The Drawback: Many web site house owners don’t assume twice about leaving previous or unused WordPress websites sitting on their cPanel accounts. Possibly it’s a staging website from final yr, a shopper mission that by no means launched, or an archived model of your previous homepage.
However protecting these forgotten websites alive can critically compromise the safety, efficiency, and stability of your internet hosting setting. Right here’s why it is a drawback—and what you have to be doing as a substitute.
Why Unused WordPress Websites Are a Severe Drawback
Even when they’re not being visited, unused WordPress websites pose main dangers. Let’s break down precisely how they damage your internet hosting setting:
1. Safety Vulnerabilities
Unused websites are not often up to date, making them prime targets for hackers. Outdated themes, plugins, or WordPress core recordsdata usually include recognized exploits. A single compromised website in your account can result in spam injections, phishing pages, malware distribution, and cross-contamination, in the end impacting all websites on the identical internet hosting setting.
Hackers actively scan for these forgotten installations as a result of they’re low-hanging fruit—simple to take advantage of as a result of recognized vulnerabilities. Even in case you assume nobody is visiting the location, it may possibly nonetheless be silently compromised and used for phishing, spam, or malware distribution.
In brief, even with out visitors, an unused website can develop into the weakest hyperlink in your whole internet hosting setting.
2. Useful resource Waste
Previous WordPress installations can nonetheless eat useful server assets like CPU, RAM, and storage. Bots will scan these websites frequently, and scheduled duties (like WP cron) might proceed to run within the background.
Whereas this will likely not appear problematic for just one or two unused web sites, a difficulty can happen over time the longer the location stays publicly out there however not in lively use, or in case you have a number of unused web sites.
In these instances, it will have an effect on the velocity and efficiency of your lively web sites and will result in account throttling or suspension for exceeding useful resource limits.
3. Backup Bloat
GreenGeeks EcoSite and Reseller accounts embody automated each day backups. Should you’ve obtained a number of unused websites, these backups are inflated with pointless recordsdata and databases, losing storage and making restores slower and extra time-consuming.
Should you require GreenGeeks to help with restoring backups, this may inadvertently delay our response occasions considerably.
4. Administration Confusion and Threat of Human Error
Having too many websites in a single account results in muddle. It’s simple to neglect what every website does, which one is secure to delete, or worse, by chance edit or take away the unsuitable website throughout upkeep or migration.
This turns into particularly harmful when a number of websites share comparable file names, plugins, or configurations, which is very frequent when a number of web sites are hosted throughout the identical cPanel account.
The Answer: Audit Your Installations
The most secure and smartest resolution is easy: take away unused WordPress web sites totally. Right here’s how and why you must take motion right this moment:
Begin through the use of instruments like Softaculous to overview and handle your web site installations. Examine when each was final up to date and whether or not it’s nonetheless serving a objective.
1. Delete What’s No Longer Wanted
If a website hasn’t been up to date in months and serves no useful or strategic worth, take away it. Which means deleting the WordPress recordsdata, related database, and any linked subdomain or addon area. Don’t simply cover the location — do away with it totally.
A leaner cPanel account is simpler to handle, safer, and runs quicker. With fewer websites to replace and monitor, you cut back your publicity to threats and release system assets for what actually issues.
2. Protect Content material the Proper Method
Should you’re solely protecting the location for its content material, use the WordPress export instrument or save key pages/posts manually. You don’t want a full set up sitting stay simply to maintain information or backups.
You possibly can even convert the location right into a static HTML model in case you want a reference however don’t need the dangers of a stay set up. By preserving what issues and deleting the remaining, you cut back your assault floor whereas protecting your archives intact.
Moreover, arrange a coverage for the way lengthy staging or short-term websites are allowed to stay in your account. Periodically audit all lively websites and take motion earlier than points come up.
3. Audit All Remaining Passwords
After getting ensured all unused web sites have been eliminated out of your account, take the time to reset all passwords for every remaining web site.
This consists of WordPress admin accounts, database customers, and FTP or cPanel credentials. It’s a easy precaution that helps guarantee any compromise from a beforehand uncared for website doesn’t carry over to your lively setting.
Set a coverage to periodically audit all lively websites and passwords, and routinely reset all passwords. You may as well add 2-Issue Authentication to your GreenGeeks Account login for added safety.
4. Take into account Reseller Internet hosting
Should you nonetheless intend to handle a number of web sites after eradicating any unused web sites, particularly for purchasers or completely different tasks, contemplate upgrading to a GreenGeeks Reseller internet hosting plan.
Reseller internet hosting permits you to assign every web site its personal cPanel account, which drastically improves safety isolation. On this setting, one compromised website gained’t have an effect on the others ought to an exploit happen. It additionally makes it simpler to trace useful resource utilization per website, handle backups individually, and apply personalized settings.
This segmentation gives higher efficiency, streamlined group, and added peace of thoughts. For rising portfolios and clientele, it’s a sensible and scalable resolution.
Ultimate Ideas
Leaving previous WordPress websites on-line is like leaving a window open in your own home whilst you’re on trip. It’s pointless, dangerous, and invitations bother.
There isn’t any sensible profit to leaving a website sitting unused in your internet hosting account. In contrast to archived content material or static HTML recordsdata, a WordPress set up is dynamic and carries ongoing threat even when dormant. If it’s not serving customers, not being up to date, and never a part of what you are promoting roadmap, it needs to be gone. Don’t let a web site you’re not utilizing have an effect on an lively web site that’s vital.
Ought to your GreenGeeks internet hosting account be compromised, GreenGeeks might require you to take away any outdated web sites out of your account earlier than restoring entry to forestall further compromises.
Should you require help with eradicating any doubtlessly unused web sites, please attain out to our Assist Workforce, and we will gladly help you with auditing your account for any unused WordPress web sites you’ll have.
Take the time to wash up or improve your internet hosting account — your stay web sites and clients will thanks for it.
