WordPress Tips and Best Practices To Make Your Website Shine

With over 810 million (approx) websites using this CMS, WordPress is a powerful and adaptable platform for website development. Its popularity is not only marked by the sheer numbers but also by its continuous growth, i.e., over 500 new websites are made daily with WordPress.

With such huge numbers, how will you differentiate your site from others? Building a unique and engaging website requires a strategic approach that goes beyond the basics and is out of the box. In this blog, we are going to explore those tips and tricks that will make your WordPress website shine.

So, let’s begin!

Best WordPress Tips & Tricks

1. WordPress Sites Should be Mobile-Friendly

Do you know that smartphones account for 50% of web traffic worldwide? So, your website must be responsive, which means it should adjust to different screen sizes and provide an optimal viewing experience.

However, if you are using a well-updated theme design, there are chances that the website will automatically perform well on varied screens.

On the contrary, if your website’s theme is outdated, you may need to change it to make it mobile-friendly.

2. Install Google Analytics

Google Analytics is of utmost importance to measure the website’s success rate and enhance user experience. How? You can track the following aspects.

Real-time activity: This report shows your website’s real-time activity, such as how many visitors are coming, their actions, their visited pages, and whether they are converting or enquiring about a product or service.

Engagement & Retention: The engagement report provides an overview of your engagement data and helps compare key metrics, such as page views, scrolling activity, etc. While retention reports provide an overview of how well your website retains visitors.

Monetization & Acquisition: A monetization report tracks the website’s revenue and acquisitions to help you understand where the visitors are coming from.

Now comes the best part! You can install Google Analytics with the MonsterInsights plugins to use it easily. To do so, you are only required to enter the unique tracking code that you received upon Google Analytics account creation. And Ta..da! All the insights are there at your fingertips. (as shown below)

3. Install SEO Plugin

Google Analytics is of utmost importance to measure the website’s success rate and enhance user experience. How? You can track the following aspects.

SEO optimization is a very important ranking factor for your website. Also, it is not limited to WordPress; no matter how your site is created, investing in SEO will always be worthwhile and profitable in the long run.

So, head to the WordPress Plugin Directory and install an SEO plugin according to your requirements. We recommend you install; Yoast SEO. Why?

It has more than 5 million active installations and over 25,000 five-star reviews.
From canonical URLs to meta tags, it handles all the technical concepts.
Quick and easy to set up.
Yoast SEO can seamlessly be integrated with different themes, plugins, and tools to automate the WordPress SEO workflow.

Important: No matter how aggressively SEO efforts are done, if the below option is turned on, your website will not rank. This can be found in the WordPress dashboard under “settings.”

So, it is suggested to double-check this feature!

4. Update Themes & Plugins

WordPress themes and plugins require frequent updates for performance optimization and to keep up with the latest trends.

Here are the reasons!

Updating plugins and themes can reduce the risk of potential security vulnerabilities.
It helps improve the overall website’s functionality so it will stand out from your competitors.
New versions of WordPress plugins and themes will resolve all the website’s bugs and glitches, providing the best performance.

However, it is not suggested to add too many plugins as it can slow down the website’s speed or even put it at risk. So, only install those that are actually required and benefit your audience and the website.

You can watch “theme demos” to view and try a theme. Get our Custom WordPress development services if you want to customize a theme.

5. Safety Is Paramount

We have already mentioned the significance of updating your site- but it’s not limited to that, as security is paramount when running and maintaining a website. Here are some measures that can be followed to save the website from vulnerabilities.

Add SSL Certificate : SSL (Security Sockets Layer) helps manage encrypted server and browser links, especially when the website handles sensitive information. It has been recognized as the global standard in encrypted online security technology, reducing the risk of malicious activities.By adding an SSL certificate to the website, you can rest assured that the user’s personal information remains secure.Some hosting providers include this feature, but if not, you have to do it manually with the help of a WordPress developer. Let’s Encrypt offers free SSL certificates. However, if you seek advanced security, you must pay an amount.

Install SSL Plugin : If you own a WordPress.com account, it will automatically add SSL to your website. Either if you have a different one, such as WordPress.org, you can install an SSL plugin from here.

6. Backup Regularly

Regular backup ensures that you have a copy of the website data in case of any unexpected incidents. Simply, regular website backups are essential to prevent potential data loss.

WordPress supports different types of free and paid backup plugins. Below are some of the recommended ones.

Jetpack is user-friendly and provides comprehensive site security with real-time incremental backups. Over 5 million WordPress websites use this plugin for enhanced security and performance. Further, it is suitable for large-scale websites that handle high amounts of data and user requests.

Use Duplicator if you have a small to medium size website. It allows the creation of manual or scheduled backups, which are stored on the cloud. Duplicator’s WordPress Migration Wizard helps migrate any website in just two steps without the intervention of manual migration methods.

Another popular WordPress backup plugin is BlogVault, which creates offsite backups independently on BlogVault servers, reducing the load on the website server. You will get automated and scheduled backups of your critical site data so the website won’t experience downtime.

Conclusion

WordPress Wonder is constantly developing so it’s high time for you to use the above tips and be a part of that! Think about how users will use your site—make it easy for them to find what they want. And ta-da! Your brand will stand out.

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You can request a free consultation with us here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How can I make my WordPress site better and more attractive?

Follow the below tactics to make your WordPress site better and more appealing,

Pick a responsive design that looks good on phones and computers.
Choose colors and fonts that are nice to look at, and use good-quality pictures and videos.
Make it easy for users to find things by organizing your menus and not putting too much stuff on the page.
Write exciting headlines and break up big paragraphs.
Also, make sure your site loads fast.
Keep your content helpful and update your site regularly.

2. Do websites built using WordPress rank better?

The ranking of websites, including those built using WordPress, is influenced by various factors. WordPress itself doesn’t guarantee higher rankings, but yes! It provides a flexible and SEO-friendly platform that may rank better in SERPs.

In simple terms, website ranking is not guaranteed but solely depends on consistent efforts done towards the implementation of SEO best practices and the quality of its content rather than the platform used.

3. What factors contribute to making a website popular?

Here are the key elements that contribute to making a website popular.

Quality Content (“Content is King”): High-quality, relevant, and valuable content is the foundation of a popular website.
Mobile Responsiveness: Your website must be easily viewable and usable despite the device it is being viewed on (mobile, tablet, desktop).
Fast Loading Times: A fast-loading website is crucial for retaining visitors.
Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): Clearly defined calls-to-action guide visitors on what steps to take next, whether making a purchase, subscribing, or exploring more content.
Engaging Visuals: High-quality images, videos, and other visual elements enhance the attractiveness of a website and contribute to user engagement.

WordPress Tips and Best Practices To Make Your Sites Shine

Best WordPress Tips & Tricks