{"id":491,"date":"2020-08-12T11:06:07","date_gmt":"2020-08-12T09:06:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interwebsa.com\/blog\/?p=491"},"modified":"2020-08-12T11:06:07","modified_gmt":"2020-08-12T09:06:07","slug":"10-wordpress-tips-every-web-designer-needs-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interwebdev.co.za\/index.php\/2020\/08\/12\/10-wordpress-tips-every-web-designer-needs-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"10 WordPress Tips Every Web Designer Needs to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.codeinwp.com\/blog\/wordpress-statistics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">500 websites<\/a>&nbsp;are being built on WordPress every day. This platform powers 14.7% of the top 100 websites across the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On average, 17 new posts get published on WordPress every second. In a month, WordPress is searched on Google more than 37 million times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress is a powerful CMS. More than 19.5 million sites across the world use the platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So for those of you who are new to the growing WordPress network, welcome to the club.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/interwebsa.com\/blog\/beginner-guides\/build-a-website-start-to-finish-guide-with-interweb-sa\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"undefined (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Launching a new website<\/a>&nbsp;can be intimidating if it\u2019s your first time. But if you can quickly learn some tips and tricks on WordPress, it will make your life much easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of you may have been using WordPress for a while. Others might have had some failed sites and need some guidance moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regardless of your situation, this guide will help you succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While I definitely wrote the guide with WordPress beginners in mind, some of these tips are being overlooked by people who have been using WordPress for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Find the right web hosting plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress is an open-source CMS (content management system). Simply put, it\u2019s a tool for creating and managing websites. You can use WordPress to build a personal blog, business website, ecommerce store, or anything in between.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the platform itself does not host websites. This is a common misconception that I find with prospective website owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We would obviously recommend ourselves as we do have a 5 star rating on Google and Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learn how to host with us here: <a href=\"https:\/\/interwebsa.com\/blog\/reseller-hosting\/how-to-host-a-website-a-complete-guide-for-beginners\/\">Host With InterWeb SA <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With that said, you can use any web hosting provider that meets the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/about\/requirements\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WordPress minimum hosting requirements<\/a>. Basically, your host needs to have a PHP version of 7.3 or higher. It needs a MySQL version of 5.6 or higher or MariaDB version 10.1 or higher. Your host also needs HTTPS support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to web hosting, there are lots of different options to choose from. After you find the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/best-web-hosting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">best web hosting provider<\/a>, you\u2019ll also have to determine the type of hosting you need. Shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated servers, and cloud hosting are the most popular options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Choosing the right plan and host from the beginning is crucial. It\u2019s important that you find a plan that gives you enough resources to meet your traffic needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Picking the wrong hosting plan can end up causing slow loading times, crashes, and downtimes. Plus, changing hosts down the road can be a pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Pick a quality theme<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The options are seemingly endless when it comes to picking a WordPress theme. You can browse for options from the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/themes\/browse\/new\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WordPress theme directory<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/interwebsa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Wordpress-Themes-1024x627.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-492\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, too many people make the mistake of rushing when they pick a theme. That\u2019s not going to benefit you at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are tens of thousands of themes out there. Not all of them are offered directly from the WordPress theme directory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Resources like&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/themeforest.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ThemeForest<\/a>&nbsp;have nearly 46,000 themes to choose from. In order to get a quality theme, you might have to pay. It\u2019s not a huge expense, and most themes are reasonably priced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your theme should also be based on the type of website you have. For example, the&nbsp;best WordPress themes for blogs&nbsp;will be different than the&nbsp;best ecommerce WordPress themes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s why you should always look at the live demos of themes. It will give you a chance to try a theme out before you install it. This way you\u2019ll be able to get a better idea of the look and feel of a theme from the user\u2019s perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It should go without saying, but you need to make sure that any theme you install is mobile-responsive. Themes are useless if they can\u2019t be displayed properly on mobile devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Use Google Analytics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s impossible to know how well your site is doing unless you can measure its performance metrics. WordPress alone won\u2019t give you enough information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But by installing a&nbsp;Google Analytics plugin, you\u2019ll be able to get added insight into how site visitors are behaving on your pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/google-analytics-for-wordpress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MonsterInsights<\/a>&nbsp;is a top option to consider for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/interwebsa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/MonsterInsights-1024x557.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-493\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The plugin has more than 2 million active installations. It\u2019s definitely the most popular Google Analytics plugin on the market today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After installing this, you\u2019ll have access to audience reports, behavior reports, content reports, and ecommerce reports (if applicable).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The best part about using a Google Analytics plugin is that you\u2019ll be able to view all of your data directly on your WordPress admin dashboard. It\u2019s better than having to bounce around between multiple sites and platforms to access this information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Install a plugin for SEO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to Google Analytics, you\u2019ll also want to use a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/best-seo-plugins-for-wordpress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WordPress SEO plugin<\/a>. There are hundreds of options out there, but I personally recommend&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wordpress-seo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Yoast SEO<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/interwebsa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/YoastSEO-1-1024x554.