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How to Backup Your WordPress Site

Georgi Boychev — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 10:00:25 +0000

To backup your website means to make a full copy of your site’s content, data, and settings as they were at a specific point in time.

The idea is that you can replace your current site with the backup version in case a critical error occurs, or you simply don’t like how some settings turned out to perform and don’t want to spend time and effort to revert them.

Backing up is especially effective when learning how to build a WordPress site because it gives you the confidence to try out new approaches and techniques that although might result in an error, grant you valuable experience.

How to Backup Your WordPress Site

In the following paragraphs, you will read how to backup your site with the aid of a plugin.

By far, this is the easiest and fastest way to make a backup and it takes only a few minutes of your time.

Step 1: Install the Plugin

There are plenty of plugins you can choose from. For this demonstration we will use UpdraftPlus WordPress Backup Plugin:

Step 2: Make the Setup:

When you have installed and activated the plugin, browse its settings. If this is the first time using it, a pop-up box with tips will guide you through the process:

It is highly advisable that you include both your database and files in the process, so you don’t miss anything when reverting to the backup copy:

When you are ready, click on the Backup Now button and wait until the process is complete:

You will be able to see all your backup versions at the bottom of the page:

Step 3: Restore the Backup Copy

When you need to use a backup, simply go to the plugin’s settings and click on Restore and follow the instructions:

Make sure that you check all the boxes, so you make a complete restoration of your data, files, and preferred site settings:

Then, click on Restore, so you start the process:

When the process is complete, you will get a notification and Activity log details:

Now, you have successfully backed up your website.

How to Schedule Automatic Backups

Many plugins can create backups automatically on a regular basis. This is very handy, as it saves you time and provides you with recent copies of your website that you can get back to in case of an issue.

To schedule automatic backups, go to your plugin’s settings, and have a look at the options:

You can set up the automatic settings in any way you want. In our case, we will make the plugin create a copy every week and retain four copies at a time:

Next, choose where the copies will be stored, and connect the plugin with the storage place:

Then, select what will be included in the backup copies:

When you have adjusted everything, don’t forget to save the changes and you are ready to go.

Conclusion

Backing up your website and your data is very important, as it saves time and provides you with a quick fix for any technical issue that might occur on your web pages.

This is one of the fundamental steps that you can undertake to ensure safety and security for your pages and visitors. Another option is to encrypt your data with SSL Certificates and limit the login attempts towards the admin panel.

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How to Limit Login Attempts in WordPress

Georgi Boychev — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 06:00:05 +0000

Protecting your WordPress website should be a top priority for you and your team. Protection not only can ensure a more confident site-building and maintenance process but also can contribute to more conversions, as your visitors and potential customers might well feel safe to make purchases via your pages.

One of the best ways to add a layer of security is to limit the number of login attempts. This is one of the most useful approaches to defend your site from brute hacking attacks – the type of attacks in which hackers try out different login passwords, so they eventually stumble on the one which works.

How to Limit Login Attempts in WordPress

One of the fastest ways of applying a number of login attempts is by using a dedicated WordPress plugin. There are numerous plugins that add different kinds of security to your website. However, for this demonstration, you will see how to install and use a plugin that limits the number of login attempts.

To do so, first, enter your WordPress admin panel and from there go to the Plugins->Add New:

Then search for suitable plugins and install the one that fits your requirements the best. For this demonstration, we will use Limit Login Attempts Reloaded. However, you can use anyone else you want:

Once you’ve installed and activated the plugin, go to the dedicated settings page. In our case, this menu permalink is placed in the WordPress sidebar and looks like this:

Along with other handy options, this particular plugin gives some comprehensive settings regarding preferences such as:

Notification email after X failed tries
Number of allowed retries
Setting up the minutes of lockout
Setting up the increased time of the lockout time after X failed tries.

Spend some time and get yourself familiar with all the settings the plugin offers and then spend some more time tweaking these, so you set up all your preferences.

To apply these, simply click on the Save Settings button. This will not only save them but also apply the changes you just made:

Now, when you have applied the settings, the WordPress login window displays a dedicated message, informing visitors that they have a certain number of login trials, and if they fail to log in, two things will happen:

The admin will receive a notification email.
WordPress will be blocked for that particular user for a certain amount of time, for example, 24 hours

Conclusion

Limiting the login attempts is only one way of securing your pages. Relying on a safe hosting service and adding additional levels of security is a fundamental step in making your website safe. This is why ZETTAHOST provides its partners with reliable and safe hosting services like WordPress hosting.

Browse our services and contact us to explore how we can become your partner in the digital world.

Also, check out our free and comprehensive WordPress guide that will show you everything about the platform and the site-building process.

