<h1>Securing your e-Commerce Website</h1>

Knowing what steps to take in making and maintaining a secure website is an important factor of any successful e-commerce business. So, what can you do to secure your website?

Websites are usually hacked into server-side, meaning that if you're using a CMS (Content Management System) your site will be more prone. So, before making your website, ensure that you can justify the use of a CMS if you're planning on using one. If you have a static website, for example, whose content rarely changes, then a CMS would not be beneficial.

If you are using a CMS, be sure to update it with stable releases when available, as older versions will be more susceptible to hacks... and eliminate any indication of its use from your site, or at the least, the version that you are using. Renaming the tables in your database from the standard default names is useful, too; just adding a prefix will do. You can also limit the number of failed login attempts, as with this plugin for WordPress. The more familiar you are with your CMS, the better; understanding how to use it is definitely favourable to your site's security.

If you have a backend to your website, then refrain from using 'admin' as a username, and even name the login page something other than login.php, admin.php or anything along those lines.

Forms open up a wide hole to your server, and if not coded properly can offer direct access to all sorts of things, so always be sure to validate your forms by checking input length and format. Even set a maxlength on the input fields.

Password protect private directories.

Lastly, always remember to regularly backup your site. This can be as simple as exporting your database, installing a free plugin which does it for you, such as Drupal's Backup and Migrate module, or even getting a paid solution such as VaultPress for WordPress.