Creating a successful business website is no easy feat. That’s because dozens of moving pieces need to come together to produce something functional that drives traffic and converts it into sales. It can take a while to get all the elements just right, so losing it all due to malware is undoubtedly unsettling.
And reasonably so. Malware can cost you revenue while your website is down, but it can also put you on a black list with major search engines, practically obliterating all your SEO efforts. Here is a handful of valuable insights into why you should invest in a website malware scanner:
How Do Malware Scanners Work?
Website malware checkers are valuable tools that scan your website for malicious software, including viruses, Trojan horses, worms, spyware, and more. Malware is designed to find and use your website’s weak spots to enter the system and then cause damage by disrupting basic functionalities to steal or leak information. However, conducting routine website malware scans will analyze your website’s content and then flag any suspicious code, allowing you to take immediate action.
Why Does Your Website Need Malware Scanning?
Malware is much more than a simple nuisance and should be taken seriously. In fact, malware attacks cost U.S. companies $6.9 billion in 2021 alone. With increased attacks occurring year after year, ignoring the issue is a dangerous game.
Here are five reasons to include regular malware scans in your online protection strategy.
1. Protect Your Reputation
If your website is affected by malware, your users’ browsers will flag it as infected or suspicious. This naturally causes concern for your customers and prospects alike. Many may never return to your e-commerce site due to a lack of trust. By the time you remedy the issue — you may not always be immediately aware of the problem — your business will lose valuable reputation points.
2. Safeguard Your Users’ Data and Trust
Malware can also cause data loss or leaks of users’ personal and financial information, which will have obvious damaging effects on your customers’ satisfaction and retention. Your customers gave you their trust. Are your security measures strong enough to protect it from attackers?
3. Prevent the Loss of Revenue
While your website is down due to a malware attack, you’re losing revenue with every minute. Unfortunately, the loss of sales isn’t obvious only while the website is down. In the meantime, many customers will go to your competitors instead, and you’ll lose them forever.
4. Don’t Waste Your SEO Efforts
Getting your website ranked high on major search engines is neither a quick nor an easy task, especially in a crowded industry. Once you position your website high on your ideal customers’ search results, you should put considerable effort into staying there. Having your website infected by malware sends negative signals to the search engines’ algorithms and can even cause your site to become blacklisted. This can take months to fix, practically wasting all your hard-earned SEO brownie points.
5. Take a Proactive Approach Toward Safety
Instead of waiting for a disaster to happen only to take remedial action, preventing malware from causing havoc to your online business is a much smarter approach. Regular scans will help identify threats early on and remove them before they get a chance to cause disturbances. Indeed, investing in an effective website malware checker will help you keep on top of potential risks and prevent them from happening in the first place.
How Strong is Your Website Security?
Protecting your business website should be top on your priority list. It doesn’t take much effort and won’t present a burden to your budget. However, it will secure your business from serious damage — financial, operational, and reputational. The best time to have thought about website security was the day you purchased your website domain. The second-best time is now.
