Click on the PLUGINS link in the left menu to view and upgrade your plugins. When the plugin has been upgraded you will see an Updated! message.

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Cory Barnett
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1 How to secure your Wordpress website: UPDATE PLUGINS: When? Whenever they go out of date. Every time you log into your dashboard (or make sure to log in once a week) if you see a plugin with an Update Now notice, click the link and update the plugin. NOTE: ALWAYS make sure you make a note of the plugin you are upgrading, just in case the upgrade is not compatible and it takes down the site. In this way the plugin can be temporarily disabled and fixed without causing any downtime to the site. Click on the PLUGINS link in the left menu to view and upgrade your plugins. Click here to upgrade the plugin. When the plugin has been upgraded you will see an Updated! message. You can log out of your site knowing that all of your plugins are secure!

NOTE: ALWAYS make sure you make a note of the plugin you are upgrading, just in case the upgrade is not compatible and it takes down the site.

BACK UP YOUR SITE When? Monthly and just before doing a Wordpress upgrade. Make sure you have the site files and database backed up you should have a back up plugin installed on your site.

2 BACK UP YOUR SITE When? Monthly and just before doing a Wordpress upgrade. Make sure you have the site files and database backed up you should have a back up plugin installed on your site. Click on the backup link and save your backup somewhere safe. If your site goes down it can be brought back very quickly with the backup. UPDATE THE WORDPRESS VERSION When? Whenever it goes out of date. The Wordpress updates it s software periodically for security reasons. Usually they are small upgrades, but once in a while they are major upgrades (like 4.3 to 4.4). A major upgrade is tricky and if not done correctly can bring the entire site down, so you need to be sure to do the following steps. 1. Make sure you have the site files and database backed up. 2. Update any plugins that need updating. 3. Deactivate all of your plugins. By clicking here to choose all plugins.

Whenever it goes out of date. The Wordpress updates it s software periodically for security reasons. Usually they are small upgrades, but once in a while they are major upgrades (like 4.3 to 4.4).

3 Then chose DEACTIVATE from the drop down menu and click the APPLY button. The reason we deactivate the plugins is so that when do do the upgrade, if there are any plugins incompatible with the upgrade we can find them easily be reactivating them one at a time. This is important because if you have a lot of plugins it may be difficult to determine which one caused the problem. 4. Click on the PLEASE UPDATE NOW link. It will ask you to update all themes first. Do that and then upgrade the Wordpress version. If all goes well then go back and reactivate the plugins one at a time and you should be fine.

4 UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD When? Regularly! We recommend once a month. Keep your password in a secure place. Make sure you have a current address set up on your website by logging into your dashboard and clicking the SETTINGS link Set up an address that you check regularly here. Then log out of your dashboard and go back to the log in page.

Make sure you have a current email address set up on your website by logging into your

5 You can reset your password by clicking the Lost your password? link on your login page. A password reset link will be sent to the address on file. Log out of your site and you are done! PROBLEMS: If your site dissapears during a backup DON T PANIC! Sometimes there are problems with Wordpress upgrades and they can take the site down. If you have a backup saved then contact us, or another Wordpress developer and we can help you bring the site back up. CONCLUSION: It is normal to be nervous about upgrading your site, but it is crucial to update the site on a regular basis because this is your best possible defence against the site getting hacked. It is much more difficult to bring back a hacked site than it is to bring back a site that has gone down due to an upgrade. If you are very nervous about updating your Wordpress version then at the very least update your Plugins when they go out of date!!! You can contact Dorothy Fletcher Bentley at or [email protected] for advice, or any other Developer could do it for you. There is no 100% safeguard against your website being hacked, but these measures will make it more difficult for a hacker and encourage them to leave your site alone and go after another site that is less secure.

If you have a backup saved then contact us, or another Wordpress developer and we can help you bring the site back up.

Wordpress Training Manual

Wordpress Training Manual Client Adviser CPD Job name: Wordpress CMS Manual Step / Task: Training of Wordpress Content Management System Date: 20 th April, 2013 Training Team: Sami El-Titi 07593 634 5864 / [email protected]