WordPress websites are amongst the quickest and easiest web properties users can set up and then maintain. While some people are more concerned about getting the best WordPress themes installed, your actual focus should be on the meat and potatoes.
Having great WordPress plugins will improve functionality and keep your visitors engaged. Without further ado, here are the best 10 WordPress plugins for 2018 that you need to have installed.
1. Yoast SEO
If you want to get better at on-site SEO then you absolutely need to have this plugin installed. Yoast SEO enables you to analyse your web pages so that they can get indexed right away. What’s better, Yoast SEO suggests the kinds of changes and improvements you should make to your site to get it listed higher within search engine results.
2. Defender
WordPress blogs are simple and straightforward enough to set up that a complete novice can take them independently. Unfortunately, lots of unscrupulous people also target WordPress blogs because they are relatively easy to access from the backend. Defender is a plugin that keeps your WordPress site safe by pointing out areas that look weak while also keeping hackers out.
3. Askimet
This oldie but goodie is necessary for anyone who has a WordPress blog set up where visitors are capable of submitting comments. Comments are crucial if you want visitors to stay engaged whenever you put out a new blog post. On the other hand, the more popular your blog gets, the more spam it is going to attract. Askimet enables you to control how blog comments are posted. You can go in and approve all awaiting comments in one fell swoop or block them all at the same time.
4. Ultimate Branding
When you find a great WordPress theme, you sometimes have to do a lot of work to get the header, footer, company logo, and photos all lined up. In fact, after hours of fumbling around you might end up scrapping the project altogether and either end up finding a different WordPress theme or a designer who can make the appropriate tweaks. With Ultimate Branding, you get to customise each part of your business site’s appearance in real time. This plugin takes away the need for you to make changes to any part of the code manually.
5. Jetpack
This is another WordPress plugin that has been around for a long, long while. Jetpack is really one of the first plugins that you should have on your site. It helps WordPress powered websites to operate more efficiently by keeping the riff raff out and helps with sending increased traffic. Users are in complete control over what Jetpack can do for their web properties - there are really that many features.
6. BJ Lazy Load
BJ Lazy Load helps to eliminate one major problem that some WordPress users have - slow loading speeds. It could be because of your web host or even the theme that you have installed. In any event, BJ Lazy Load will have your website loading super fast so that visitors end up staying around for longer.
7. MailChimp for WordPress
Are you planning on having a mailing list in 2018? Well, you are going to need to have all of your subscribers opt in the right way if you want them sticking around and not quickly unsubscribing. MailChimp is one of the best mailing list management services around, and this plugin will aid you in getting more website visitors to sign up automatically. With this plugin, you only have to check a few boxes in order to get an opt-in form generated on your website.
8. Floating Social
Sometimes you may spend more time writing out a succinct 280 character tweet or taking photos at just the right angle to include on Instagram. Without viewer engagement, your social media efforts can stall out quickly. Floating Social is a WordPress plugin that enables your visitors to share all of your latest posts with a single click.
9. Woocommerce
Anyone who is going to sell items or even have a checkout form on their website needs to download the Woocommerce plugin. If you accept payments online then you have to be concerned about payment gateways and online security. Woocommerce enables you to install a completely encrypted online store onto your WordPress site within minutes.
10. Broken Link Checker
Those who have WordPress websites or blogs that are made up of hundreds of pages have to spend some time sorting through their broken links. Doing this manually can take you hours, but if you fail to do this kind of maintenance your website rankings can suffer. Broken Link Checker takes the work out of finding and eliminating broken links. What’s even better is that this plugin can help to make broken links functional again.
Work with Matter Solutions if you want to work with a company that specialises in developing web content with a modern edge. Contact us today and speak with an expert.
Finding a WordPress hosting company that can be trusted and reliable can be difficult, thankfully, we came across Pressidium and never looked back. Their reliability and speed are unmatched to anything else we have found. They come highly recommended for secure and scalable WordPress hosting and for very good reason.