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-494\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Without a proper SEO strategy, your WordPress site won\u2019t get much organic traffic. This is crucial for survival in today\u2019s day and age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can\u2019t just assume that your content alone is good enough to bring people to your site. I don\u2019t care what type of website you have or what industry you\u2019re in, SEO needs to be a top priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A plugin like this makes things easier for you whenever you want to optimize your site for SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It will analyze keywords and content to ensure that you\u2019re taking the right approach. Yoast also helps you handle the technical side of SEO, like managing your sitemaps or robots.txt files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Don\u2019t use too many plugins<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I know this may sound contradictory to my last two tips, but you need to limit your use of plugins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Google Analytics and SEO plugins are definitely necessary, as with some other plugins to add functionality to your website. There are great plugins for things like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Caching<\/li><li>Forms<\/li><li>Directories<\/li><li>Bookings<\/li><li>Memberships<\/li><li>Popups<\/li><li>Backups<\/li><li>Security<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But with that said, you don\u2019t need a plugin for every category. If you\u2019re not going to actually add popups to your website, you don\u2019t need a popup plugin. Don\u2019t install a bookings plugin unless you run a business that would benefit from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Installing too many WordPress plugins can ultimately make your site slower. Adding the extra code associated with a plugin can weigh down your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More plugins don\u2019t necessarily translate to a better or more functional website. So just don\u2019t go overboard when you\u2019re installing them. Limit plugins to ones that you\u2019ll actually need and use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Compress images<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like excess plugins, images are another way to slow your website down. But that doesn\u2019t mean you should shy away from using lots of images in your content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In fact, I encourage you to use as many images as possible, all over your website. Incorporate them into your blog posts, use them on landing pages, add them to product pages and descriptions as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There aren\u2019t many circumstances where I would say an image doesn\u2019t belong on your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But with that said, these media files are large, and result in slower loading times. That\u2019s why every image should be compressed before it\u2019s published.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019d recommend using a tool like the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/kraken.io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kraken Image Optimizer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/interwebsa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Kraken-1024x603.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-495\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As you can see from this example, Kraken reduced this file size by 61%. I like this tool because you can handle all of your image compression on the web, without forcing you to download any software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019d rather do this in WordPress, you\u2019ll need to install a plugin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Modify your permalinks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Are you familiar with permalinks?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the part of the web address that comes after the domain name. These are the web addresses of each individual landing page and blog post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each time you create a new page or post on WordPress, it automatically generates a new permalink by default. However, these defaults need to be changed before you publish the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A carefully crafted and custom permalink is very valuable. It gives your website visitors an understanding of what the page is about, without having to read the content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They keep everything organized, and can be used by search engines and site visitors alike for accessing content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To modify your permalinks, navigate to the \u201cSettings\u201d option from your dashboard. From here you\u2019ll see a \u201cPermalinks\u201d button. The \u201cPost Name\u201d option is the one that will provide the most SEO value, so that\u2019s what you should go with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. Prioritize safety<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We discussed the popularity of WordPress earlier. Since it\u2019s so common for websites to use this platform, it\u2019s also common for hackers to target WordPress sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You need to update your WordPress version whenever a new one comes out. This will help you avoid some bugs and hackers. But that alone won\u2019t be enough to keep your site secure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are other steps you can take to beef up the security of your WordPress site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first thing you should do is get an SSL certificate. This will encrypt information on your site, including sensitive details like customer data. The best web hosting services (like the ones we mentioned earlier) will usually include an SSL certificate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You should also be backing up your site on a regular basis. If something goes wrong and your content gets lost, you don\u2019t want to be forced to start over from scratch. There are plugins you can install for backups, as well as plugins made for enhancing your site\u2019s security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. Learn how to use heading tags and meta tags<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are meta tags that appear in SERPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve seen them before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/interwebsa.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Tags-1024x363.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-496\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Heading tags get used within your content. For example, this blog post that you\u2019re reading right now has 12 tags. There\u2019s a title tag at the top, a heading for each of the 10 tips, and a conclusion tag at the bottom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both meta tags and title tags have SEO benefits. They also make it content easier for website visitors to consume content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Imagine trying to read this post without these headers? It would not be as easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Based on which type of header is used, it ranks the tag\u2019s significance on the page. The size of the text will change based on this as well. For example, H1 tags are the biggest and most important, while an H6 tag is smaller and less important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">10. Eliminate clutter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress gives you tons of customizable options for your website. You have the option to include ads, banners, and widgets all over your page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, all of these extras just add clutter to your website. This makes your page looks untrustworthy and unprofessional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Adding too many elements to your website is also very distracting to your website visitors. It makes it hard for them to focus, which means your content won\u2019t get consumed and they won\u2019t click on your CTAs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While it might be tempting to take advantage of everything that WordPress has to offer, in some instances, less is definitely more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress is one of the best content management systems on the market today. It\u2019s easy to use, and extremely versatile for nearly every type of website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, WordPress isn\u2019t really a set it and forget it platform. You\u2019ll still need to actively manage your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With so many different features, functions, and add-ons to take advantage of, it can be a bit overwhelming at times. But don\u2019t let yourself get distracted. If you follow these 10 simple WordPress tips that I\u2019ve outlined above, your site performance will improve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>More than&nbsp;500 websites&nbsp;are being built on WordPress every day. This platform powers 14.7% of the top 100 websites across the globe. On average, 17 new posts get published on WordPress every second. In a month, WordPress is searched on Google more than 37 million times. WordPress is a powerful CMS. More than 19.5 million sites [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":260,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,58,76,67],"tags":[52,53,54,55,56,8,57,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66],"class_list":["post-491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beginner-guides","category-guides","category-website-tips","category-wordpress-guides","tag-co-za","tag-com","tag-affordable","tag-cheap","tag-cpanel","tag-development","tag-domain","tag-hosting","tag-joomla","tag-registration","tag-reseller","tag-shared","tag-south-africa","tag-website","tag-wordpress"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/interwebdev.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/interwebdev.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/interwebdev.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interwebdev.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interwebdev.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/interwebdev.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/interwebdev.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interwebdev.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/interwebdev.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}