Case study · Home services (US)
Recovering a Hacked WordPress Site and Making It Fast and Secure
A US home-services business came to us with a WordPress site that had been compromised. It was also heavy, with plugins and scripts loaded on every page, even though the business only needed to show its services and collect quote requests. Instead of patching plugins one by one, we recovered the content and rebuilt the site on a clean, lightweight codebase that the owner can manage himself.
- 0plugins left to patch
- 3designs the owner can switch
- 1admin panel he runs himself
The challenge
- The WordPress site had been compromised
- Heavy pages loaded with plugins and scripts the business did not need
- Many plugins that needed constant updates just to stay safe
What we did
- Recovered all real content: services, photos, reviews and service areas
- Rebuilt the site on a lightweight, plugin-free codebase
- Hardened forms, configuration and the admin login
- Added an instant quote form, gallery, reviews and an installable phone app
The results
- A clean, lightweight site with only what the business needs
- No plugins left to patch, so far fewer ways in for attackers
- An owner who manages his own content from the admin panel
Why we did not just “clean” the old site
A hacked WordPress site can be cleaned, but if the same plugins, themes and settings stay in place, the same weak points stay too. This site was running add-ons the business did not really use, and every one of them was something that had to be updated and watched forever.
So the plan was: save everything that had value — services, photos, reviews, service areas and contact details — and move it to a clean build that does exactly what the business needs and nothing more.
How the recovery worked
Step 1 — Recover: we extracted the real content of the old site (texts, photos, services, areas and reviews) so nothing the business had built up was lost.
Step 2 — Rebuild: we rebuilt the site on a lightweight custom codebase with no plugins, with clean service and service-area pages, an instant online quote form, a gallery, reviews and an installable phone app (PWA).
Step 3 — Secure: every form is protected against cross-site request forgery and spam bots, prices are always calculated on the server (never trusted from the browser), configuration folders are locked from the web, and the admin area sits behind its own login.
What changed
- A lightweight, plugin-free build that loads only what each page needs
- No plugins or themes left that need constant security patching
- The owner updates services, photos and texts from his own admin panel, with three designs he can switch between
Lessons for small-business websites
If your site was hacked once, cleaning it is only half the job. Remove what you do not use, because every unused plugin is still an open door.
A lighter site is usually a safer site and a faster one at the same time. For a service business, the website needs to show the services, build trust and collect requests — not run a full shop.
Questions about this project
Can a hacked WordPress site be recovered?
Yes. The important part is saving the real content first, then removing the cause: outdated or unused plugins, themes and weak logins. Sometimes a careful clean-up is enough; when the site carries a lot of things it does not need, a clean rebuild is safer and faster.
Will I lose my content or photos?
No. We extract your texts, photos, services and reviews before any change, and carry them over to the new site.
Do I need to stay on WordPress?
Not necessarily. If you only need to show your services and collect enquiries, a lightweight custom site can be faster and easier to keep secure — and you still edit it yourself from an admin panel.
Services used
Client details are anonymized to protect privacy. Figures are realistic and representative of the type of results we deliver.
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