ahrevs

This should not be a blog post. I should not have enough material to write 500 words about changing an expired credit card. Yet here we are. Recently, I needed to do something incredibly complicated: proactively update the credit card attached to several WordPress plugin subscriptions before the old card expired. That's it. No API integration. No custom PHP. No database migration. No server configuration. Just: Log in → Billing → Update Credit Card. Except I couldn't. Across accounts for SearchWP, CosmicGiant, GravityKit, Perfmatters, and Uncanny Owl, I could not …

[Read more...] about WordPress Plugin Developers: Why Is Updating a Credit Card Still This Hard?

Most website security articles start the same way. Keep your software updated. Use strong passwords. Turn on two-factor authentication. Back up your website. All good advice. But it’s also pretty easy to skim past when you're part of a small marketing department and already juggling SEO, ads, email campaigns, website updates, social media, analytics, sales requests, and whatever emergency landed in your inbox this morning. Website security tends to feel like something you’ll get to eventually. Then something actually happens. And suddenly the website isn't another item on the …

[Read more...] about 4 Real Website Security Incidents Every Small Business Should Read

If you work in a small marketing department, there’s a good chance “website security” isn’t technically in your job description. Neither is half the other stuff you do. You might be responsible for SEO in the morning, updating the website after lunch, building an email campaign at 2:00, fixing a broken form at 3:00, pulling analytics for the boss at 4:00, and answering a question about why someone’s email signature looks weird at 4:47. That’s life in a small marketing department. And if you’re the only marketing person—or one of two or three people—you probably have administrator …

[Read more...] about Website Security for Small Marketing Teams: What Real Incidents Actually Look Like

Last updated: September 1, 2026 Ask six cybersecurity professionals to name the best password manager, and you may get six different answers. That does not necessarily mean five of them are wrong. Choosing among the best password managers is a little like choosing a car. A Toyota Camry, Ford F-150, Porsche 911, Honda CR-V and Jeep Wrangler can all be excellent vehicles, but they are excellent for different people. The person hauling equipment every weekend has different priorities from the commuter who values fuel economy, and neither is making a bad choice. Password managers have …

[Read more...] about The 6 Best Password Managers in 2026: Why the “Best” One Depends on You

If you run Google Ads for your business, there’s a security change you should know about—and this is one of those emails from Google that you probably shouldn’t ignore. Google is beginning to require passkeys for certain sensitive actions inside Google Ads. Advertisers receiving the current notice are being told that beginning August 19, 2026, they may not be able to perform actions such as adding users or linking accounts without first setting up a passkey. The good news: this isn't nearly as complicated as it sounds. The better news: it can actually make your Google account …

[Read more...] about Google Ads Is Requiring Passkeys: What Small Business Owners Need to Know

For most small-business owners, WordPress security can feel like something that happens behind the scenes. You update plugins, renew your hosting plan, and assume the website will keep doing its job. Customers visit, fill out forms, request quotes, book appointments, or call your business. But when a serious WordPress vulnerability appears, the danger is not limited to your website files or administrative dashboard. A compromised website can also put your customers, employees, and business reputation at risk. That is the concern surrounding the WordPress vulnerability chain commonly …

[Read more...] about What Happens When Customers Visit a WordPress Site Hacked Through wp2shell?

If your small-business website runs on WordPress, this is not one of those security stories you should save for later. A newly disclosed vulnerability chain known as wp2shell can allow an attacker to run code on certain WordPress websites without logging in, guessing a password, or exploiting a vulnerable plugin. The weakness is in WordPress Core itself, so a basic WordPress installation can be exposed even with no plugins installed. WordPress released emergency security updates on July 17, 2026. The full remote-code-execution chain affects WordPress 6.9.0 through 6.9.4 and WordPress …

[Read more...] about The wp2shell WordPress Flaw: What Small-Business Owners Need to Do Right Now

If you own a small business website, there is a good chance WordPress is doing a lot of heavy lifting for you. It may power your homepage, contact forms, service pages, blog posts, landing pages, analytics scripts, SEO tools, performance settings, cookie banners, and maybe even your online store. That flexibility is exactly why WordPress is so useful. It is also why WordPress security cannot be treated like something you check once and forget. A recent example is the Perfmatters plugin vulnerability flagged through Patchstack/Kadence Security. Perfmatters is a popular performance …

[Read more...] about WordPress Security for Small Business Owners: Why “Just Update It” Is Not a Strategy

If your business website uses Gravity Forms, there’s a new update out: Gravity Forms 2.10.4. This one is not being loudly advertised as a major security release, but it does include a few fixes that are worth paying attention to — especially if your site uses forms for leads, file uploads, customer inquiries, quote requests, applications, or anything else that matters to your business. The update fixes several behind-the-scenes issues, including a problem where the REST API modal could create duplicate API keys, some file upload handling improvements, and fixes related to upload folder …

[Read more...] about Small Business PSA: Don’t Ignore the Gravity Forms 2.10.4 Update

Somewhere right now, a WordPress site owner is staring at two browser tabs like they’re choosing a heart surgeon. In one tab: Wordfence Pro. In the other: Kadence Security Pro. A third tab is probably open too, because this is the internet and no decision is allowed to remain a decision. Maybe it’s Patchstack. Maybe MalCare. Maybe Sucuri. Maybe a Reddit thread where a man named “PluginGoblin1978” says all security plugins are bloat and real professionals secure WordPress using only Nginx rules, a leather-bound notebook, and vibes. The site owner leans back, squints, and asks the …

[Read more...] about The Best WordPress Security Plugin Is the One Attached to a Functioning Adult