site.
[IMG: Search statistics dashboard]
Beyond Google, we also recommend submitting your site to Bing, DuckDuckGo, and other search engines.
You should also install MonsterInsights to see Google Analytics data inside your WordPress dashboard. This helps you understand which traffic sources and pages are performing best. See our guide on how to install Google Analytics in WordPress.
[H4] On-Page SEO for WordPress
Your SEO plugin handles the technical foundation, but the real gains come from the content you publish. In this section, we will show you how to optimize every blog post, find the right keywords, and organize your content so search engines can understand it.
[H5] Optimizing Your Blog Posts for SEO
SEO is an ongoing process, and the biggest gains come from optimizing every individual post you publish.
AIOSEO (and other top SEO plugins) let you set an SEO title, meta description, and focus keyword for every post and page. You also get a live preview of how your listing will appear in Google.
[IMG: Optimize your blog posts with AIOSEO]
Here are the key on-page elements to optimize for every post:
SEO title – include your focus keyword near the beginning and keep it under 60 characters so Google does not cut it off
Meta description – write a compelling 160-character summary that makes searchers want to click
Headings (H2, H3, H4) – use a clear heading hierarchy where each heading describes the section below it and includes relevant keywords where they fit naturally
First paragraph – mention your main topic within the first 100 words so both readers and search engines understand what the page is about
Featured snippet formatting – if you want to appear in Google’s answer boxes or AI Overviews, structure key answers as short, direct paragraphs or numbered lists right after a question-style heading
Now you know the important elements that you should be optimizing in every piece of content you publish.
Next, you can use AIOSEO’s TruSEO on-page analysis score to analyze what you have done well and what needs improvement in your content. The best part is that you can check it in real time as you write. We use this on every article we publish at WPBeginner.
If you want, you can also use SEO checker tools to analyze your content’s readability, keyword density, and relevance before you hit publish.
For a complete walkthrough, see our guide on how to optimize your blog posts for SEO like a pro.
[H5] Doing Keyword Research for Your Website
Many beginners guess what topics people are searching for. That is like shooting an arrow in the dark. Keyword research replaces guesswork with real data so you can create content around terms your audience is actually searching for.
Here is what good keyword research helps you do:
Discover the exact words and phrases your audience types into Google
Find topics where you have a realistic chance of ranking, even against larger sites
Understand search intent so you can match what users actually want
Build topic clusters that strengthen your authority on a subject
Avoid wasting time on keywords that AI Overviews already answer completely
There are many keyword research tools available. We recommend LowFruits because it specializes in finding low-competition keywords where you have a realistic chance of ranking.
[IMG: List of keyword suggestions from LowFruits]
Here is a practical keyword research workflow you can follow:
Start with seed topics – list 5-10 broad topics central to your niche
Expand with tools – plug each seed topic into LowFruits or the WPBeginner Keyword Generator to find hundreds of related keywords
Group into clusters – organize related keywords into topic clusters with one pillar page supported by several related posts
Check competitor gaps – use our free Keyword Density Checker on competitor URLs to see what they are targeting that you are not
Prioritize by intent – informational (“how to”), commercial (“best tools”), and transactional (“buy”) keywords each need different page types. Focus on keywords where searchers need to visit a website to get their answer
LowFruits also includes a Keyword Clustering feature to help you group related keywords together, which strengthens your authority on a subject and helps you rank for multiple terms with fewer articles.
If you want free alternatives, here are two we built ourselves:
WPBeginner Keyword Generator – generates 300+ keyword ideas instantly from any seed term
Keyword Density Checker – reveals which keywords your competitors are targeting on any page
Important: Keyword intent matters more than keyword volume. A keyword with 500 monthly searches and clear purchase or learning intent will often drive more value than a generic term with 10,000 searches that Google answers with an AI Overview. Focus on keywords where the searcher needs to visit a website to get their answer.
For a complete walkthrough, see our guide on how to do keyword research for your WordPress blog.
[H5] Properly Using Categories and Tags in WordPress
[IMG: Category vs Tag]
WordPress lets you organize posts into categories and tags. Used correctly, they help both readers and search engines understand your site’s structure.
