8 Common WordPress mistakes you could be making

Some WordPress mistakes you could be making

Are you committing one of the 8 deadly mistakes with your WordPress site? These mistakes are so common that most of us are guilty of at least one. If you ignore these problems, your site could slow to a grinding halt, your search engine rankings could plummet, and your site could be hacked and stolen from you.

Do I have your attention yet? The good news is that every single one of these common mistakes can be remedied immediately. In fact, you can correct all 8 of these mistakes within an hour of reading this post. Let’s get started!

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1. Not Hacker-Proofing Your Site

No one thinks that hacking will happen to them, but if you have an audience (no matter how small), you are vulnerable to an attack. The first step to stopping hackers at the door is by changing the default “Admin” user login. Hackers love this user login because it makes it easier to crack the password. WordPress allows you to customize the administrator user name during your 5-minute install, and I highly suggest that you do. You can also do this after you install WordPress. Go to ‘Users’ in your WordPress Dashboard. Select ‘Add New,’ enter the required information, and change role to Administrator. Then, select ‘All Users’ and delete ‘Admin.’

The next step is to have a strong password. If you need help coming up with a password, consider a tool like Strong Password Generator. Use it along with a password keeper, like LastPass.

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2. Not Changing the Permalink Structure

You know how some websites show a URL like: http://yoursite.com/?p=123 While other sites show a URL like: http://yoursite.com/your-awesome-blog That’s all due to permalinks. You can easily change your permalinks in WordPress, and it will do wonders for your SEO but, more importantly, it will improve how site visitors interact with your site. They’ll be able to remember your blog posts better. To change the permalinks structure, go to ‘Settings’ in your WordPress Dashboard. Select ‘Permalink’ and choose the setting ‘Post Name.’ Save Changes and you’re done.

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3. Not Being Mobile Friendly

Not all of your site visitors are arriving from a desktop computer. More and more visitors are using their phones and tablets to find your website. Your website should be mobile-friendly. In other words, it should look as good on a 4” phone display as it does on a 28” desktop monitor. Be sure to look for “responsive” or “mobile friendly” when finding a suitable WordPress theme. All themes on our market place are mobile friendly and responsive.

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4. Not Backing Up Your Site

You may be tempted to procrastinate regular backups until your site is large enough to warrant one, but don’t be lulled into complacency! Hackers can strike at any time, and not having a copy of your site can be devastating. Fortunately, there’s a lot of excellent plugins for automated backups. Consider BackWPUp, WordPress to Dropbox, or VaultPress.

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5. Not Using an SEO Plugin

Search engine optimization is important for every website, and WordPress has a plethora of great plugins that do all the hard work. All you need to do is install. We love WordPress SEO by Yoast and All in One SEO Pack.

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6. Opting For Free or Nulled Sites over Premium

Are you salivating over the promise of a free theme? Maybe it’s even a premium theme that a “helpful” hacker is offering for free download. Whatever seems too good to be true in the world of WordPress themes usually is. Free WordPress themes often lack the premium features that will appeal to your visitors. Most themes available for free download have premium versions that offers the full functionality potential. As for nulled premium themes-- never, ever trust them. These free offerings come at a price-- malicious codes ready to send spam and harmful links to your site visitors. Although a tempting offer, remember that you get what you pay for.

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7. Not Using a Cache Plugin

Some WordPress sites are slow, and one of the reasons for that is how WordPress processes information requests. Visitors will not sit around and wait for your website to load. The average wait time is around 7 seconds. If your website doesn’t load within that time frame, the back button is pressed, and your prospective visitor is on to the next. Speed up your website with a cache plugin like W3 Total Cache or WP Fastest Cache.

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8. Installing Too Many Plugins

Although plugins are great for site utility and function, don’t go on a crazy installing spree. Too many plugins can slow down your site, because each one will need to load whenever a visitor enters your page. It’s a good idea to audit your site every month to delete any plugins you may have installed but don’t use any longer.

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Now that you know the most common mistakes on WordPress, it’s time to avoid them like the plague! Don’t put it on your to-do list, start right away and then come back and let us know which mistake(s) you corrected. We’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

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