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How to Use Password Protection for Your WordPress Pages

Georgi Boychev — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 12:41:25 +0000

In this article, you will learn how to include password protection for an individual page, or a set of pages. You will also read some handy tips and tricks to use when protecting your WordPress pages.

How to Use Password Protection for Your WordPress Pages

To benefit from this feature, go to Pages->All Pages via your WordPress Admin Panel:

This will open a list of all your pages within your site. Find the page you want to protect via a password and click on Edit:

This will open the Page Edit options. Once you see the page, head towards the Visibility menu on the right of the screen:

Now, select the Password Protected option. This will open a dedicated box in which you can select a password:

Type down the password you choose and then click on the blue Update button:

By doing so, WordPress will always require this password for whoever tries to access the particular page:

Tips and Tricks to Use when Using Password Protection

Always use complex passwords.
Don’t share your passwords with anyone who is not involved in your website maintenance.
Regularly change your password, as a means to enhance security.
Use your locked pages for exclusive content – grant access only to those who have met a certain condition – registration, premium subscription, shared your site on social media, etc.
Add a description of why the page is locked and what is the condition to access its content.

Adding protection via a password is only a part of securing your website. If you wish to ensure a safe and reliable browsing experience for your visitors and customers, then definitely consider SSL Certificates. It will enhance your trustworthiness and will get you ahead of the competition. To learn more, contact us and secure your website today!

Conclusion

Using password protection for your pages provides you with a handy way of adding security and exclusivity to your site’s content. By benefitting from such an option, you can easily engage your website visitors and even add a kick to your conversion rates.

Password protection is a pretty handy WordPress feature, as it allows you to give access to a specific group of visitors. For example, this might well be a page with exclusive premium content, or, for example, a page for visitors who have made some purchases from your online store. In fact, possibilities are quite abundant with password protection.

How to Make Your WordPress Site Private

Georgi Boychev — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 08:00:29 +0000

WordPress offers a wide list of privacy options that are convenient in many situations. When you build a WordPress website, you should focus on learning about site privacy, as this will be greatly beneficial in the long term.

In the following paragraphs, you will learn how to:

make an entire WordPress site private
make individual web pages private

You will also learn how to exclude your website or certain web pages from search results.

How to Make Your WordPress Site Private

One of the easiest and most convenient ways to make your WordPress site private is by using WordPress plugins. There are many useful tools that you can choose from and each one offers a different approach to privacy settings.

If you are not sure about how plugins work, then check out our What is a WordPress Plugin article.

1. Make Your Entire Site Private

If you are still working on the final outlook of your site, you might want to fully block access to your site until the job is done. To do so, you can use different WordPress plugins.

One such is Under Construction.

To use the plugin, you must first install and activate it.

Once you’ve activated the plugin, a new menu with options will appear in your WordPress sidebar:

When you open that menu, a new page with options will appear:

This is the place from where you can set up your preferred privacy settings with this particular plugin.

For example, you can choose the layout of the page that will appear to visitors as they try to access your website. You can also change the text that they will see upon opening the URL and inform them what the cause for limited access might be.

Here are two examples:

2. Make Individual Web Pages Private

Sometimes you might want to block access to a particular page or a set of pages on your website. This is a default WordPress feature and does not require using a dedicated plugin.

To activate privacy on any of your pages, go to Pages->All Pages via your Dashboard:

A list with all your site pages will appear. Find the one you wish to make private, hover your mouse cursor over the page’s heading and click on the Edit button that will appear:

This will open the Edit Page options:

While on this page, find the Publish box, located at the right of the screen, and within this box locate the Visibility menu:

Clicking on the small Edit button will open the page’s privacy settings:

From the options, select Private. This will deny access to all visitors and registered users that take lesser WordPress roles. This is the default message these visitors will see if they try to access the blocked page:

An Alternative to Privacy: Exclude Your Site from Search Engine Indexing

Hiding your website from search engines means that your site won’t be found within the search results of any search engine such as Google and Bing.

To do so, simply go to your WordPress Dashboard and then to Settings->Reading:

This will open a page with different kinds of settings. At the bottom you will see a Discourage search engine from indexing this page checkbox right next to the Search engine visibility menu:

To hide your site from search engines, simply add a tick to this box and then click on the blue Save Changes button. This will ensure that your website won’t be indexed by search engines.

Keep in mind, however, that this approach doesn’t limit access to your site. This means that if someone knows the exact URL of your site and types it in a web browser, they will still open it and browse your content.

Conclusion

There are many reasons to make your website private. Luckily, WordPress is versatile enough to allow you to do so in a fast and efficient manner.

Protection can never be overestimated. This is why we, at ZETTAHOST offer some enhanced security with SSL Certificates. If you are not sure where to start, check out our plans and secure your website today!

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