Before you can do any work in WordPress, you need to log into the system. This will give you access to the admin panel and editing tools to make your website shine. However, not everyone knows where to find the WordPress login screen.
Today, we’re going to show you where to access this page and how you can keep it protected. After all, keeping this area safe now can reduce a lot of problems for you later on.
What Does the Login URL Do For You?
The login screen of WordPress prevents others from making changes to your website. If someone has access to your credentials, they can cause a great deal of havoc. This is why it’s important to be selective about who you allow onto the system.
Access to Control the Site
Once you log into WordPress and access the administrator screen, you have complete control over your website. From writing new pieces of content to adding security, it can all be done from the WordPress dashboard.
Be Mindful of User Roles
When you add new users to WordPress, you can assign their roles in how they can interact with your website. This means that not everyone has administrator control as default. You have to set this manually when adding a new user. Be mindful of the power you’re giving someone as it will affect the access from the login screen.
Keep it Protected
Keeping your administrator credentials secret is only part of keeping the site secure. Although WordPress does have a good method for keeping out unwanted users, you still want to keep the login screen protected. A strong layer of protection on the login screen can prevent a large number of hacking attacks.
Finding the Login Screen URL
Most installations of WordPress use a specific URL for the login screen. For example, it may look like:
https://www.ggexample.com/wp-login.php
This is the URL of your website’s login screen. Type this into your web browser. When the login screen loads up, add your credentials and log in.
Not all installations of WordPress are set up in this fashion, however. Some default settings may be different depending on who adds WordPress to your website hosting account. As a result, you may have different access URLs. Here is an example of what you may have to use:
https://www.ggexample.com/login
https://www.ggexample.com/admin
Keep in mind that these examples do not work in all installations of WordPress.
Subdirectories
Some people will have WordPress installed in a subdirectory. This is often used by eCommerce companies to separate blogs or to have specific content management systems to control various parts of the website.
If you have WordPress installed in a separate subdirectory, then you will need to know that location before accessing the login page.
For example, let’s say you installed WordPress on your website into its own directory instead of the primary account. It may look something like this:
https://www.ggexample.com/wordpress/
If this is the case, then your WordPress login would be located at:
http//www.ggexample.com/wordpress/wp-login.php.
Directly Accessing the Admin Screen
Another way you can directly access the admin area of your site is by visiting: https://www.ggexample.com/wp-admin/.
However, this will redirect you to the actual login screen unless you have logged in recently. By default, many installations of WordPress will keep a user in the system for up to 24 hours.
Ways to Add the Login Screen to Your Website
Instead of trying to remember the login URL for WordPress, a lot of people will make it a part of their website. That way, you can directly access the admin dashboard from the homepage. Here are a few ways to do this:
Meta Widget
By default, most installations of WordPress have a widget activated called, “Meta.” This sidebar addition provides links to log in and out of the website as well as display the link to areas such as the RSS feed.
If this widget is not available, go to the “Appearance” area of your site. Go to the section for “Widgets.” From here, you will drag-and-drop the widget called “Meta” anywhere you wish. Take note you can also change its name when you place the widget.
Login Plugins
It’s not uncommon for some to use a login plugin for the sidebar. Tools such as Sidebar Login give you options to control and modify the login process from a widget. Using drag-and-drop, you can quickly add a login screen to sidebars and even footers, depending on the type of theme you’re using.
Keeping the Login Screen Protected
Because the login screen is essentially the gateway to your WordPress website, you want to keep it protected. There are many ways you can keep this access point secure. Here are just a few of the effective ones we’ve found to help you.
Secure Socket Layers
Providing Secure Socket Layers, or SSL is one of the best ways to protect your login screen as well as your website. These layers encrypt the data between the site and the user. This can prevent things like data snooping and information theft while others access the site.
IP Blacklisting
Blacklisting an IP address from accessing the login screen is an effective way to limit traffic. For instance, some IP addresses are known for hacking activity. Plugins like Loginizer will keep track of login attempts from hackers and bots and blocks those IP addresses completely. This means the login screen becomes completely inaccessible.
Two-Factor Authentication
A lot of people will employ the two-factor identification method to keep the login process protected. Plugins such as Google Authenticator gives you the option to incorporate SMS text messaging into the login process. Another method could be in the form of scanning a QR code from a computer monitor with your smartphone to access the admin area of WordPress.
Hiding Login and Admin Areas
Some plugins will allow you to hide the login and administrative areas from those who are not logged in. For example, Cerber Limit Login Attempts allows you to hide the admin dashboard from view. Those who try to access the folder directly from their browsers will only see a 404 “file-not-found” error. This can make it more difficult for others to gain access to sensitive materials.
What does “remember me” do on the login screen?
Depending on your browser settings of how cookies are handled, checking this box allows you to access WordPress at a later time without putting in your credentials. Unfortunately, several things can disable this ability such as private-browsing options.
Can you add authentications like Captcha to the login screen to protect your website?
Captcha and reCaptcha are only two of the many things that can be added to a WordPress login. You can find plugins that will give you a great deal of customization to protect your website. The hardest part is finding one that you like the most.
When you consider the amount of power someone could have by accessing your website’s backend, you begin to understand the need for keeping the login screen shielded. After you identify where your login screen is located, it may not be a bad idea to shield it from the criminal element. It takes more than just a simple password to keep your site protected at all times.
What kind of things do you have installed to protect your website? How safe do you feel about your current methods of protection?