In my 20+ years as a web designer, I’ve seen a lot of password problems.
Some clients keep passwords in notebooks. Some save everything in their browser and hope for the best. Some use the same password for every login because it feels easier. Some rely on one person in the office who “knows where everything is.”
I understand why this happens. Passwords are annoying. Every tool wants a login. Every website has different rules. Every time you think you have things organized, another account gets added.
But poor password management can put your website, email, payment accounts, domain name, hosting account, and business tools at risk.
That’s why I recommend using a dedicated password manager.
Strong passwords are not supposed to be easy to remember
When I reset a WordPress password for a client, the password WordPress generates usually looks ridiculous. It’s long, messy, and impossible to memorize.
That is the point.
A strong password should not be your birthday, business name, pet’s name, phone number, street address, or anything someone could guess or find online. It also should not be a password you reuse across multiple accounts.
If one reused password is exposed in a data breach, it can open the door to many other accounts. That is especially risky if the same password is used for your email, website admin, hosting account, payment processor, or domain registrar.
A password manager helps you avoid that problem by creating and storing long, unique passwords for each account.
Browser password tools are convenient, but they may not be enough
Saving passwords in Chrome, Safari, Edge, or Firefox is better than using the same weak password everywhere. I’m not saying browser password tools are useless.
But for business use, I prefer a dedicated password manager.
A dedicated password manager is usually easier to organize across devices, share safely with team members or contractors, store secure notes, manage family or business access, and move with you if you change browsers or devices.
Browser-based password tools can also create a messy situation for businesses. If passwords are saved under one employee’s personal browser profile, what happens if that person leaves? What happens if they are out sick, their computer dies, or their personal Google or Apple account is no longer accessible?
That is not a good place for your business logins to live.
A password manager gives your business a safer system
A good password manager lets you store your logins in one protected vault. You only need to remember one strong master password. The password manager handles the rest.
Depending on the tool you choose, you can usually:
- Generate strong passwords
- Store website, hosting, domain, email, and software logins
- Share access without texting or emailing passwords
- Add secure notes for account details
- Use the tool across your computer, phone, and tablet
- Remove access when someone no longer needs it
- Set up family or team access
- Check for weak, reused, or exposed passwords
- Always “log out” of anything you’ve logged into to end session cookies
This is especially helpful for businesses and nonprofits where more than one person may need access to important accounts.
Your website login should not live in one person’s notebook. Your domain registrar should not be tied to an old employee’s personal email. Your hosting account should not depend on someone remembering where they saved a password three years ago.
A password manager helps you build a safer handoff system.
Password managers to consider
There are several reputable password managers available. I personally use Dashlane now, but the right choice depends on your budget, comfort level, and whether you need individual, family, or team access.
Here are a few options to review:
Dashlane
https://www.dashlane.com/
This is what I use. It works well across devices, includes password generation, secure sharing, and tools for managing credentials. It’s a good option if you want something polished and user-friendly.
Bitwarden
https://bitwarden.com/
Bitwarden is a well-known password manager with strong free and paid options. It’s popular with people who want a flexible, affordable tool that works across devices.
1Password
https://1password.com/
1Password is another strong option, especially for families and businesses that want organized vaults, sharing, and team access.
LastPass
https://www.lastpass.com/
LastPass is still available and widely known. If you already use it, review your current security settings, make sure you have a strong master password, and turn on multi-factor authentication. As with any tool, make sure you’re comfortable with its history, features, and current security practices before choosing it.
I’m not here to pick the tool for you. I’m here to encourage you to pick one and use it consistently.
Start with your most important accounts
If moving every password into a password manager feels overwhelming, start with the accounts that would cause the most trouble if you lost access.
Begin with:
- Your email account
- Your website admin login
- Your hosting account
- Your domain registrar
- Your payment processor
- Your bookkeeping or invoicing software
- Your social media accounts
- Your Google Business Profile
- Your donation, scheduling, CRM, or membership tools
- Once those are secure, you can keep adding the rest over time.
You do not have to fix every password in one sitting. But you do need a better system than reused passwords, browser-saved logins, sticky notes, or one person holding all the keys.
Do not forget multi-factor authentication
A password manager is a big improvement, but it should not be your only layer of protection.
For important accounts, turn on multi-factor authentication whenever possible. This may be through an authenticator app, security key, passkey, or another approved method.
At minimum, your email, hosting, domain registration, website admin, and financial accounts should have extra protection.
Your email account is especially important. If someone gets into your email, they may be able to reset passwords for many other accounts.
Make password access part of your business process
If you run a business or nonprofit, password management should not be an afterthought.
Make sure more than one trusted person knows how to access critical business logins. That does not mean everyone needs every password. It means your organization should not lose access to important accounts because one person leaves, retires, changes roles, or becomes unavailable.
For website-related accounts, this matters a lot.
Your domain name, hosting account, WordPress login, DNS records, premium plugin licenses, email service, and analytics tools all matter. Losing access can delay updates, break services, slow down emergency support, or make a website problem harder to fix.
A password manager helps you keep those details in one place and control who has access.
Password safety is website safety
Your website security is not just about updates, plugins, backups, and hosting. Passwords are part of the picture too.
A strong password manager helps you use better passwords, stop reusing old ones, share access more safely, and protect the accounts that keep your business running.
If you are still using the same password everywhere, saving everything in your browser, or relying on one person to keep track of your logins, this is a good time to make a change.
Pick a reputable password manager. Set up a strong master password. Turn on multi-factor authentication. Start with your most important accounts. Your login library will build over time!
This post was updated in 2026 to make sure it has the up-to-date information.
