If you’re reading this, you’re likely interested in WordPress and looking for ways to avoid common mistakes.
WordPress is a fantastic platform, but it can be easy to fall into common traps that can harm your website’s performance, security, and overall user experience.
Don’t worry! In this post, we’re going to share our top tips on how to avoid these 10 common WordPress mistakes in 2023.
Keeping WordPress Up-to-Date
If you’re using WordPress, it’s essential to keep things up-to-date. Why, you ask? Well, let’s take a closer look at what you need to know and do before updating WordPress.
Reasons You Have to Update Your Themes/Plugins
Security: Updating WordPress, themes, and plugins to the latest version is essential for keeping your site secure. Each update often contains security fixes that address vulnerabilities discovered in previous versions.
Bug Fixes: Updates also typically include bug fixes that improve the performance and stability of your website.
New Features: Updates can also bring new features and functionalities to your website, making it more versatile and easier to use.
Compatibility: Updating WordPress and its components ensures that they remain compatible with each other and other third-party tools, preventing conflicts and potential issues.
Look Out for These When Updating WordPress
- Potential Conflicts: Updating WordPress, themes, and plugins can cause compatibility issues and conflicts with other plugins or themes.
Broken Functionality: Sometimes, updating WordPress or its components can break website functionality, especially if the updates were not thoroughly tested before release.
Time-Consumption: Updating WordPress, themes, and plugins can be time-consuming, especially if you have a lot of plugins installed on your site. There’s no need to update every-time as long as your site is running smoothly.
Wait! Don’t Update Just Yet
Backup Your Site: Before updating WordPress, themes, or plugins, always backup your site in case anything goes wrong.
Check Compatibility: Make sure to check for compatibility issues with your current WordPress theme and plugins before updating.
Test Updates on a Staging Site: Consider setting up a staging site to test updates before implementing them on your live site.
Stay Informed: Keep yourself updated on new WordPress updates and security patches to ensure that your site is always secure and up-to-date.
Summary
Updating your WordPress website is like taking your car to a mechanic for regular maintenance. It’s essential to keep everything running smoothly and avoid potential breakdowns.
Sure, updating WordPress can come with some risks, but don’t let that scare you away.
By taking necessary precautions such as backing up your site and testing updates on a staging site, you can avoid any potential issues and keep your website in top shape.
Plugin Overload
If you’re a fan of WordPress, you’re probably aware of the huge range of plugins available to add extra functionality and features to your website. But, as the old saying goes, “too much of a good thing can be bad”, and this is certainly true when it comes to using too many WordPress plugins.
While plugins can be incredibly helpful for enhancing your website’s functionality and user experience, using too many can slow down your website’s loading times.
Let’s face it, we’ve all experienced the frustration of waiting for a website to load. Slow loading times can not only drive your visitors away but can also negatively impact your website’s SEO rankings.
Using too many plugins can increase the risk of conflicts and compatibility issues between them. Plugins may clash and cause errors, crashes, or even make your website completely inaccessible.
Managing an excessive number of plugins can also be a daunting task, leading to potential security vulnerabilities and maintenance issues.
Let’s recap, it’s essential to use plugins wisely and avoid the temptation to install every plugin you come across. Stick to using only trusted and essential plugins that have good ratings, are well-maintained, and are compatible with your WordPress version.
Not Optimising Images
Not optimising images is can negatively affect your website’s load time, user experience, and SEO. Large and unoptimised images can slow down your website, causing visitors to leave and potentially leading to a decrease in search engine rankings.
By optimising your images for the web, you can significantly reduce their file size without compromising quality, resulting in faster load times and a better user experience for your visitors.
Optimised images can improve your website’s SEO by providing valuable metadata to search engines, helping your images appear in relevant search results and driving more traffic to your site.
Protecting Your WordPress Site
WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) in the world, powering over 40% of all websites on the internet. With its user-friendly interface and powerful features, it’s no wonder why so many people choose WordPress to build their websites.
However, with great power comes great responsibility. As a website owner, it’s your responsibility to ensure the security of your WordPress site, especially the backend where you have access to sensitive information and important settings.
To help you protect your WordPress backend from malicious attacks, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of common security mistakes to help keep you secure:
Using weak or easily guessable passwords: This is one of the most common security mistakes that people make, and also the most easily preventable. Make sure to use strong, unique passwords for your WordPress accounts.
Failing to update your WordPress version and plugins: Keeping your WordPress version and plugins up-to-date is crucial for staying protected against the latest security threats.
Not using two-factor authentication: Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your WordPress accounts, making it much more difficult for hackers to gain access.
Using outdated or unsupported themes and plugins: Themes and plugins that are no longer supported by their developers can pose a serious security risk to your WordPress site.
Using too many plugins: While plugins can add useful features to your WordPress site, using too many can slow down your site and increase the risk of security vulnerabilities.
Failing to back up your WordPress site: Backing up your WordPress site regularly is essential for protecting against data loss and other catastrophic events.