After explaining this to thousands of readers, here is how we think about it:
Categories are broad topic groups, like a book’s table of contents. A food blog might have categories for Recipes, Reviews, and Cooking Tips. Categories are hierarchical (you can create sub-categories).
Tags are specific descriptors, like a book’s index. A post in the Recipes category might be tagged “pasta,” “vegetarian,” or “30-minute meals.”
The most common mistake is creating too many categories or using tags and categories interchangeably. Keep your categories to 8-12 broad topics and use tags for specifics.
For more on this topic,

WPBeginner»The Ultimate WordPress Security Guide – Step by Step (2026)
Every website owner dreads the moment they realize their site might be vulnerable to hackers. A single security breach can damage your hard-earned reputation and revenue instantly.
You might worry that protecting your site requires expensive tools or advanced coding skills, but that is simply not true. Most security measures are actually quite easy to apply.
We have spent over 16 years testing plugins and refining strategies to keep WPBeginner safe from daily attacks. We use these exact methods to protect our own projects.
In this guide, we will walk you through our ultimate security checklist to help you secure your website and sleep peacefully.
[IMG: The Ultimate WordPress Security Guide - Step by Step]
While WordPress core software is very secure and is audited regularly by hundreds of developers, there’s still a lot that needs to be done to keep your site secure.
At WPBeginner, we believe that security is not just about risk elimination. It’s also about risk reduction. As a website owner, there’s a lot that you can do to improve your WordPress security, even if you are not tech-savvy.
That’s why we put together a WordPress security checklist of actionable steps that you can take to protect your website against security vulnerabilities.
To make it easy, we have created a table of contents to help you navigate through our ultimate WordPress security guide:
[H4] Table of Contents
Basics of WordPress Security
Why WordPress Security Is Important
Keep WordPress Updated
Use Strong Passwords and User Permissions
Understand the Role of WordPress Hosting
WordPress Security in Easy Steps (No Coding)
Install a WordPress Backup Solution
Install a Reputable WordPress Security Plugin
Enable a Web Application Firewall (WAF)
Move Your WordPress Site to SSL/HTTPS
WordPress Security for DIY Users
Change the Default Admin Username
Disable File Editing
Disable PHP File Execution in Certain WordPress Directories
Limit Login Attempts
Add Two Factor Authentication (2FA)
Change the WordPress Database Prefix
Password Protect WordPress Admin and Login Page
Disable Directory Indexing and Browsing
Disable XML-RPC in WordPress
Automatically Log Out Idle Users in WordPress
Add Security Questions to WordPress Login
Scan WordPress for Malware and Vulnerabilities
Fix a Hacked WordPress Site
Ready? Let’s get started.
[H4] Why Website Security Is Important
A hacked WordPress website can cause serious damage to your business’s revenue and reputation. Hackers can steal user information and passwords, install malicious software, and even distribute malware to your users.
Worse, you may find yourself paying ransomware to hackers just to regain access to your website.
[IMG: Ransomware Attack]
Every day, Google warns millions of users that a website they are trying to visit may contain malware or steal information.
Furthermore, Google blacklists thousands of websites each day for malware or phishing.
Just as business owners with a physical location are responsible for safeguarding their property, online business owners need to pay extra attention to their WordPress security.
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[H4] Keep WordPress Updated
[IMG: Easily update WordPress]
WordPress is open-source software and is regularly maintained and updated. By default, WordPress automatically installs minor updates.
For major releases, you need to manually initiate the update.
WordPress also comes with thousands of plugins and themes that you can install on your website. These plugins and themes are maintained by third-party developers, who regularly release updates as well.
These WordPress updates are crucial for the security and stability of your WordPress site. You need to make sure that your WordPress core, plugins, and theme are up to date.
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[H4] Use Strong Passwords and User Permissions
[IMG: Manage strong passwords]
The most common WordPress hacking attempts use stolen passwords. However, you can make that difficult by using stronger, unique passwords for your website.
We are not just talking about the WordPress admin area. Remember to create strong passwords for your FTP accounts, databases, WordPress hosting accounts, and custom email addresses that use your site’s domain name.
Many beginners don’t like using strong passwords because they are hard to remember. The good thing is that you don’t need to remember passwords anymore because you can just use a password manager.
