With most people using the internet to sell and buy homes nowadays, ensuring your real estate business has a strong online presence is critically important. A well-designed and optimized real estate website can help you reduce bounce rate and increase conversion, boosting your bottom line. However, due to the sensitive nature of real estate dealings, your website can be at higher risk of being targeted by cybercriminals.
Without proper security measures, hackers and cybercriminals can access important business data and your client’s personal information. That includes your client’s social security numbers, financial data, passport numbers, insurance information, and driver’s license numbers. Ensuring complete security for your real estate website should be your priority, whether you own a cash home-buying business like Fair Cash Deal or a property listing platform. Below are a few effective ways to secure your site from cyberattacks:
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1. Get an SSL Certificate
Ensuring your site is SSL-certified is undoubtedly one of the best ways to keep it safe and secure from cyberattacks. An SSL certification ensures your clients’ information is encrypted and transferred through a secure online connection. This helps protect any important information being transferred through your real estate website from cybercriminals and hackers. It also guarantees your clients their personal information will be safe when transacting with your company online.
An SSL-certified website’s URL should begin with HTTPS, indicating it’s secure. Otherwise, you’ll see a warning sign and a “Not Secure” label. Besides protecting your website from potential cyberattacks, getting an SSL certification can help rank you higher in search results of some search engines, such as Google.
2. Install a Firewall
Installing a firewall offers your website an additional layer of protection from malicious attacks, often outside your network. It monitors website traffic and blocks any suspicious activities, preventing cybercriminals from injecting malware that could compromise your site. This way, only authorized programs, and users can access your website and company data.
Consider getting cloud-based firewalls since they offer the best protection from attacks outside your network. Unlike traditional firewalls, cloud-based firewalls tend to be more economical and effective when it comes to securing websites from cyberattacks. Your hosting provider can help you with installing firewalls on your real estate website. You can also take advantage of third-party plugins that have built-in firewalls.
3. Use Strong Passwords
Using weak passwords to access your website increases your risk for cyberattacks because they are often easy to guess and can be cracked using cutting-edge tools. Instead of using your social security number or birthday, set a password that’s complex, unique, and at least twelve characters long.
This will significantly reduce the chance of cybercriminals correctly guessing your password, making it extremely hard to access important business and client information. Also, ensure that you change your password regularly and keep it safe in case you forget it.
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While no method can guarantee 100% immunity from cyberattacks, implementing the preventative measures above can help reduce your vulnerability. Always be proactive regarding protecting your business’s and client’s data.