Allowing too many people to have access to your WordPress backend: Limiting access to your WordPress backend to only those who need it can help reduce the risk of security breaches.
Not using a security plugin: Security plugins can help protect your WordPress site from a wide range of security threats, such as malware and brute-force attacks.
Ignoring security warnings and alerts: If your WordPress site detects a security threat, it’s important to take action immediately to prevent further damage.
Using unsecured Wi-Fi networks: Using unsecured Wi-Fi networks to access your WordPress backend can put your site at risk of security breaches.
By avoiding these common WordPress security mistakes, you can significantly reduce the risk of your site being hacked or compromised.
Remember to always prioritise the security of your WordPress backend to keep your site and its visitors safe and secure.”
Backup! Backup! Backup!
Imagine spending months building and customising your website, only for it to crash and lose all your data. All that hard work and effort would be wasted, and it could take even longer to rebuild everything from scratch.
This can be especially devastating for small business owners who rely on their website for revenue. Don’t be neglectful, take the time to set up a reliable backup system and protect your website from potential disasters.
Ignoring & Undermining SEO
Think about it. When you search for something on Google (source for 90% of all internet searches) or another search engine, do you usually look beyond the first page of results? Probably not.
This is why ranking on the first page of search results for relevant keywords is so important. It can mean the difference between getting noticed by potential customers and being invisible online.
By ignoring SEO, you’re essentially leaving money on the table. You’re missing out on the chance to attract more organic traffic, generate more leads, and ultimately, drive more revenue.
Here’s the thing: SEO is not a one-time effort. It requires ongoing attention and effort to keep your website optimised and competitive in search results. Search engines are constantly updating their algorithms to provide the best possible results to their users. So, if you’re not staying up-to-date with the latest SEO trends and best practices, your website may be falling behind.
Don’t get overwhelmed. We have many other blogs on WordPress SEO Tips and Local SEO.
In summary, neglecting SEO for your WordPress site is a mistake that can have serious consequences for your online visibility and ultimately, your business.
By prioritising SEO and staying up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices, you can attract more organic traffic, outrank your competitors, and drive more revenue.
Overlooking the Importance of Responsive Web Design
If you’re overlooking mobile responsiveness for your WordPress site, you could be missing out on a massive audience.
More and more people are using their smartphones and tablets to browse the internet (nearly 60% of internet traffic comes from mobiles), and if your site is not optimised for mobile, you could be turning away potential customers.
If your site is not mobile-friendly, it can be frustrating for users to navigate. They may have trouble reading the text or clicking on links, and they may ultimately decide to leave your site and find a more mobile-friendly alternative.
Not only that, but search engines like Google also prioritise mobile-friendly sites in their search results. So, if your site is not optimised for mobile, it could be hurting your search rankings and ultimately, your online visibility.
The good news is that optimising your site for mobile is relatively straightforward. There are many responsive WordPress themes available that will automatically adjust your site’s layout based on the user’s device.
Additionally, you can use plugins and tools to test your site’s mobile responsiveness and make any necessary adjustments.
Not Monitoring Your Website
Not setting up Google Analytics for your WordPress site is a big mistake. It means you’re flying blind without knowing how your site is performing.
Google Analytics provides valuable insights into how users interact with your site, such as how many people visit, where they come from, and what they do while they’re there.
Without this data, you may make important decisions without a clear understanding of your audience’s response.
Plus, Google Analytics integrates with other tools to provide a more comprehensive view of your online presence. Set it up easily and start tracking your site’s performance today.
Plan for Site Maintenance
Not having a plan for site maintenance can lead to a host of problems for your WordPress site.
Neglecting regular updates, backups, and security checks can make your site vulnerable to hacks, malware, and other issues that can seriously damage your online reputation.
It can also cause your site to experience slow loading times, broken links, and other errors that can frustrate visitors and harm your search engine rankings.
By having a clear plan for site maintenance, you can ensure that your site remains up-to-date, secure, and optimised for performance.
This will help you to retain existing customers and attract new ones, resulting in improved traffic, conversions, and revenue.
Spread the Message
Not spreading the message about your website is a mistake that can cost you traffic and engagement.
Simply having a website is not enough; you need to promote it to the right audience to increase its visibility and reach.
Social media is a powerful tool for promoting your site and attracting new visitors. By sharing your content on social platforms and linking back to your site, you can drive traffic and build brand awareness.
Linking to other relevant pages within your site can improve user engagement and increase the time visitors spend on your site.
So, don’t overlook the importance of spreading the word about your website and making it easy for users to navigate and engage with your content.
Now You're Ready
In conclusion, avoiding these common WordPress mistakes can help ensure the success of your website.
By keeping your site up-to-date, securing your backend, optimising for SEO and mobile, backing up your site regularly, setting up Google Analytics, and having a plan for maintenance, you can create a website that not only looks great but also performs well and engages your audience.
Remember to always stay informed, stay up-to-date with the latest WordPress updates, and seek professional help if you need it. With these tips in mind, you’ll be well on your way to creating a successful WordPress website.
Thanks for reading!
