Do you want to use the website platform that all the big players use? Look no further than WordPress.
Reports show that WordPress powers over one-third of all the top sites on the internet. If the big players vouch for the capabilities of the platform, it’s the perfect choice to start using.
Getting started with WordPress doesn’t have to be a complicated process. Below are seven tips that will help you get your website up and running.
1. Find the Right Hosting
It might be tempting to go for the cheapest hosting you can find. Unfortunately, this often leads people to struggle with tech issues while getting their website up and running.
Make sure you compare and contrast the various hosting plans out there. Many cheap hosts offer limited resources and don’t provide much room for your website to grow. You’ll end up with server errors if you ever experience an influx in traffic.
Several shared hosting accounts are available that cost a bit more but offer better service. Look for reviews to make sure the hosting account you pick can handle what you need it to do.
You also have the option to purchase a managed WordPress hosting plan. These hosting accounts are optimized for the WordPress platform. You’ll be able to get your site up and running and not need to worry about the tech headaches.
2. Find the Right Theme
Many people put off developing their websites because they don’t know how to create a great design. With WordPress, that isn’t an issue.
There are many free and paid themes available for you to choose from with WordPress. A quick search on Google will provide you countless themes to choose from.
Look closely at each of your options to find a theme that matches your business. You don’t only want something that looks nice. Your website theme should complement what you want your site to accomplish.
Of course, you don’t have to stick with pre-built themes. There are countless designers available that can create a custom theme for you that gives your website a unique look and feel.
3. Browse the Plugin Marketplace
If all you want is a static site, themes will be all you need. However, WordPress doesn’t have a lot of added functionality. If you want to add new features to your WordPress site, you’ll need to browse the plugin marketplace.
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WordPress plugins allow you to add SEO, tracking scripts, design features, and other advanced features to your website. These plugins will help you rank higher on Google and provide a better experience for your visitors.
The WordPress website contains thousands of plugins to try. Experiment with them to find the ones that work best for you. There is also a secondary paid market to explore if you are looking for advanced functionality that isn’t available for free.
4. Try a Page Builder Plugin
A nice website theme and plugins can only get you so far. If you want to truly customize your website and don’t want to pay for a developer, a page builder will give you this option.
Page builders are WordPress plugins that provide a visual interface to build your website pages. They allow you to customize your header, footers, sidebars, and web content.
The way each individual plugin varies, but the core concept remains the same. They provide a set of common website elements. You pick the ones you want on your page and add it to your page layout.
You don’t have to stick with the pre-defined elements, either. If you want to learn about website code, all page builder plugins provide a way to insert code to add customizations of your own.
5. Install a Firewall
Being popular gives WordPress an advantage with support and functionality. Unfortunately, this also makes it a target for hackers.
You need to secure your WordPress website installation from attacks. This is even more true if you use third-party themes and plugins on your website.
A firewall plugin will help stop these attacks from happening. Your firewall will monitor all the files in your WordPress installation. If it sees one of your main website files change or unnecessary files added, it will scan them for problems.
In the case of modified website files, your firewall will re-download the original version of the website files. For others, you’ll get a notification so you can go through any additional files and delete the ones that shouldn’t be there.
6. Use Caching Plugins
Speed is essential if you want to keep people on your website. You can’t count on your visitors having fast connections when many of them are on mobile devices. Unfortunately, it’s easy to go overboard with images and content on your site.
A caching plugin will help speed things up. WordPress is a dynamic website platform. It needs to call a database when somebody visits to render the page with your content.
A caching plugin changes this up. It will keep a static copy of your website pages. Instead of wasting time talking to a database when your visitors visit your site, your website will automatically load for your users.
7. Backup Your Website
Unfortunately, you can’t always predict what will happen with a web host. Even the highest-rated services experience problems at times. If you don’t have a backup of your WordPress blog, you’re going to have to start again from scratch.
A backup plugin will automatically create a copy of your files and database. You can store it on your server or send it to an outside service.
If you don’t have another service to send your backup to, it’s smart to download the files to your local computer. A backup won’t be worth anything if you lose it when your server goes away.
Use the Tips Above for Getting Started With WordPress
You need to learn everything you can when getting started with WordPress. The tips above are only the beginning. Make sure you keep learning so you can build the website that you’re trying to create.
If you have your website built, it’s time to learn how to get traffic. Read our latest blog posts to discover the best traffic generation techniques you can use.
