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Beginner to improver, Green run Essentials

Keep your WordPress site safe, and know exactly what to do if it is hacked

A practical mini-course on updates, logins, backups and clean-up, taught by a developer who fixes hacked sites for real clients.

Recording now. Join the waitlist and you will hear first, with an early-bird price.

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5Modules
19Lessons
1 hr 50 minsVideo
1Hours of 1:1 included
Beginner to improverLevel
Mini coursePractical task and certificate

Sound familiar?

Most WordPress hacks are not clever. They come through an outdated plugin, a reused password or a backup that turns out not to exist. And when it happens, people panic, delete the wrong things and lose weeks of work. A little routine and a written plan prevent almost all of it.

What you'll build

A secured, documented site with safe update habits, 2FA on every admin, a configured security plugin, off-site backups you have actually restored, a hardening checklist completed, and an emergency runbook ready for the day you need it.

By the end you'll be able to

  • Explain the most common ways WordPress sites are actually compromised, and which ones matter for your site.
  • Keep WordPress core, plugins, themes and PHP updated safely, using staging and backups instead of hope.
  • Lock down user accounts with least-privilege roles, strong passwords and two-factor authentication.
  • Choose and configure a security plugin and firewall without slowing your site or locking yourself out.
  • Set up automatic off-site backups and prove they work with a test restore.
  • Recognise the signs of a hack and follow a calm, ordered clean-up process.
  • Harden a site with sensible wp-config.php, file and server settings, and run a monthly maintenance routine.

Practical task

Put it to work on your own site

Finish with a practical task on your own site, check it against the published marking guide and unlock your completion certificate.

Who it's for

  • Small business owner. built her own site, has 23 plugins waiting for updates and is scared to click the button. She wants a simple routine that keeps the site safe without breaking it.
  • Marketer with an inherited site. has found admin users nobody recognises and a site that redirects to spam on mobile. She needs to know what to do first and who to tell.
  • Aspiring freelancer. wants to sell care plans to clients and needs a professional, documented process for updates, backups and recovery.
  • Hobbyist. runs a club website on cheap hosting and wants to make sure a hack does not take years of content with it.

Who it's not for

  • Server administrators looking for Linux hardening or penetration testing, or anyone whose site is hacked right now and needs it fixed today (book a 1:1 lesson or a professional clean-up instead, and take the course afterwards).

Curriculum

5 modules and 19 short lessons, about 1 hr 50 mins of video. Every module ends with a quick quiz and an exercise on your own site.

01How sites really get hacked, and updates done safely4 lessons, 22 mins

You understand the real risks to your site and have a safe update routine.

  1. How WordPress sites actually get hacked6 min
  2. Core, plugin and theme updates without breaking things7 min
  3. Removing what you do not use4 min
  4. PHP versions and your host5 min
02Users, logins and two-factor authentication3 lessons, 17 mins

Every account on your site has the least access it needs and admin logins are protected by 2FA.

  1. User roles and least privilege6 min
  2. Passwords, passkeys and two-factor authentication6 min
  3. Login protection and application passwords5 min
03Security plugins, firewalls and hardening4 lessons, 24 mins

Your site has a sensibly configured security plugin, a firewall layer and core hardening in place.

  1. What security plugins do (and do not do)6 min
  2. Setting up a security plugin step by step7 min
  3. A firewall in front of the site with Cloudflare5 min
  4. Hardening wp-config.php, files and headers6 min
04Backups you can actually restore3 lessons, 16 mins

Automatic, off-site backups are running and you have proved you can restore them.

  1. What a good backup looks like5 min
  2. Setting up automatic off-site backups6 min
  3. Test restoring to staging5 min
05Recognising a hack, cleaning up and staying clean5 lessons, 30 mins

You can spot a compromise, follow the emergency runbook and keep the site healthy with a monthly routine.

  1. Signs your site has been hacked6 min
  2. The first hour: contain and assess6 min
  3. Cleaning up step by step8 min
  4. After the clean-up: blocklists, Google and lessons learned4 min
  5. Your monthly maintenance checklist6 min

Lesson lengths are estimates and may change slightly when the course is recorded. Every lesson is re-recorded or annotated when the tools change, free for everyone with an active course.

Everything included

  • Around 1 hour 50 minutes of video in 19 lessons
  • 1 hour of 1:1 live tutoring with Shaz (use within 12 months)
  • Maintenance and hardening checklists
  • An emergency runbook
  • Wp-config.php snippets
  • A practice "hacked" site to clean
  • Quizzes
  • A practical task and certificate

Before you start

Admin access to a WordPress site and its hosting control panel. Basic comfort with the WordPress dashboard (the Elementor Beginner course or equivalent is plenty).

Your tutor: Shaz

I'm Shaz, a UK web designer with over 20 years of experience. Through my agency, E-web UK, I build and look after WordPress sites for businesses every week. I'll answer your questions, review your work, and your included one-to-one tutoring is with me directly.

More about Shaz

Be first in when it opens

This course is being recorded now. Waitlist members hear first and get an early-bird price.

Security, Backups and Recovery

£149£298launch sale price

Leave your email and you will hear first when it opens, with an early-bird price for the waitlist.

Extra 1:1 time

£60an hour, packs from £275

Your course includes personal tutoring. Need more? Book extra one-to-one lessons on your own site, with 10% off packs for course students.

1:1 lessons

Guarantee

30days money back

Try the course for 30 days. If it is not for you, email us for a full refund.

Refund policy

Questions about this course

Anything else? Send me a message or book a 30-minute taster lesson.

Will updating plugins break my site?

Occasionally, which is exactly why the course teaches you to back up first, use staging for big updates and roll back calmly if something goes wrong.

Do I need to pay for a premium security plugin?

No. Everything in the course works with free tools. We explain what the paid versions add so you can decide for yourself.

My site is on cheap shared hosting. Can I still secure it?

Yes. Most of the course is about what happens inside WordPress and your own habits, and we show you what to ask your host for.

Is this suitable for WooCommerce shops?

Yes. The principles are the same, and the lessons point out the extra care needed for shops, such as customer data and Shop Manager accounts.

Free guides on this topic

Start with these, then take the course when you want it in order, with help.

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This course is being recorded now. Join the waitlist and you will be first to hear when it opens, at the £149 sale price (usually £298).

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