As people rely more and more on the internet, security becomes even more vital to ensuring the safety of your business.

Your website is your biggest asset and ensuring it is secure is the difference between appearing on Google and being blacklisted and marked as a virus.

Google and many other search engines are very strict about website security compliance and you need to ensure your website is up to date or risk having your reputation damaged.

Here are just a few of the reasons why you should see to it that your business’ website is fully secure.

1. Website security risks are more common than you think

Hackers have been attacking websites since the dawn of the internet and have always managed to crack security procedures sooner or later. Internet security is an ever-evolving arms race between cyber-security and hackers. It sounds like the plot of a bad 80s sci-fi film, but it isn’t. The fact of the matter is you need to update your security frequently, or risk being hacked.

2. Being a small business isn’t a defence

Hackers often don’t actively seek out their targets. They have software that seeks out websites with poor security. It is much easier, after all, to hit 100 small businesses with poor security than a mega-corporation with advanced internet security software. Hackers will ultimately target any website they can get into indiscriminately. Small businesses need someone ensuring that all the cracks in their security are plugged and updated frequently to keep them safe from random attacks.

3. Your reputation is on the line

Most people will click away from hazardous websites as soon as they realise they are unsafe. It is easy to check to as it says it in the address bar on most browsers. Being unsecure is hazardous to your reputation with Google. Being confused for malware can result in being put on Google’s blacklist which is almost impossible to come back from. Imagine every customer getting a big red warning that your website is unsafe and may contain dangerous viruses before they even step foot on your homepage. Spoiler alert: it isn’t good for your web traffic.