Wordpress Discussion
Out of context: Reply #8
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- mg334
A few tips from my own experiences over the past several years building, customizing, and running WP sites:
1. Always, always, ALWAYS use some form of security plugin to manage your site's security, files, access, and monitor it regularly. Know whatever tool you use almost as well as you know WP itself. iThemes and Wordfence are both highly rated, and come with subscription services that have advanced features.
2. Periodically run an anti-virus specific plugin beyond whatever you use for security. Learn the ins-and-outs of what files regularly change based on how the plugin operates.
3. Gain a fairly good understanding of basic PHP. That has helped me tremendously when seeking out files that had malicious code added to them after a hack. Learn what base64 code is and learn how to identify it, and patterns used with it in malicious code. Could go on and on about this, but look into it.
4. Always use a child theme for your customizations.
5. Backup regularly, either manually or with a scheduled service. Follow the suggestions on where to and where not to keep your backups (ex: not on the same root folder as the site itself).
6. Make sure that via your security plugin, you don't have an account called "admin."
7. If you're customizing CSS, use an actual file that you edit on the server or in the WP Editor, and not a custom CSS field that's managed within the theme. I don't know... there's something that causes a lot of frustration with the theme-based custom CSS fields; it's hard to find where that CSS is actually managed in a file, and what the rules are about what it overwrites. It's just so much easier to know you have a file that stands alone to manage, and uses !important for some things that are really hard to overwrite.
8. Don't code, customize, tweak the site, etc. when you're tired. I learned my lesson editing a site once when I couldn't keep my eyes open. Totally lost track of the edits I was making, didn't track them in notepad, and was totally confused the next day.
9. Don't worship Satan.
- #9 blasphemy!moldero
- https://www.youtube.…moldero
- Very sound advice, but this is also a part time job in itself. Educate the client on the risks and charge them a maintenance fee.ArmandoEstrada
- I just did 8. But i was experienced enough to know i had to take notes. Solid advice here fellas and fellaettesrabbit