The situation become even more think-worthy when every week Google recognize and block more than 50 thousand phishing websites. While WordPress core software is safe enough to prevent minor attacks but you should take help from add-on services to safeguard your site. You can also implement manual way by altering setting at your site.


In this post, we will look at the manual method and its efficiency in comparison with automated WordPress security plugins. By the end of this post, I hope you will be cleared on the advantages of security plugins over manual method.

Manually securing your site is an efficient and pocket friendly procedure to secure your site but it lacks some major updates and that's why often hackers find their way to damage your site even after manual locking up of your site. Let's first look at the simple ways to harden your WordPress site manually.


How to Manually Secure Your WordPress Site?
1. Customize the default Username: You can customize your default username, 'admin' to a different username. This will secure your site from brute force attacks. Being a blogger, keeping username to the default is the most impractical process. It is easiest to guess by hackers. You can change username from 'admin' to a custom username in three ways:
a. Delete the older username and create a new one.
b. Install any WordPress Username Changer plugin.
c. Change username by updating phpMyAdmin.
d. At the time of Installation of WordPress, switch to custom username option.


2. Disable Code-Editor: WordPress allow users to edit installed plugins and themes through its in-built editor. You can disable the inbuilt code editor to minimise security risk so that anyone with wrong intention cannot make changes to your site. To disable WordPress inbuilt editor, write the following lines of codes at wp-config.php file:
"Disallow file edit define( 'DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true );"


3. Set Limits on Login Attempts: Initially, there is no limits on WordPress login, you can feed login credentials as many times you want to, in case you forget your password or username. But this makes hackers to do unlimited attempts to crack your username or password. Therefore, you can set limitations on Login attempt. There is no direct way to do so, you have to install specific plugin for it or if you are using web application firewall, this feature is by default added. https://wordpress.org/plugins/hide-my-wp/


4. Customize WordPress Database Prefix: Change the default 'wp' database prefix to something else. Again the reason is, using the default prefix will make it simpler for hackers to manipulate your WordPress database.
How Security Plugins work better than manual securing WordPress site?

Manual method of securing your site works good in safeguarding your site but you need to mould your process every time after any update. Security Plugins have following advantages over manual method:
a. Require no coding while securing your site.
b. End user free Interface to enable users to secure their site in one click.
c. Automatically update the plugins when scheduled.
d. Capability to recognize Brute Force.
e. Secure the entire site faster.


Conclusion:
There are many security plugins available on commercial sites and WordPress repository to lock your website. You do not need to install all the plugins on your site, install only one at a time, use it for sometimes. If satisfied continue using it lest uninstall it. Also make sure to install plugins from trusted sources only.

Choosing up a Wordpress Security Plugin for a healthy WordPress website with maximum security.