Updated on June 27, 2024
Creating a standout WordPress website involves more than a sleek design and engaging content. Knowing the best practices will improve your site’s performance, security, and user experience.
In the digital world, your website is your first impression. With WordPress powering over 40% of the web, making that impression count is crucial. From speeding up your site to ensuring it’s secure, we’ll discuss practices to improve it and boost your online presence.
Choose a Reputable Managed WordPress Host
Choosing a reputable managed WordPress hosting provider like WP Engine, Kinsta, or Rocket.net can greatly affect your website’s reliability and speed. Managed hosting ensures your site is optimized for WordPress, offering features such as:
- Automated Updates: Keeps WordPress, themes, and plugins up-to-date.
- Daily Backups: Retained from 14 to 30 days.
- Built-in Caching: Explicitly tuned for WordPress.
- CDN and Firewall: Improves site speed and security.
- Expert Support: Well-versed in WordPress.
- User-Friendly Control Panel: Simplifies site administration.
Garrett Digital offers top-notch hosting and maintenance plans to keep your WordPress site up to date.
Keep Your WordPress, Plugins, and Themes Updated
Keeping your WordPress core, plugins, and themes up to date is crucial for security and functionality. Updates often fix vulnerabilities, add new features, and optimize existing code for speed and efficiency. Outdated plugins and themes are among the top reasons WordPress sites get hacked.
User Experience Design Best Practices
User experience (UX) is vital to visitors’ interaction with your site. Ensure your WordPress site follows UX best practices by focusing on the following:
- Readability: Use web-friendly fonts and plenty of white space.
- Navigation: Make sure your menu and information architecture are intuitive.
- Cross-Device Functionality: Test your site on desktop and mobile devices.
Use a Well-Documented and Regularly Updated Theme
Choosing a WordPress theme isn’t just about looks. A well-documented theme that gets regular updates ensures compatibility with the latest version of WordPress, reduces security risks, and fixes browser compatibility issues. Consider using a Child Theme to customize your site without affecting the ability to update the parent theme.
WordPress Themes and Page Builders used by Garrett Digital
| WordPress Theme | Page Builder |
|---|---|
| GeneratePress | Beaver Builder or GenerateBlocks |
| Kadence | Kadence Blocks |
Use Premium Versions of Plugins
While many WordPress plugins offer robust free versions, upgrading to premium versions for plugins you rely on heavily can offer advanced features, better security, and priority support. Premium plugins often include:
- Enhanced Functionality
- Regular Security Updates
- Priority Support
If Garrett Digital hosts your website, we pay all premium plugins and theme licensing fees.
Install Google Analytics
Installing Google Analytics on your WordPress site offers deep insights into website traffic and user activity. These insights allow you to make informed decisions to improve your site for better user engagement and retention. If you’re not a fan of Google, consider an alternative like Fathom Analytics.
Regular Backups
Despite taking all security precautions, unexpected issues can still arise. Regular backups ensure that you can quickly restore your WordPress site in the event of data loss or malware. Most premium WordPress hosting providers offer integrated daily backups that don’t require any extra work on your part.
Optimize Your Website for Speed
Ensuring your WordPress site loads quickly is crucial for SEO and improving search engine rankings. Here are the best practices to boost your website’s speed:
- Use Caching: Stores a version of your web pages in the visitor’s browser.
- Use a CDN: Stores your site’s static assets on servers around the globe.
- Choose a WordPress-Specific Hosting Provider: Offers an environment fine-tuned for optimal performance.
- Optimize Images: Compress images and use the proper format.
- Use a Lightweight Theme: Avoids unnecessary code, features, or plugins.
Optimize Your Website for SEO
Optimizing your WordPress site for SEO is crucial to improving your online visibility. Here are some ideas:
Use an SEO Plugin
One of the first steps in optimizing your WordPress site for SEO is to install a quality SEO plugin. These plugins help manage and improve various aspects of SEO across your site, from generating XML sitemaps to optimizing your content with targeted keywords. Rankmath and SEOPress are two popular options that offer a comprehensive set of tools to get you started. They help by:
- Providing real-time content analysis to optimize blog posts and web pages.
- Generating sitemap.xml files automatically to submit to search engines.
- Controlling essential site elements like page titles and meta descriptions.
Hire an SEO Expert
An SEO expert does more than just set up an SEO plugin. They ensure your site is configured for maximum efficiency and success. Experts bring knowledge on:
- Current SEO best practices.
- Specific configurations that align with your business goals.
- Advanced tactics for competitive niches.
This tailored approach can greatly increase your chances of climbing search engine rankings.
Set Proper Page Titles and Meta Descriptions
Page titles and meta descriptions significantly impact SEO and organic rankings. A well-optimized page title and meta description should include relevant keywords and clearly state what each page is about. This practice boosts SEO and improves user experience by clarifying what content users can expect.
For more details, check out our guide on page titles and meta descriptions.
Optimize Site Structure and Content
Users and search engines love a well-structured website with high-quality content. To optimize your site structure and content, focus on:
- Logical Hierarchy: Ensure your site has a clear, logical hierarchy with a simple navigation menu. Pages should be organized under relevant categories.
- Quality Content: Publish high-quality, original content that provides real value to your audience. This includes using appropriate headings (H1, H2, etc.) to structure your content and incorporating keywords naturally.
- Mobile Responsiveness: With most web traffic coming from mobile devices, ensure your site is designed to be mobile-friendly.
- Fast Loading Times: Site speed is a critical SEO factor. To improve your site’s performance, use premium WordPress hosting and Cloudflare for CDN services.
- Internal Linking: Link to other pages within your site to create a web of content. This helps search engines discover new pages and keeps users engaged longer.
Applying these strategies can set a strong foundation for your site’s SEO performance. Remember, SEO is a continuous effort that requires constant tuning and adjustments to keep up with the ever-evolving internet landscape.
Prevent Malware, Spam, and Bots
Ensuring your WordPress site remains secure is crucial. Follow these best practices:
- Use a Security Plugin: If you are not using a reputable managed host, plugins like Wordfence, iThemes Security, and Sucuri are likely essential. However, if you’re on a reputable managed WordPress host, you might not need these plugins, as the host already provides vital security measures.
- Use ReCaptcha or CloudFlare Turnstile: Prevents spam by challenging users to complete a simple test.
- Disabling comments: Reduces vulnerability to spam and malicious content. If comments are essential, selectively enable them on specific posts or use social media for discussions.
- Use an SSL Certificate: Encrypts data and improves SEO.
- Limit Access: Restrict permissions based on user roles and responsibilities. Regularly audit user accounts.
- Use 2-Factor Authentication: Adds an extra layer of security.
Garrett Digital Can Help with All These Tasks & More
Understanding and using the best website design and maintenance practices ensures your WordPress site stands out. With Garrett Digital’s decade-plus experience, we’ll guide you through essential steps that improve your site’s performance and security and greatly enhance user experience, potentially boosting your search engine rankings.
Garrett Digital offers comprehensive WordPress design and website builds. Check out our services to see how we can help your site succeed.
For more information or to get started, contact us.