Even before you get started with your site being hosted by them, the first thing you notice is the amazing service received. They take the time to get to know the business. Your website goals suddenly become their website goals. It’s great to have them working with you doing all they can to help you achieve those. You’re working with actual engineers, not salespeople. They’re on call 24/7 too!
The infrastructure is unbeatable. It is designed never to fail. It was built from scratch with N-tier architecture with no single point of failure. This makes it one of the most reliable servers, offering a powerful performance with maximum security. This gives businesses like ours peace-of-mind on many levels.
Even better are the Singapore servers, giving extra back-up that is done daily. In the event of disaster striking, we’d still be up and running. In fact, Pressidium is global with different data centres around the world and even more strategic edge locations.
What also adds to peace of mind is the security, Pressidium constantly scans for vulnerabilities and malware threats. Additionally, they make the process of installing a free SSL certificate easy, with full Let's Encrypt support. This ensures website visitors keep their information secure, it also is a positive signal for Google rankings.
The servers are also incredibly fast. We’re pleased with the continued performance of our site which increases positive user experience thanks to the ease and speed of it. Pressidium does this by sending the requests to the least busy server.
Medium to large businesses will love Pressidium, including the user dashboard. It is so easy to operate and can even be worked on mobiles or tablets thanks to the responsive design. Instant backups are made so if we made a change that ended up breaking an element of the site, we can go back to an earlier version with one click. We love the cache management that allows us to clear the website’s cache easily. One of the main features we are really excited about is the option to create a staging website very easily. This allows us to do testing of new features and then push it to the live website. If it works out great, we don’t need to spend the time replicating it – we just send it to Production. The Cloning Tool helps us create templates to use again. Of course, as with the other features of Pressidium, domain mapping is made simple. All you have to do is update the DNS settings and Pressidium did the rest. Any questions we had about our site were answered thanks to the Knowledge Base.
The real-time analytics has given our team great insight into our audiences, which we have already been able to use to our advantage. Pressidium has saved us a lot of time, to say the least. No doubt that companies like ours, including the Fortune 500 companies that use Pressidium, are finding their website operations a breeze and nothing that needs to be played around with too much. It’s very straightforward and easy to navigate.
It’s apparent why Pressidium is recommended above the rest. As far as managed WordPress hosting goes, Pressidium is by far the best available. We feel completely confident that our website is in good hands. Pressidium just feels part of our brand, they work with us, to make our site the very best it can be. We don’t feel like another customer, but instead a valued client. Pressidium can do the same for you as they have done for us.
With more people using their mobiles to access the internet than ever before, it is vital that websites are optimised for mobile viewing. It’s not just the layout that is important, but how quickly it loads too. This is appealing for both search engines and for a great user experience. This is why you could benefit from AMP for your WordPress site. It isn’t for everyone though. Our guide will help you determine if AMP is something suitable for your WordPress website.
What is AMP?
AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) help load content quicker by limiting the way they are designed. This means less CSS, JavaScript, and HTML. AMP can help web pages load up to 85% faster. This should make them appear nearly instantly, giving a better chance that someone will stay on your page.
It sounds like a “must,” but not all pages actually need it or would benefit from it at all. It really comes down to personal preference.
Benefits of AMP
Here are just some of the great benefits that come with installing AMP:
Speed - The biggest benefit to having AMP installed on your site is the speed at which your page will load. This will lead to more website visitors and a decrease in bounce rate.
Ideal display – AMP pages have a special carousel display near the top of the mobile search results pages. Not only that but it also prominently shows a photograph, adding appeal to click on your link.
Improved SERP position – In addition to being in the carousel on mobile search engine results pages, you will also feature higher in desktop searches too. Google’s aim is to bring the best user experience possible, and that includes mobile-optimised pages that load incredibly quickly. Don’t depend on AMP alone though to improve your ranking.