See our guide on how to manage WordPress passwords for more information.
Another way to reduce the risk is to not give anyone access to your WordPress admin account unless you absolutely have to.
If you have a large team or guest authors, then make sure that you understand user roles and capabilities in WordPress before you add new user accounts and authors to your WordPress site.
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[H4] Understand the Role of WordPress Hosting
[IMG: SiteGround]
Your WordPress hosting service plays the most important role in the security of your WordPress site. A good shared hosting provider like Hostinger, Bluehost, or SiteGround takes extra measures to protect their servers against common threats.
Here are just a few ways that good web hosting companies work in the background to protect your websites and data:
They continuously monitor their network for suspicious activity.
All good hosting companies have tools in place to prevent large-scale DDoS attacks.
They keep their server software, PHP versions, and hardware up to date to prevent hackers from exploiting a known security vulnerability in older versions.
They have ready-to-deploy disaster recovery and accident plans that allow them to protect your data in case of a major accident.
On a shared hosting plan, you share the server resources with many other customers. There is a risk of cross-site contamination where a hacker can use a neighboring site to attack your website.
By contrast, using a managed WordPress hosting service provides a more secure platform for your website.
Managed WordPress hosting companies offer automatic backups, automatic WordPress updates, and advanced firewall configurations to protect your website. They often handle many of the technical security tasks on this list for you.
We recommend SiteGround as our preferred managed WordPress hosting provider. They have responsive support, fast servers, and excellent reliability.
Make sure you get the best deal by using our special SiteGround coupon.
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[H4] WordPress Security in a Few Easy Steps (No Coding)
We know that improving WordPress security can be a terrifying thought for beginners, especially if you are not techy. Guess what – you are not alone.
We have helped thousands of WordPress users in hardening their WordPress security.
We will show you how you can improve your WordPress security with just a few clicks (no coding required).
If you can point and click, you can do this!
[H4] 1. Install a WordPress Backup Solution
[IMG: WordPress Backup]
Backups are your first defense against any WordPress attack. Remember, nothing is 100% secure. If government websites can be hacked, then so can yours.
Backups allow you to quickly restore your WordPress site in case something bad happens.
There are many free and paid WordPress backup plugins that you can use. The most important thing you need to know when it comes to backups is that you must regularly save full-site backups to a remote location (not your hosting account).
We recommend storing it on a cloud service like Amazon, Dropbox, or private clouds like Stash.
Based on how frequently you update your website, the ideal setting might be either once a day or real-time backups.
Thankfully, this can be easily done by using plugins like Duplicator, UpdraftPlus, or BlogVault. They are both reliable and, most importantly, easy to use (no coding needed).
For more details, see our guide on how to back up your WordPress website.
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[H4] Install a Reputable WordPress Security Plugin
After backups, the next thing we need to do is set up an auditing and monitoring system that keeps track of everything that happens on your website.
This includes file integrity monitoring, failed login attempts, malware scanning, and more.
Thankfully, you can easily take care of this by installing one of the best WordPress security plugins, such as Sucuri.
You need to install and activate the free Sucuri Security plugin. For more details, please see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
This limits your risk, but strictly speaking, the free plugin is for security monitoring and scanning, not a firewall.
Now, you can head over to the Sucuri Security » Dashboard to see if the plugin found any immediate issues with your WordPress code.
[IMG: Setting up the Sucuri WordPress security plugin]
The next thing you need to do is navigate to the Sucuri Security » Settings page and click on the ‘Hardening’ tab.
The default settings work well for most websites, so you can go ahead and activate them by clicking the ‘Apply Hardening’ button for each option.
[IMG: Hardening your WordPress blog or website]
This helps you lock down the key areas hackers often use in their attacks.
Tip: We will cover further ways to harden your website later in this article, such as changing the database prefix and admin username. However, these are more technical and may require coding knowledge.
After the hardening step, the plugin’s other default settings are sufficient for most websites and don’t require any changes.
The only thing we recommend customizing is email alerts, which can be found in the ‘Alerts’ tab of the settings page.
[IMG: Customizing your website]
By default, you will receive a lot of email alerts that can clutter your inbox.
We recommend enabling alerts only for key actions you wish to be notified about, such as plugin changes and new user registrations.
