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Security Blog

Guides on website security, visibility, and accessibility — with exact fixes.

Accessibility

WAVE by WebAIM: How the Free Accessibility Checker Works

WAVE by WebAIM is the most widely used free accessibility checker. It shows WCAG issues right on the page — but by design it helps a human judge accessibility, not certify it.

7 min read
SEO

Semrush Review: SEO Powerhouse Meets AI Visibility

Semrush is the best-known all-in-one SEO platform — keyword research, site audits, rank tracking, and now AI-search visibility. Here is what it does and who it is for.

7 min read
Security

Sucuri SiteCheck Review: What the Free Scanner Catches (and Misses)

Sucuri SiteCheck scans any URL for malware and blocklisting in seconds — but a clean result does not mean your server is clean. Here is what it catches and misses.

6 min read
AI Visibility

GeoPageScan: Can ChatGPT and Perplexity Actually See Your Website?

Between 40% and 70% of searches now return an AI answer. GeoPageScan grades your page 0–100 on how well ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity can read and cite it.

7 min read
AI Tools

PiloTool: How to Find the Right AI Tools Without the Overwhelm

There are thousands of AI tools and three new ones launch every day. PiloTool matches you to the right ones in four questions — no signup, under two minutes.

6 min read
Accessibility

Why Security, SEO, and Accessibility Are More Connected Than You Think

Security, SEO, and accessibility are usually treated as three separate jobs — but they reinforce each other. Here is how, and why checking them together pays off.

6 min read
Accessibility

ADA Website Compliance: Are You at Legal Risk?

Thousands of ADA website-accessibility lawsuits are filed every year. Here is who is at risk, what the courts expect, and how to reduce your exposure.

6 min read
Accessibility

WCAG 2.1 Explained: What Every Website Owner Needs to Know

WCAG 2.1 is the international standard for web accessibility. Here is what its levels (A, AA, AAA) mean, which one you should target, and how to check your site.

7 min read
General

How VitalSite Calculates Your Website Security Score

Your VitalSite score starts at 100 and deducts weighted points per finding by severity. Here is the exact formula.

4 min read
General

What is Google Safe Browsing and Is Your Site Listed

Google Safe Browsing is the blocklist that powers the red warning screens in Chrome. If your site is listed, traffic disappears overnight.

5 min read
General

Shopify vs WordPress vs Custom Sites: Security Differences

Each platform shifts the security burden differently. Shopify handles infrastructure; WordPress puts you in charge; custom sites give control and responsibility.

7 min read
General

How to Read a Security Audit Report

A security report can look intimidating. Here is how to read one: start with severity, focus on critical findings, and work down.

5 min read
General

The Most Common Website Vulnerabilities in 2026

The vulnerabilities that compromise the most websites are rarely exotic. These are the recurring issues VitalSite finds most often.

6 min read
General

Website Security for Small Business Owners: A Plain English Guide

You do not need to be a security expert to protect your business website. Here are the handful of things that actually matter.

7 min read
General

What Sensitive Files Should Never Be Public on Your Web Server

Files like .env, .git/config, and database backups routinely leak credentials. If they return HTTP 200, attackers can find them in seconds.

6 min read
General

How to Fix Mixed Content Warnings on Your Website

Mixed content is when an HTTPS page loads images, scripts, or styles over insecure HTTP — breaking the padlock and opening a tampering risk.

5 min read
General

What is Clickjacking and How to Prevent It

Clickjacking tricks users into clicking something different from what they see by layering an invisible iframe. One header stops it.

4 min read
WordPress

WordPress Security Hardening Checklist 2026

WordPress powers 40% of the web, which makes it a top target. This checklist covers the highest-impact hardening steps for 2026.

9 min read
SSL

SSL Certificate Guide: Validity, Expiry, and TLS Versions

Your SSL/TLS certificate proves your site is who it says it is and encrypts traffic. Here is what expiry, chains, and TLS versions actually mean.

6 min read
DNS

DMARC, DKIM, SPF Explained: Email Security for Website Owners

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are three DNS records that together stop attackers from sending phishing emails that look like they come from your domain.

7 min read
Headers

Complete Guide to Content Security Policy (CSP)

CSP is a header that whitelists exactly which scripts and resources the browser may load — the most effective single defense against XSS.

8 min read
Headers

How to Set Up HSTS on Your Website (Nginx, Apache, Cloudflare)

HSTS forces browsers to always use HTTPS for your domain. Here is exactly how to enable it on Nginx, Apache, and Cloudflare — and how to preload it.

5 min read
Headers

What Are Security Headers and Why Do They Matter

Security headers are HTTP response headers that tell browsers how to behave on your site — blocking entire classes of attacks like XSS and clickjacking.

6 min read

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