If you are just starting out with self-hosted WordPress or even if you’ve been using it for some time but haven’t really delved into it too deeply, you might be making several common mistakes. Avoiding these will ensure that your WordPress-powered site is secure, runs smoothly and looks great, and that your business is not losing any customers because of any bad decisions or omissions on your behalf. Here’s the list of some blunders that are common among WP users, along with suggestions on how to fix them.
1. Forgetting to Back Up
Many people are dismissing the need for backups, thinking that the problem of losing their entire site’s data won’t occur to them. If you are not backing up yet, you should do this as soon as possible. You can lose your information for a variety of reasons, such as hackers, server issues, a virus or even your own mistake. Once the data is erased, you will really wish you had a backup copy to put all the accumulated info back in place. After all, you have probably put hours if not days of hard work into your WordPress website or blog, but losing it all can take a second.
First, you’ll want to find out if your host offers regular backups, and whether these backups are stored on a different server that your website itself. Bluehost, the provider than many WordPress site owners prefer, does offer daily restoration points, but you might want to have a plan B – it’s always a good idea to have a couple of backups.
VaultPress is a popular premium service designed specifically for WordPress site backups, with plans starting at $5. BackupBuddy is another paid service, allowing you to restore, back up and move your WP site, with packages from $80 and up. With CodeGuard you can backup and monitor changes on your site and even undo them, with prices starting at $5. If you are looking for a free service, consider a BackWPup plugin, which lets you schedule automatic backups. At the very least you should use WordPress Export function to regularly save the entire XML file of your website to your computer.
2. Going with the Wrong Theme
Oftentimes WordPress users choose a theme based on the amount of features packed into it, rather than thinking about the functionality for the admin and the end user’s experience when browsing the site. Decide what features are a must for your audience and which ones will only make your site too heavy. If you are planning a design portfolio site, for example, don’t go with the theme that revolves around text.
In addition, you might want to think twice when opting for a free theme. While there are lots of great free WordPress themes out there to choose from, remember that most of them don’t come with any support and are frequently not maintained or updated by developers. A lot of them are also not very stable and can cause your site to break when a new WordPress release comes out. If you are running a basic blog, you might be fine with this, but if your site represents your business, it’s best to buy a quality theme from a reputable marketplace, such as WooThemes, Mojo Themes, StudioPress or DiyThemes. Make sure that whatever theme you choose comes with great documentation and support, and is actively updated. These days it’s also a must that your theme is responsive, working well on any screen or device.
3. Not Updating to New WordPress Versions
You might be forgetting to update your site after the latest WordPress release, or you might be worried that updating will cause issues or break your site. You might even belong to the category of users who don’t bother to update in a timely manner, which is a major mistake. Most of WordPress updates fix major security issues, which means that any outdated versions of the CMS are highly vulnerable to viruses and hackers. If your theme and plugins are all from reputable developers, you have nothing to worry about during the transition process. Still, always back up your site before updating it to be safe.
4. Using a Predictable Admin Name
By repeating this mistake that a lot of WordPress users make, you are creating a major security risk and a potential for your site being hacked. WordPress automatically assigns Admin as the username for everyone, and it’s up to you to modify it to something safer and less predictable. If you leave it at Admin and, on top of that, come up with an average password, you are making yourself an easy target for hackers and might lose all your data if someone breaks in. Even if you do change your username but end up publishing blog posts under your admin name, you are not doing anything to solve the problem. Hackers will try Admin as your possible username first, and the name you are posting under will be their second guess.
5. Forgetting to Cache
Caching is the process that increases your site’s efficiency and reduces its loading time. It means that the HTML markup is saved on the server rather than the site obtaining it from your database each time a user requests information. Not using the cache results in a slower site and can even cause some downtime if you get a big traffic spike at any point. There are a number of free plugins that can be used for this purpose, including WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, Quick Cache and many others.
6. Keeping the Sample Page or Default Tagline
WordPress creates a sample page on every blog (used to be called ‘About’ page), and many users forget or don’t bother to get rid of it. Same goes for the tagline, which by default says “Just Another WordPress Blog.” If you want your site to be properly indexed in search engines, you’ll need to change this to reflect what the site is all about. Remember that you are missing out on a great SEO opportunity if you aren’t customizing the tagline. On top of that, keeping the default versions of your Sample/About page or your tagline makes you look like a novice and gives an unprofessional look to your site.