WordPress is an Open Souce Content Management System (CMS) which powers more than 35% of websites. The first version of WordPress was released in 2013, and hasn’t stopped evolving since then.
WordPress is used by individuals but also by big businesses such as Microsoft. So here are a few WordPress Tips and Tricks, in order to have a good start.
Table of Contents
Install a plugin for SEO
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. It is the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website.
Without a good SEO, you will not get a good organic traffic (from search engines).
I would recommend using Yoast SEO. It is one of the most popular and powerful SEO plugin for WordPress.
First of all, it is free. And it analyses your page and post content then guides you to take the best approach for your SEO.
It will guide you through every step of what you should do to get the best SEO score possible.
Limit the number of plugins you use
If you want to have more features on your WordPress site, you will need to install plugins. The problem is, sometimes we tend to install to many plugins.
The more plugins you have the heavier your pages, which will slow down the loading speed of your site.
So, just install what needed for the comfort of the people who visit your website. There is no need to have too many plugins.
Read the reviews before installing a plugin to make sure it is safe and does what you want.
If you have installed plugins you no longer need/use, deactivate them from the admin panel.
Safety
The first thing you should do is get an SSL Certificate (Secure Sockets Layer). Web browsers will alert your customers if your website is not secure.
SSL Certificates will encrypt the information on your website. You can get free SSL Certificates from SSL For Free, which is a non-profit organisation. Some good Web Hosting providers such as SiteGround will provide free SSL depending on the package you choose.
Update your WordPress website when there is a new version available. These updates usually include security patches and bug corrections.
Regularly backup your website. Some web hosting providers will include this automatic option for you.
Keep your website clutter free
With all the options available in WordPress, you should not get carried away and install a lot of widgets, banners, ads…
Having many ads on your website might look unprofessional and scare the visitors away. It will also distract the viewers from the content of your pages.
Change the permalinks
Permalinks, like the name indicates, are permanent links. Just like your website link.
A permalink is generated when you create a post or a page. The problem here, is that the default permalinks on WordPress is not SEO friendly.
I would recommend changing it to the post name, this is the most SEO friendly type of permalinks.
To do so on WordPress, go to your Dashboard, then go to the Settings section and select Permalinks.
Conclusion
WordPress is constantly changing, thanks to millions of people participating in its development by sharing their knowledge.
So keep learning and share your knowledge too, in order to help everyone going forward and making the best of each tools we have.
Have a look at our Web Development Services, where I am sure you will find someway I can help you.
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