[IMG: Customizing your WordPress security notifications]
This WordPress security plugin is very powerful, so browse through all the tabs and settings to see all that it does, such as malware scanning, audit logs, failed login attempt tracking, and more.
For more information, you can see our detailed Sucuri review.
[H4] Enable a Web Application Firewall (WAF)
While the free plugin we installed in the previous step helps you monitor your site for issues, it cannot block attacks in real-time. For that, you need a Web Application Firewall (WAF).
Using a WAF is the easiest way to protect your site and be confident about your WordPress security.
A website firewall blocks all malicious traffic before it even reaches your website.
A DNS-level website firewall routes your website traffic through its cloud proxy servers. This allows it to send only genuine traffic to your web server.
An application-level firewall examines the traffic once it reaches your server but before loading most WordPress scripts. This method is not as efficient as the DNS-level firewall in reducing the server load.
To learn more, see our list of the best WordPress firewall plugins.
[IMG: How website firewall blocks attacks]
We used Sucuri on WPBeginner for many years and still recommend it as one of the best web application firewalls for WordPress. We recently switched from Sucuri to Cloudflare because we needed a larger CDN network with features that focused more on enterprise clients.
You can read about how Sucuri helped us block 450,000 WordPress attacks in a month.
[IMG: Attacks blocked by Sucuri]
The best part about Sucuri’s firewall is that it also comes with a malware cleanup and blacklist removal guarantee. That means that if you were to be hacked under their watch, they guarantee to fix your website, no matter how many pages you have.
This is a pretty strong warranty because repairing hacked websites is expensive. Security experts normally charge more than $250 per hour, while you can get the entire Sucuri security stack for $199 for a whole year.
Improve Your WordPress Security With the Sucuri Firewall
That being said, Sucuri is not the only DNS-level firewall provider out there. The other popular competitor is Cloudflare. See our comparison of Sucuri vs. Cloudflare (Pros and Cons).
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[H4] Move Your WordPress Site to SSL/HTTPS
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a protocol that encrypts data transfer between your website and the user’s browser. This encryption makes it harder for someone to sniff around and steal information.
[IMG: How SSL Works]
Once you enable SSL, your website address will use HTTPS instead of HTTP. You will also see a padlock or similar icon next to your website address in the browser.
In the past, SSL certificates were expensive, costing anywhere from $80 to hundreds of dollars each year. Today, having an SSL certificate is a requirement for all websites.
If you don’t have one, Google Chrome and other browsers will mark your website as ‘Not Secure,’ which can scare away your visitors.
To fix this, a non-profit organization called Let’s Encrypt began offering free SSL Certificates to website owners. Their project is supported by Google Chrome, Facebook, Mozilla, and many more companies.
It’s easier than ever to start using SSL for all your WordPress websites. Many hosting companies now offer a free SSL certificate for your WordPress website.
If your hosting company does not offer one, then you can purchase an SSL certificate from Network Solutions. They have the best and most reliable SSL deals on the market. The certificate comes with a $10,000 security warranty and a TrustLogo security seal.
[H4] WordPress Security for DIY Users
If you do everything that we have mentioned thus far, then you are in pretty good shape.
But as always, there’s more that you can do to harden your WordPress security.
Keep in mind that some of these steps may require coding knowledge.
[H4] Change the Default Admin Username
In the old days, the default WordPress admin username was ‘admin’. Since usernames make up half of the login credentials, this made it easier for hackers to do brute-force attacks.
Thankfully, WordPress has since changed this and now requires you to select a custom username at the time of installing WordPress.
However, some older 1-click WordPress installers might still set the default admin username to ‘admin’. If you notice that to be the case, then it’s probably a good idea to switch your web hosting.
Since WordPress doesn’t allow you to change usernames by default, there are three methods you can use to change the username.
Create a new admin username and delete the old one.
Use the Username Changer plugin
Update username from phpMyAdmin
We have covered all three of these in our detailed guide on how to properly change your WordPress username.
Note: Just to be clear, we are talking about changing the username called ‘admin’, not the administrator user role, which is also sometimes called ‘admin’.
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[H4] Disable File Editing
WordPress includes a built-in code editor that lets you edit y