In terms of do-it-yourself website design, Optimizing WordPress is arguably the most well-known hosting service in existence. Originally launched as far back as 2003, WordPress has represented the mainstay of countless e-commerce portals which offer functional and user-friendly experiences.
Although the rather straightforward nature of this hosting service appeals to many, the simple fact that that errors can still be made from time to time. Let us look at some common WordPress mistakes in order to avoid any potential pitfalls along the way.
Failing to Address Redundancy
Backing up online information is vital in this day and age. Unfortunately, this maxim is often overlooked by website owners.
Some erroneously believe that WordPress automatically provides backups while others feel that uploading content in the event of a site failure is straightforward. However, this is not always the case; particularly if the site is updated on a regular basis.
Redundancy should therefore represent a top priority. The good news is that this is one of the easiest WordPress mistakes to avoid thanks to third-party providers such as VaultPress and WPEngine.
Although WordPress does indeed offer plugins that help to store site details in the cloud, it is still wise to employ an additional level of protection in the event of a worst-case scenario.
Free is Not Always Better
Many webmasters are attracted to WordPress due to the fact that its branded services are offered at no additional charge. Therefore, this host is ideally suited for anyone who happens to be governed by a limited budget.
The plethora of WordPress SEO services are quite tempting; especially when browsing through the options offered by third-party providers. Unfortunately, many free plugins are laden with bloatware and /or malicious coding.
Defective software can quickly hinder the functionality of a website and it may even discourage users from interacting with what it is that you have to offer. When in doubt, only download plugins that have been officially vetted by WordPress.
SEO Pitfalls: Header Tags
Countless articles have discussed the topic of WordPress SEO and for this reason, we will not list the most common errors.
It is instead wise to focus upon a lesser-known mistake that often occurs behind the (digital) scenes. This involves the notion of header tags.
The main purpose of header tags is to tell visitors and search engine algorithms about the information contained within each page.
Not only will this help to augment the user-friendly nature of your website, but this SEO technique will lead to improved rankings. However, many site owners fail to provide a sufficient number of header tags (such as H1, H2, and H3).
Every page should be equipped with an H1 tag and H2 subheadings. These will help to define the subsequent content and they can also provide an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
What About a Contact Form
It is actually quite surprising to note that a considerably large number of WordPress users fail to include a contact form within their websites.
Indeed, knowing how to optimize a WordPress website involves much more than proper coding and choosing the right plugins. Users need to be able to provide a call to action if they ever hope to generate quality leads.
Thankfully, WordPress comes equipped with a number of contact form templates that can be easily embedded within a page. Having said this, it is normally better to create an entirely separate page for such a form.
You can thereafter place internal links throughout the website which direct the user to the page in question.
Failing to Implement Keyboard Shortcuts
WordPress SEO services go far beyond what initially meets the eye. We need to remember that standalone website designers tend to spend hours at a time updating their portals and implementing the right changes at the appropriate times.
This can become a laborious and downright frustrating process. It may also detract from other important efforts such as marketing and client engagement.
WordPress has therefore created a number of handy shortcuts. These are intended to expedite common actions including:
- Copying and pasting
- Creating headers
- Using certain typefaces (such as bold and italic)
- Editing a document within the sandbox
Make it a point to become familiar with these tricks of the trade, as they represent truly invaluable assets.
Forgetting to Optimize Images
Mobile-responsive website designs are absolutely critical in this day and age. It is likely that many users will be accessing your WordPress site via a smartphone, several steps need to be taken in order to ensure a seamless experience.
One concern that is often overlooked involves image optimization. There are two problems here. First, pages tend to load much slower if they contain data-laden images.
This is obviously pivotal in terms of WordPress speed optimization. Secondly, images that have been improperly resized will display correctly when viewed with a mobile device. Be sure that your images do not fall victim to these scenarios.
Relying Too Much Upon WordPress Page Builders
In truth, there are many valid arguments for the presence of WordPress page builders; the most common being that they save a significant amount of time when designing a website.
Page builders can also be useful if you have chosen WordPress as your primary content management system (CMS) There is nonetheless a regrettable trade-off to mention here.
Page builders often contain bloated code and HTML errors that cannot be fixed by the end-user. As a result, you might actually be spending more time when compared to performing these tasks manually.
This is also when the use of the WordPress sandbox will prove to be invaluable. Not only can you beta test any changes before they go live, but experimenting with HTML coding is a great way to become familiar with the basics.
Leveraging One of the Best Tools on the Market
The search term “SEO optimization WordPress” will yield countless results. However, our team has made it a point to distill some of the most valuable recommendations down into a single article.
You can then follow these tips and tricks as they become relevant. WordPress has existed for nearly 20 years and its presence should dominate the markets in the years to come.
Do you have additional questions? Perhaps you would instead like to perform a professional SEO audit of your existing WordPress site. These are some of the services provided by Digital Funnel.
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