Dos and Don’ts Every WordPress User Should Know

WordPress is used all the time for building different types of websites. It is treasured by both developers and investors for its friendly features, the most common ones being its easy learning curve, hassle-free installation, and ease of use. But even the simplest things have their own complications and WordPress does the same.

WordPress development can get tricky, especially because of the small things that people usually overlook. Perhaps, that’s the reason why some WordPress sites witness global success with minimum efforts, some manage to thrive within the WordPress economy, still more continue to stagger and some turn out to be epic failures.

A big reason for such a striking difference in the performances of WordPress sites is a simple yet valuable list of dos and don’ts. It’s true that the web world’s most popular CMS takes a few minutes to be installed and started, but WordPress comes with its fair share of intricacies and even seasoned developers often fail to avoid the silly mistakes. Here, we have discussed a few dos and don’ts that every WordPress user should know.

#1 Do – Know the Difference Between .com and .org

A tyro-user, with little to no technical knowledge, can often confuse WordPress.com and WordPress.org and not knowing the core differences between the two can often lead to wrong decisions. WPBeginner, the site that provides useful information to beginners, has wonderfully described the difference between the two. WordPress.com is for people who want to keep it small and simple and works well for start-ups with limited budgets.

 But if you wish to own and run the site with every bit customized according to your needs, then .org is the place to be. WPBeginner’s article describes .com as renting a house while .org as owning a house. The point is that choosing the wrong platform can actually cost you time and resources. So ensure that you do learn the differences and then make the right choice.

#Don’t – get greedy and make the wrong choice. It’s true that some of the world’s biggest websites like TechCrunch and Spotify use WordPress but remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day and your wrong choice is only going to delay the route to success.

#2 Do – Use a Premium Theme with a Suitable Hosting Plan

The availability of countless themes is one of the most lucrative features of WordPress. Although one will find a plethora of free themes to suit one’s needs, they come with certain limitations. Having a premium theme on the other hand will offer plenty of benefits like seamless customizing options, regular updates and additional features. 

Similarly, buying a suitable hosting plan is equally important. 

There are many companies that offer cost-effective web hosting services to clients, but not all hosting solutions are tailored to meet your requirements. There are several factors to consider like storage capacity, security, server uptime, etc. So, always go for the one that provides maximum benefits. WordPress too provides different hosting plans to its users. So you have those options too.

#Don’t – be in a hurry. Take your time. WordPress literally has thousands of themes and almost all of them have pre-built websites. So whether you are selecting a theme or buying a hosting plan, make sure you have done your homework well.

#3 Do – Make Your Website SEO-friendly

During installation, a WordPress user can choose to disable the search engine option, and they can again turn it on when they have their site absolutely ready for the show. But often, users, for any given reason, forget to enable the option and that’s a big mistake.

WordPress has built-in SEO tools that are accessible with the WordPress.com pro plan and besides the built-in tools, it also provides users with plenty of premium SEO plug-ins like Yoast SEO, SEOPress and Rank Math. The SEO tools help increase your site’s visibility by improving its search engine rankings and making it more noticeable.

#Don’t – keep it on the list of to-do-later. Once your website goes live, you will have so many things to deal with. It’s easy to forget the SEO part amidst all the rush, and you’ll remember it only when you notice that your site isn’t performing as per expectations.

#4 Do – Use an Analytical Plug-in

It’s good to see your website up and running, but how do you measure its performance and other parameters related to its success? The answer is via a first-class WordPress analytical plug-in. By tracking the various performance parameters including the number of visitors, products most searched and most-used services, and peak browsing hours of the day, business owners can pick out the good, the bad and the ugly parts of their websites.

This will not only help them in catching the issues early but will also assist them in making informed choices. A proper assessment of the gathered data can go a long way in helping you design personalized offers, better discounts and profitable marketing campaigns.

#Don’t – forget to install and implement Google Analytics (or any other preferred analytical plug-in) on an ASAP basis and in the correct manner. Some cool Google Analytics WordPress plug-ins are Analatify, MonsterInisghts and GA Google Analytics.

#5 Do – Have a Backup

You’re busy changing a part of the content on your ready-to-live website, and then one single mistaken click and everything’s wiped out. This wiping out can also happen due to malware or server crash or traffic overload, but there’s nothing to worry about if you have already backed up your work, which makes our fifth important point of ‘do’. Having a backup is a fail-safe measure and can save you from disaster and a lot of extra work. Duplicator, BackupBuddy and VaultPress are some resourceful WordPress backup plug-ins.

#Don’t – ever make the blunder of skipping this step. Install any backup plug-in that you deem worthy and use it to support and save your work.

#6 Do – Get Feedback

Getting real-time feedback from end-users can prove to be a turning point for your WordPress site. By allowing users to provide their suggestions and grievances, you can gather valuable data, find out the areas that need modifications, and then act accordingly. You can know their likes and dislikes and what they expect from your site. CBX Feedback, Mopinion and SurveySparrow are some great plug-ins that you can use on your site to collect valuable feedback from your visitors.

#Don’t – undermine the importance of user reviews. Sometimes, people pay way too much attention to site development and tend to forget the fact that it’s the visitors who are responsible for the making or breaking of a website.

#7 Do – Use Your Own Resources

It is important to clarify that by resources, we don’t just mean money and computer system and server. By resources, we also mean the website design and content that is being displayed on the design. As a prolific WordPress user, you can come across countless enticing, innovative websites that will compel you to use their resources. 

Stop right there because if the content is copyrighted, then that’s going to cause you a lot of trouble including copyright infringement and a couple of more lawsuits. Even if it’s not copyrighted, then also plagiarism is not a good practice as that kills the originality of your site.

#Don’t – ever steal content, copyrighted or not. Netizens are smart enough to find out the differences between the original ideas and the copied ones, and they always prefer to go with the originals.

#8 Do – Take Care of Security 

What are the odds that out of a million websites, a hacker chooses your site to make it dysfunctional? Maybe they’re low but the probability remains. It’s your duty to ensure that you take safety measures to protect the data of your site and the personal data of your users too.

However, one also needs to understand that there are no proven ways to make your site as secure as Fort Knox. So the best thing developers can do is take utmost precautions like:

• Enabling SSL/HTTPS
• Having strong passwords
• Changing the passwords frequently
• Implementing regular WordPress updates
• Enabling WordPress security plug-ins like 
• Installing Firewall

#Don’t – you dare take security lightly. In the face of rising cyber threats and online scams, only a fool would make the mistake of leaving his/her site unprotected.

Final Word

WordPress development appears simple, easy and fun, but it’s certainly a tad more difficult than it appears to be. During the development of your WordPress site, keep the given list of dos in your mind as that will make your site lesser prone to epic mistakes and take it closer to success. But if you feel that some professional help will keep you on the safe side, then choose offshore WordPress development services who have both experience and expertise.

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