Downside to AMP
Despite all the amazing things AMP can do, it also has its disadvantages.
Less ad revenue – If you depend on ads for revenue, then AMP won’t be useful. Although the AMP project says they support ads, it is very limited. If you want to try, you’ll find how limited you well and truly are.
AMP is not a real solution to page speed – There is no real fix that makes the WordPress page load faster. It’s all down to cache. AMP saves cached versions of the tagged pages and shows that to page visitors.
Analytics are difficult – Google Analytics is supported by AMP, but you will need to use a different tag, and then put it on every single page AMP page. This can be a tedious task. Google Analytics is one of the very few analytics platforms supported, so if you wish to use a different platform, you may find yourself not able to.
Should I Implement AMP?
Given the pros and cons listed above, it is totally down to you whether or not you think AMP is right for your WordPress site. If ad revenue is something you are not worried about and you don’t rely on certain analytics, then AMP may be a great way to help draw in audiences. You also need to consider the way AMP works and be comfortable with showing your users a cached version of your page.
Can I Just Have a Responsive Design?
Your website should have a responsive design as recommended by Google. It is suggested to have a responsive design, or responsive design and AMP, but not just AMP on its own. Responsive design works with any website that has applications and forms whereas AMP is for best for just content.
How to Set Up AMP in WordPress
The first thing to do is to install the AMP plugin and install it. Once activated, go to the Appearance menu and select AMP.
You can use this opportunity to change a few things like the header background and text colour. Whatever header background you choose will be the colour for links. If you have a site icon or logo, it will also be displayed.
Put /amp/ at the end of any page URL, and you will see the AMP version of that page. In the source code, you should find: <link rel="amphtml" href="http://example.com/2017/11/blog-post-title/amp/" /> .
Should you see a 404 error when attempting to view an AMP page, take the following steps: From your WordPress admin, go to Settings, then Permalinks. Simply click on Save Changes, but change nothing else. This should refresh the page and fix those 404 errors.
Extra Support
Another plugin you could opt for is Glue for Yoast SEO and AMP. AMP itself gives you very little customisation, but this plugin offers a bit more support. You will need to have the Yoast WordPress SEO plugin first. Then once both plugins are installed and activated, you can modify the AMP settings through the Yoast sidebar. By default, AMP only works on for blog posts/articles, but from the sidebar, you can extend the AMP functionality to other pages.
Through Design, change colours and design features. Update logos and default header images that will be used when the page does not have its own header image.
There are other plugins available that allow you to do even more, like adding social media links. You will need to validate any addition plugins after you add them.
Your AMP Progress
You can check to see how your AMP pages are performing in Google search by using the Google Search Console. After logging in, head to Search Appearance, then Accelerated Mobile Pages. You won’t find your pages here right away. You will need to wait a while before any data is shown.
Still, have questions about AMP and if it will be appropriate for your site? Contact Pressidium to speak with an expert about your options. If you are looking for the right WordPress solution, we got one for you. We aim to make sites thrive in competing industries – yours could be next!
WordPress can be an excellent choice for building your website. It has many features that can make your website stand out from the rest…if you have the right theme. WordPress has a plethora of themes available, but what people respond to tend to change every so often. If you want a quality page with amazing features that are sure to keep visitors engaged, then consider choosing a premium WordPress theme. Here are the best ones for 2017 (many are from ThemeForest)...
Avada is the best-selling WordPress theme. This is down to its customisable features and responsiveness. It has the most advanced options available, and better yet – you need no coding experience to be able to build yourself an amazing website with it. You can add features such as full-width sections, pricing tables, sliders, buttons, alert messages and much more quite easily. There is a wide range of industries using this theme, so it is very adaptable as well.
If you want to run a shop online, then Flatsome may be perfect for you. It has a nice clean and crisp look to it that is extremely user-friendly and shows off your items in an eye-catching manner. This theme has been tried and tested, and the current version has spent many years in the making by e-commerce (and WooCommerce) experts. There is no need for coding, and the drag and drop tool makes filling the website full of your wares simple. This theme is fully responsive too, so visitors using a tablet or smartphone can make purchases easily.
