WordPress is, by far, the most versatile and popular content management system (CMS) globally. It is an excellent platform, easy-to-use, flexible and useful to achieve any purpose.
Talking about the potential of WordPress websites, then they are full of skill and promises. Yet to some, they remain enormously intricate and need a considerable amount of work that new user(s) find hard to do. To ensure your page or website reaches its full glory, then taking expert advice becomes inevitable.
However, non-techy users can install WordPress, login to WordPress, and then start creating a website for any project. When WordPress is set up, then one can customize the site design as desired. Here is a bit-by-bit tutorial for WordPress Website Beginners;
Setup
Once you’ve decided to choose WordPress as your CMS, there are few things that you ought to remember. It is free and open-source, SEO-friendly, and manageable. However, the major difference is that you need to choose WordPress.org or WordPress.com (commercial version). In this guide, we will focus on WordPress.org.
All you need to do is going to WordPress.org, selecting a domain and hosting. A domain is your identity on the internet and while creating it, avoid trademark infringement. Pick or create a perfect name that revolves around your brand or business. When it comes to a hosting solution, select a hosting package that is good, secure and reliable. In simple words;
- You can login to the WordPress dashboard.
- Use your Bluehost account to create multiple websites.
Design/ Website Theme
WordPress offers an opportunity for you to get a perfect theme for your website. With just a few clicks, you can make your website look the way you want. You can also install a wordpress theme and then change it for a better one. From WordPress Customizer Interface, you can customize your theme. You will find different sections to work on your Homepage “About Us,” Contact, website features, colors, and typography.
Related Concerns
Pages & Blog: Regardless of the purpose and type of your website, there are pages that every website must-have. Consider editing your pages’ content. On the other hand, starting a blog can help you market your brand or business effectively. Consider a blog since it is an excellent inbound marketing technique.
Site Navigation: Make your website’s navigation easier by adjusting the menus and widgets.
Plugins
Must-Have Plugins
We can’t ignore the need for plugins and extensions in the website, app, or programming world. In simple words, plugins are software additions that facilitate the customization of content. Here, you will find some of the best plugins that WordPress developers prefer for several functions like adding social features, displaying content, and ensuring the site’s security.
All in One SEO WordPress Plugin: SEO drives websites, and to optimize your content for search engines, an SEO plugin is a must. WordPress developers love the “All in one SEO pack” as they can set vast meta information for the site and posts. With this, website owners can preview how a page appears in Google results.
VaultPress: Website back-up is vital, and if you need to have an effortless and seamless back-up service, then VaultPress is the answer. It automates the entire process, runs on schedule, and you can restore anything with just a click.
Dropbox Backup and Restore: Website security is another vital call of running a site, and this plugin will help you out. It automatically creates backups of your database and files to Dropbox or locally.
Akismet: It is a cloud-based plugin that ensures that your site’s comments section remains spam-free. Although it is free, it is recommended that you opt for the paid version for a fully reliable spam protection service.
WordPress Site Load Time
Page speed is a ranking factor under Google Algorithm. To make matters worse, website visitors expect a good page to load within 2 seconds. Generally, pages that take longer than 3 seconds to load suffer a higher abandonment because visitors call it a bad experience.
Therefore, when creating your WordPress website, you must pay attention to its loading speed. Some of the best approaches to optimizing your website’s loading speed are;
- Select a good theme
- Choose a good hosting solution
- Set up browser cache
- Compress images, pages, CSS, and JavaScript files
- Eliminate the unwanted plugins
- Maintain a clean website database.
WordPress Overview for Users
Basically, your WordPress website must have a great theme with a crisp format and easy to read, conforming to the standards-based HTML outputs required by Search Engines to give it a top spot in searches. Every page must provide an impressive experience to the reader to bring them back to your WordPress website. For starters, your page design must be theme-dependent that matches the content of the page, i.e. the owner’s ideology and tastes. An honest reflection always connects with readers no matter what.
Another tip is to make the website content by writing on point and having it optimized using locations. The same enhances engagement that brings conversions on your WordPress site. Also, to increase conversions and enhance engagement on the site, bandwidth issues and loading times need improvement that is achievable with caching solutions. If the site speed is best, then there is no stopping. The speed rate can be increased with content delivery networks or exotic dynamic solutions readily available in the market.
There could seem to be a lot of technical jargon; however, the most important and exciting part of getting started in making a proper WordPress website is with the tips mentioned. Regardless of skill level, the essentials are enough to make an active and long-standing WordPress website that operates quickly, offers readership and engagement, and comes on top of the search engines.
Also, remember not to overuse the WordPress multisite applications to make the WordPress website look more optimal.
Example
A small business website will have very few informational pages and hence does not require such an elaborate setup. Portfolio websites are another that does not require the application. Personal blogs, too, are a strict no; they are much more suited to remain a blog and easy to manage. Showcasing one’s work images and creations is an easy job on a WordPress site. WordPress blog, anyways gives much of the same support technically to a single page blog. Managing many websites could be an option on this platform, but that might get too difficult to handle, so it is better to avoid it. This works only as long as all of the websites are routinely updated and refreshed with content.
Conclusion
It’s undeniable that WordPress happens to be a top-notch content management system. If you’re a developer trying to lay a concrete foundation for your career or upgrading your skills, beginning with WordPress is a cool option. Follow our precise insights and always update your skills. Ensure that your websites run smoothly with a good load speed since it’s the era of mobile devices.