WordPress tips & best practices to make your site rise

New year means new opportunities and new benchmarks for your business. before you get too crazy with new clients or preoccupied with projects, take the time to make your existing sites and workflow shine!

Here are some WordPress tips and best practices to think about

  • Update your WordPress version & php if needed to the latest
  • Update your WordPress Themes and Plugins
  • Reduce the number of plugins you use
  • Make sure your sites are mobile-friendly
  • Get to know the Gutenberg editor (WordPress 5.0)

 

Update your WordPress version to the latest

Upgrading your WordPress website is a regular maintenance task.

If you are not familiar or not sure about updating it yourself find a professional, sit back and relax.

There are two easy ways to update your WordPress site to the latest version. One is automatic and the other one is manual.

This beginners Guide from wpbeginner will help you update it safely by yourself

*Why You Should Always Update WordPress

Leading WordPress security research shows that majority of WordPress websites that get hacked are either due to an outdated WordPress core, plugins, or theme.

WordPress is actively maintained by developers from all over the world. These developers find and fix bugs, add new features, and hunt down security vulnerabilities on a regular basis. These changes are then released in a new WordPress version.

Update your WordPress Themes and Plugings

WordPress theme developers put a lot of work into building the tools you use to create impressive-looking websites for clients. But a theme or a plugin developer’s job doesn’t stop there.

Just like the WordPress core has to be updated on a regular basis, WordPress themes and plugins require frequent updates, too. These are done for the purposes of performance optimization, vulnerability patches, and implementation of design or feature upgrades.

Before proceeding with any update — whether automated or manual — capture a backup of your WordPress site.

Reduce the number of plugins you use

I started programming in the late 2000s and got into web development at about 5 years later.

The last 10 years of my development career I use and recommend WordPress for me and my clients.

The most common mistake and in my experience can be disastrous sometimes is to rely on plugin’s to get the job done.

Troubleshooting a website with 5 plugins is much easier than troubleshooting a website with 30. Quantity of plugins make the job harder and in many cases your site slower

This is not caused only by purely coded plugins but even with major and trusted ones.

The reason is cause when a plugin is coded in order to be commercial, requires a variety of functions in order to cover a large base of users. This means that you load and spend resources for many features that you don’t use and you don’t need.

Before you install a plugin thin twice if you rely need it

Before you install a plugin think twice if you rely need it. In many cases a simple line of code can get the job done and it’s also the best practice.

If you are not a programmer address to a professional and ask for help. The cost of a custom plugin or a simple custom task in most cases is less than the cost of debugging a bugged website.

Make sure your sites are mobile-friendly

Future is now and is mobile

If you’re using well-maintained WordPress themes and plugins that are up to date, there’s a decent chance your site automatically performs pretty well on smaller screens

If you’re running a custom site design, however, you might have to think a little more intentionally about making sure your site is mobile-friendly.

  • 80% of users used a mobile device to search the internet in 2019
  • 40% of online transactions are done using a mobile device

 

Get to know the Gutenberg editor

The classic editor will be supported until December 31st, 2021, so you still have time before you forced to switch to Gutenberg

This year it’s worth getting to know our new friend Gutenberg

I recommend setting up a local WordPress site running version 5.0, so you can safely experiment with the new editor without any risk to your real site.

If you’re a content creator, try creating a new post with Gutenberg so you can see how it feels to use blocks. You may also get a few new ideas for formatting future articles!

Appealing custom Landing pages and featured stories are now made easily

Meet Author

Dimitris Mylonas

Web Developer & Wordpress Expert

A professional Web developer, expertise in wordpress news media sites and woocommerce e-shops, who likes to code and travel.

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