Nearly every industry category is covered by Soledad. It is very versatile, but no matter which template you go for, you can guarantee quality. There are even over 250 home page demos and 200 different slider and blog layouts, so you are pretty guaranteed to find something that fits you with the Soledad theme! You’ll get a huge choice of colour palette, so you can find something that suits your branding. If you are thinking of having an online portfolio, Soledad is a good choice. There are six different styles to choose from! It is also good for an online shop as it has the WooCommerce store builder plugin. If you don’t have something in mind yet and want a chance to play around with layouts, then Soledad might be the one for you.
Newspaper is the ultimate theme for news and magazine style websites. From serious, everyday news to recipes to fashion reports, Newspaper has the perfect layout for you. You can be certain you will get the right layout that is most appropriate for the stories you have to tell, and then you will have options available to perfect it even more to suit your brand. Newspaper also has the options to help you monetize your site with an ad management tool and spaces to display ads in.
The7 claims to be the most customisable theme available. There are over 750 layouts to choose from. If you can manage to get through the list or lucky enough to find something that suits you right away, you can be up and running in minutes. All you do is upload your logo, choose your colour scheme, choose your desired fonts and size and click ‘create’. Of course, you will need to fill in the content and upload more pictures, but the foundations will be set to your liking. Need inspiration? Have a look at one of their 31 pre-built websites.
The X theme has been described as very flexible by many users. It claims to let you have virtually any look you want to a website. It doesn’t overwhelm you with too many options at once. You’ll work with it in real time and see updates as you go along. There is nothing but the work area and preview area. The elements in page building and plugins are regularly updated, so you can always have the latest ones to your advantage.
The Gem is considerably newer than the other themes but has already made an impact. The Gem is designed for the creative industry, giving a platform to show off that creativity with over 100 templates to help you do so. It is a high-performance theme that loads quickly and is mobile friendly. You’ll get a whole host of plugins including Yoast SEO and WooCommerce. The Gem can be used for all sorts of websites, but if you want something with style, then it’s a good choice.
BeTheme has continuously been a popular choice for WordPress themes, more likely due to its functionality and design. It may be one of the most complete themes out there. There are 55 demos to choose from, and they also cover a wide range of industries. Their example subjects include loans, DJing, portfolio, restaurant, charities and more.
Bridge gives a slight twist on the multi-purpose theme. There are currently 145 demos, and the number seems to rise with each update. There is a good chance you will find something out of the vivacious demos, just in case you can’t seem to find what you’re after, Bridge gives you the ability to mix and match the features on the pre-built templates to design your ultimate site. The huge amount of demos is only part of the reason why Bridge is so loved. Its usability is impressive too.
Uncode is one of the most sophisticated WordPress themes available in 2017. It has a striking design that is colourful and exciting. No code is needed to create a highly interactive site that loads quickly. Uncode lets your brand shine with help from customisable typographical options and amazing colour schemes. It is a theme that always seems fresh. No wonder it has been so successful.
With one of these premium WordPress themes for 2017, you are bound to have something that suits your brand and website design skills (which can be none!) and achieve something that is visually stunning for your visitors to awe over.
Are you using WordPress, but not really sure if your theme is right? After all, trends come and go, which will result in you wanting to update the look of your website or blog. But how do you know which one to choose? Fortunately, we have crawled through WordPress’ themes to find the very best ones we think you should consider using.
10 best free WordPress themes
1. Zerif Lite
Zerif Lite is a single page website with customisable sections, it’s incredibly easy to use. The theme uses a live customiser making it the easiest to use on our list and recommended for people who are new to WordPress. It is also listed as one of the top 10 most used free themes (which can be a good and a bad thing!). The theme itself looks really great and is optimised well for speed with compatibility with the most used caching and minification plugins. One of the things we like most about Zerif is they have really great support. There are multiple video tutorials that will help you on your way and there is also great documentation with forums.
