WordPress is definitely a very good platform that makes it so much easier to build the site that we want to build, without us having to know too much programming or design. The problem is that although it looks like a really easy platform to use, there are some things that are not as simple.
Common WordPress Mistakes
It is quite common to see webmasters that make mistakes when using WordPress. While some of the mistakes are not so damaging, others are. We will stay focused on the often met mistakes that even you might be making without realizing it. We are sure that when you fix them, you will feel a lot better and your site will perform a lot better.
- Not Using Social Media Sharing Buttons
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Even Jetpack includes a social media sharing feature that is quite often updated. This should highlight the fact that the creators of WordPress recommend you to share content or to allow your visitors to share content. Too many webmasters today do not understand how valuable social media can be. It can transform a site that has mediocre traffic into a viral sensation. However, if you do not have any way in which the visitor can simply click and share your content, there is a pretty good chance that he will not do so.
There are various different plugins that will get the job done right. While we prefer Jetpack because of the other modules that are present, you can use what you like. Always allow your visitors the possibility to comment on a post or to share the articles that they like.
- Not Using A Responsive Theme
There is a constant growth in the number of people that use mobile device in order to browse the internet. Most of the WordPress themes are not responsive. What does this mean? It means that they will show as they are and will basically not look great on a smaller screen. A responsive theme modifies its size based on the screen size of the device used to see the site.
As you surely figured out, when the theme is not responsive, the mobile visitor will just go look somewhere else. You definitely do not want to see that happen. Take a look at this list of 40 free responsive WordPress themes and if you have a budget available, remember that the paid themes are always better.
- Not Changing Permalink Structures
WordPress basically tells you to change the structure of your links but so many people out there do not do this. This is a big problem due to many different reasons. For starters, when your links are in the standard format, they will not get the SERP rankings that they could when they include targeted keywords. Also, they will not look great and this can actually discourage some of the visitors from sharing the content. It takes just a couple of minutes to change the structure so do it!
Since we briefly touched on SEO, try to focus on using plugins that can help you out. Consider these 4 WordPress plugins that will improve your SEO.
- Not Updating WordPress, Plugins And Themes
This is a very big No-No when running a site on WordPress. It is vital that you always have the latest WordPress version available because of two reasons:
- It increases the overall security of your site
- It offers new features you might want to use
When referring to the plugins that you have installed, you need to understand that those that are outdated can be vulnerable to hacker attacks. Exactly the same thing can be said about the themes. You have to update both so that you have the latest version installed so that you minimize the chances of getting hacked. Also, if you see that a long time passed since a specific plugin or theme was updated, it is best to just look for another option.
- Not Using The More Tag
WordPress was designed to be use as a blogging platform so we have to take that into account and take advantage of the More tag. What it does is divide the content that is seen on the main page. Only a part of it will be seen. While some of the themes automatically do this for you, most of them do not. A site that uses WordPress and has the entire content of a post showcased n the index page does not look attractive. You just need to click the More tab and add it where you want to when you write a post. You will love how your site looks after it.
- Not Checking Stats
There is a clear cut reason why so many WordPress themes include special areas where you can add Google Analytics code. The reason is that you can gain inside information about the traffic that you have on your blog. Take a look at those stats so that you can easily see what type of content your audience loves. For instance, let us say that you found an article that got a lot of engagement on social media. You can easily make references to it or write something similar in the future. This is the power of checking website stats.
Avoid The Mistakes And Gain More Results!
Most people stay focused on what they need to do and what they have to do in order to take advantage of the WordPress platform. This is definitely a very good thing but you should also try to learn all that you can about the mistake that most people make. There is a pretty good possibility that some of you make at least one of the mistakes mentioned above. Read all that you can about those mistakes and try to find others. In order to succeed, we also need to know what we do wrong, not just what we do right. This is what the top marketers and site owners out there understand!
