GCHQ have issued a report below which explores the range of cyber attacks, likely victims and preventative measures. They have found that over 80% of businesses have experienced some kind of attack, via email, website or internet.
Compromised websites can be used to send out spam or send traffic to competitor businesses. In the short term they can be blacklisted by Google or marked as a threat to users. If the problem is not addressed they will be quarantined by hosting companies as a threat to other sites, and/or lost completely.
The key advice with your website is to keep passwords complex and secure, keep all software up to date and host with a secure and reliable service.
If an attack is noticed, immediate action is essential to prevent permanent damage to your site.
If you are concerned, contact us for a security check.
Cyber Safety report linked here