7 Ways to Optimize Your WordPress Website There are sound reasons why WordPress is the favored platform for DIY web development but some basic tweaks make it much better.
By Brett Relander Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
WordPress is considered an excellent platform for budding entrepreneurs to create websites for their startup or small business. This content management service (CMS) is used by millions of business owners who live in every corner of the world. More than 400 million websites worldwide are powered by WordPress, including more than 100 million in the United States. WordPress sites around the world publish posts every 17 seconds. Most of the top one million websites in the world are powered by WordPress and related to business. These facts clearly show the significance of WordPress as a content management service for businesses of all sizes.
Simplicity, social media integration and the large number of theme options available are key reasons why startups and small businesses prefer WordPress. However, you need to keep several important facts in mind before you think about using WordPress for your business website.
1. The quality of themes.
Thousands of free and premium themes are available for those planning to create a WordPress-based website for their startup. However, you need to be careful in selecting a reliable theme from those available. The theme should be flexible and you need to have the ability to make modifications without much hassle.
2. Hosting.
This is another crucial factor when it comes to creating a website for your startup. You need to look for a managed WordPress hosting service that will help you keep your website up and running at all times. In addition, they should provide regular updates and backups.
Related: The 7 WordPress Plugins Your Site Needs to Succeed
3. Choose your plugins wisely.
Installing too many plugins on your WordPress website will slow its performance. Only add the plugins that you will actively use and delete the rest.
4. Configuring your website.
After you finalize WordPress installation, you need to configure it accordingly. For example, you should think about how the comments are moderated, permalinks are set up, and other best practices. This is easily accomplished in WordPress settings and should be done during your initial setup.
5. Mobile Interface.
Many website visitors will access your site through their mobile devices, so your WordPress-based website needs a responsive mobile interface that will provide a smooth experience for users. Users won't tolerate much irritation from pinching and pulling.
Adam Farra, CEO of HostGator says, "It can be a bit of a chore to make certain that your site is mobile-friendly. But it's worth the effort. Doing so will help to assure that your site ranks as highly as possible in search engine results."
Related: 25 Reasons Your Business Should Switch to WordPress
6. Security.
WordPress comes with decent security features but consider implementing more advanced security measures using plugins and other best practices to deter potential threats. Ilia Kolochenko, CEO of High-Tech Bridge says, "I would say that a popular CMS, such as WordPress or Joomla may be considered secure in default installation if they are properly configured, don't have third-party code and are up to date."
7. Search engine optimization.
Consider search engine optimization (SEO) to enhance the visibility of your website on Google and other search engines. Using SEO best practices along with WordPress plugins like WordPress SEO by Yoast you'll be headed in the right direction. In addition to search engine optimization, it's important to use the new SEO (Social Engine Optimization) as well. Establish an active presence on the social media networks where your customers spend the most time and you'll quickly build a brand people trust.
Related: 7 WordPress Plugins That Will Quickly Help Your Site Get More Traffic