2. Flash
This flexible multipurpose theme is one of the most popular on WordPress this year and is currently used on over 9000 websites. Main features of Flash include:
Drag and drop page builder
Flash toolkit plugin
Six widget areas
Custom widget area builder
Advanced colour options and typography
And that’s just naming a few of its features - the list goes on. The theme can either be downloaded for free, or you can purchase Flash Pro for $69.
3. Astrid
Want to quickly build an awesome business website? Look no further than the Astrid WordPress theme. Core features include header image, business layout, theme options, translation ready, HTML5/CSS3 and responsive design. Astrid includes colour options, fonts, full-width header image, custom widgets, blog options and more.
Astrid also comes with a free download, or you can go pro with three pricing options - $49, $99, or $199, depending on what features you require.
4. Parallax One
The free responsive design for creatives is the Parallax One. It includes clean and validated code, browser compatibility, theme options panel and localisation. It has a responsive design and includes a smooth parallax effect. It even has unlimited colour options, meaning you can customise every element of the page to exactly the colour you want. You can even include social proof by including customer testimonials, which will increase the trust factor for your website. Parallax One even has 24-hour support, which will always be 100 percent free.
5. Vantage
Vantage has over 700,000 downloads and was downloaded to integrate seamlessly with a large range of third-party plugins. This multi-purpose theme includes striking menus, classic fonts, and WooCommerce integration. For those who have an ecommerce website, this is the theme for you.
6. Rocked
Need a corporate looking website for either your own business or one for your clients? Rocked is the option for you. This is a modern and responsive business theme which includes features such as colour control, font control, pre-defined blocks, logo and favicon upload, and multiple blog layouts, to name a few. The blog includes an easy layout, two-page templates, colour options, Google fonts and blog options, to name a few.
7. Regina Lite
Need the best medical theme? Regina Lite is what you need. This is a responsive, ecommerce ready and multilingual medical theme. Features include colour management, translations, retina ready, stunning customer support, unlimited Google fonts and cross browser compatibility. This is one of the best free medical WordPress themes currently available. It is highly user-friendly and easy to personalise.
8. Vega
Blogs and small businesses should consider using Vega, a free multipurpose theme. It is WooCommerce ready and can be used as a multi-language website. It comes with three pre-built colour choices, a full-screen image banner and multiple home page and blog feed displays. It’s even responsive and mobile friendly. If you’re needing more features, you can upgrade to Vega Pro, which has a one-off $35 fee and then costs $7.99 per month, which includes ongoing support and updates.
9. eStore
The most popular WooCommerce/ecommerce style WordPress theme at wordpress.org is eStore, which is installed on over 10,000 websites. Not only is the theme WooCommerce compatible, it integrates with the YITH WooCommerce Wishlist plugin. If you’re looking to attract more customers and sell products, you will be able to do so with ease using the eStore WordPress theme.
10. True North
For those that need a portfolio to showcase their work, True North is what you need. True North will help you to elegantly promote your portfolio. Items from your portfolio will take up the entire home page, giving your work the attention it deserves. There are multiple layout options, including portfolio display, column listing, and isotope filtering. It’s even SEO optimized, so you will be able to rank higher in search engines.
These themes are some of the best WordPress has to offer, and will help your website stand out from the competition.
If you’re using WordPress for your website, you’ll want to know how to ensure your site is completely secure. After all, you don’t want to risk your website being hacked. WordPress is a very popular publishing platform - in fact, it runs more than 24% of all websites. As a result of this, WordPress websites are often targets of hackers.
Who would hack your website?
If you're protecting your site, you’ll want to know what you are protecting against. There are a few ways your website can be hacked:
Humans: someone manually trying to attack your website
Automated bot: a singular bot can be used by a hacker to get access to websites
Botnet: a group of bots which are being controlled from the one source which are aiming to hack a website.
