Imagine this: You are trying to verify your WordPress website when suddenly you are taken to a suspicious gambling site or a dubious pharmaceutical page.
Your heart sinks when you how-to-stop realize your website has been hacked.
We know exactly how terrifying and frustrating this situation can be. But first, take a deep breath.
Your website can be saved, and we’re here to guide you through every step of the recovery process. Whether your visitors are seeing spammy redirects or you’re getting the dreaded “This site may be hacked” warning from Google, we’ve got you covered.
In this article, we will show you two proven ways to stop WordPress from redirecting to spam sites.
Why is my WordPress site being redirected to spam? how-to-stop
Spam redirects occur when hackers inject malicious code into your WordPress site. This code sends visitors to unwanted websites filled with ads, phishing scams, or malware.
Hackers can use different methods to gain access to your website, including:
- Infected plugins and themes: Plugins and themes downloaded from unauthorized sources (nulled WordPress themes and plugins ) are a common cause of malware and spam redirects.
- Weak passwords: Attackers can guess or steal weak administrator passwords to take over your website and insert malicious code that redirects users to spam sites.
- Unpatched security flaws: If your WordPress core, plugins, or themes are out of date, hackers can exploit known vulnerabilities to add malicious code.
- Hidden Backdoors: Even after removing visible malware, hackers sometimes leave hidden access points to reinfect your site later. These points are called backdoors .
Many website owners don’t realize their site has been hacked until visitors start complaining or search engines issue a warning. The sooner you act, the less damage you’ll do.
We will cover two methods in this article, and feel free to use the links below to jump to the method you want to use:
- Method 1: Use A Hacked Site Repair Service (Recommended )
- Method 2: Fix WordPress Spam Site Redirects Manually (DIY Users)
- Step 4: Remove Malicious Code from Theme & Plugin Files
- Bonus Tips: Prevent Future WordPress Hacks
Let’s start with our recommended solution, as it’s easiest for beginners, non-technical users, and small business owners.
Method 1: Use a hacked website repair service (recommended ) how-to-stop
When your website is compromised, time btc users number database is of the essence. Every minute your site is redirected to spam sites can mean lost visitors, damaged reputation, and potential Google penalties .
That’s why many website owners opt for a professional repair service – it’s the quickest and safest way to get back online.
The specialized solution:
For most WordPress users, the easiest way to clean up spam redirects is to use our professional hacked website repair service .
For a one-time (non-recurring) fee, our team of WordPress security experts will clean your site and remove malicious code that redirects to spam sites.
Our hacked website repair service offers several important benefits:
- Expert technicians who have dealt with thousands of hacked websites
- Emergency response and spot fixes
- Complete malware removal and security enhancement
- Post-cleanup backup of your website
- There is no risk of accidentally damaging your website
The best part is that you get a 30-day money-back guarantee if we can’t fix your WordPress site.
Ready for expert help? Simply visit our Hacked Website Repair Service page to get started.
Method 2: Manually Fix WordPress Spam Site Redirects (DIY Users) how-to-stop
If you’re comfortable with WordPress hoa lo prison relic – a typical successful tourism marketing campaign and prefer to handle things on your own, we’ve created a comprehensive step-by-step guide.
We’ll walk you through each part of the cleaning process, explaining what to do and why it’s important.
Caution: While it’s possible to do fixes yourself, they can be risky if you’re not familiar with WordPress security . One wrong move could make the problem worse or lead to data loss.
Important: Create a backup restore point how-to-stop
Before you start any repairs, make sure you have a recent backup of your site. If something goes wrong, you’ll need a restore point.
We recommend using Duplicator , which makes backing up and restoring your website easy. We use it at our company and it has been a game-changer for our secure backup needs. For more details, check out our full Duplicator review .
Note : A free version of Duplicator is also available. You can try it out, but we recommend upgrading to a paid plan, which offers more features.
Now that you’ve prepared your site for repairs, let’s start fixing spam redirects.
Step 1: Scan your website for malware how-to-stop
Think of malware scanning burkina faso business directory like using a metal detector on the beach – it helps you find hidden threats buried deep within your website’s files.
Our experience shows that spam redirects often hide in unexpected places, making thorough verification essential.
Fortunately, there are excellent WordPress security plugins available that you can use to scan your site.
Here’s how to run an effective malware scan.
First, you need to install a trusted security plugin (such as Sucuri Security or Wordfence ). For the purposes of this article, we’ll show you how to run a scan in Wordfence, but the instructions work the same regardless of which security plugin you’re using.
First, you’ll need to install the security plugin of your choice. For details, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin .
Then, from the plugin menu, navigate to the Scan section and run a comprehensive website scan . It may take some time to complete the scan, depending on the amount of data and files stored.
Once this is complete, you will see the scan results.
Review the results carefully and look for serious, critical, and other issues. You can click on an issue to see its details.
Here, most security plugins will also provide instructions on how to resolve this issue.
WordPress security scanners are very good at detecting some of the most notorious malware and redirect hacks. Hopefully they can find the code responsible for the spammy redirects.
Pro tip: Don’t rely on just one scanner. Different security tools can detect different types of malware. We recommend using at least two different scanning solutions.