The Ultimate Website Security Checklist for 2026
03 Apr 2026
10 min read
Website security is not a one-time task — it requires ongoing attention. This checklist covers everything you need to secure your website, organized by priority. Run a free scan to see where you stand right now.
Critical (fix immediately)
- Enable HTTPS — Install an SSL certificate and redirect all HTTP to HTTPS. SSL best practices →
- Remove exposed files — Check for publicly accessible .env, .git, phpinfo.php, and backup files
- Update everything — CMS, plugins, frameworks, and server software should be on the latest version
- Use strong passwords — Enforce minimum 12 characters, enable multi-factor authentication where possible
High priority
- Add security headers — CSP, X-Frame-Options, X-Content-Type-Options, Referrer-Policy. Security headers guide →
- Set up email authentication — SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. Email spoofing prevention →
- Configure HSTS — Force HTTPS at the browser level
- Close unnecessary ports — Database ports (3306, 5432), Redis (6379), and management ports should not be public
Medium priority
- Enable compression — Gzip or Brotli for faster load times
- Add robots.txt and sitemap.xml — Guide search engines and prevent indexing of sensitive paths
- Check for mixed content — All resources should load over HTTPS
- Review cookie settings — Session cookies need Secure, HttpOnly, and SameSite flags
- Add a security.txt file — Let security researchers know how to contact you (RFC 9116)
Nice to have
- Add Subresource Integrity (SRI) — Hash verification for external scripts
- Set up CAA records — Restrict which CAs can issue certificates for your domain
- Implement DNSSEC — Protect against DNS cache poisoning
- Privacy compliance — Cookie consent banner, privacy policy, GDPR compliance
- Accessibility basics — Alt texts, heading structure, viewport meta
Ongoing monitoring
- Regular scans — Run a security scan at least monthly
- SSL monitoring — Get alerted before certificates expire
- Score tracking — Monitor your security score over time via our free dashboard
- Dependency audits — Check for vulnerable packages regularly
Test your website now
Our OWASP Top 10 Scanner checks your website against this entire checklist and more. The Pro Scan covers 20 security categories, and the Deep Scan adds penetration-style testing with 27 total scanners.
Check your website now
Run a free security scan to see how your website scores on the topics covered in this article.
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