Most hacks will happen through bots, as they are automated, which means the whole process can be sped up.
There are numerous reasons people will try to hack into websites. This includes being able to send spam content, to host malicious content, or to steal data, to name a few.
Is your website at risk?
You can never be completely sure that your website will never be attacked. However, there are ways that your website can become more vulnerable to attackers. This includes:
Having a weak password
Using non-secure plugins or themes
Not updating WordPress
Using “admin” as your username
So how can you protect your WordPress website?
When thinking about securing your WordPress website, you’ll want to know where your existing security vulnerabilities are. You can do this by scanning your website. Fortunately, there are a variety of websites that offer this service. Some are free, while others have a free trial or a premium upgrade. Free versions will give you a basic overview of your website, but if you’re wanting something more detailed, you’ll generally have to sign up for a paid account.
A great security measure to introduce to your website is two-factor authentication. This means anyone logging in to your website will have to enter the password, as well as another factor, such as secret questions, text messages, or a code. This makes it harder for hackers to get into your WordPress website.
2. Lockout after failed logins
Having a lockout feature on your website prevents unauthorised people from continually trying to access your website. If someone has tried to access your website too many times, they will be locked out and you will be notified. You can use plugins such as iThemes Security or Login LockDown to have a lockout feature on your website.
3. Update passwords
One of the most obvious things you can do to help secure your website is to ensure you have a difficult password and update it on a frequent basis. Don’t just use “password” as your password. Consider using a combination of upper and lowercase letters, as well as numbers and special characters.
4. Don’t use “admin” as your username
You don’t just need to have a strong password, you need a username that is hard to guess as well. Keeping your username as “admin” means it is easier for hackers to access your website. They don’t have to worry about guessing your username, they just have to worry about the password. To help secure your website, remember to change your administration accounts username from “admin”.
5. Backup your website
If your website does come under attack, you don’t want to worry about having lost all of your data. You won’t have anything to worry about if you backup your website off-site. This means you can easily restore your website, and don’t have to start again from scratch.
6. Get an SSL certificate
If you’re running an e-commerce website, you’ll want to consider getting an SSL certificate. This will encrypt data such as credit card numbers and any other personal information provided by shoppers. This means you will be able to protect the data of shoppers, and they can be reassured that no one will misuse their credit card details. This will increase trust levels with shoppers, meaning you’ll be more likely to get business.
7. Update WordPress, plugins and themes
You want to make sure you keep everything up to date. The latest releases often come with a security update. Not installing the update means you’re left vulnerable to this security problem. It’s important to ensure not just WordPress, but your plugins and themes are all up to date.
It can be somewhat of a hassle for those that manage multiple WordPress websites to continually manually update their website, themes, and plugins. Fortunately, you can use tools such as ManageWP. This allows you to handle your themes and plugins from one central dashboard. Updating them all takes just a click of a button. This is far more time-effective than manually going into every website you manage and means you can secure your websites faster.
8. Secure all user accounts
Often a business will have more than one person accessing their WordPress website. Having multiple people allowed to access an admin panel means you’re open to vulnerabilities. You can add an extra element of security by using plugins such as Force Strong Passwords. This enforces users to have strong passwords and sends notifications when passwords are attempted to be changed. This prevents users from having weak passwords that can easily be guessed.
Following these tips will ensure you have a more secure WordPress website, and will be less vulnerable to attacks from hackers.
Got any other tips? Let us know in the comments.
UPDATE: Since publishing this article, more details have come to light about the latest WordPress update.
Sucuri posted that while recently working on WordPress, they discovered a severe content injection vulnerability affecting the REST API. The bug has an exploitation level of easy/remote, and a DREAD Score of 9/10.
What does that mean? Essentially, any unauthenticated user was able to modify the content of any post or page within a WordPress site.
Are you at risk? If you are using WordPress 4.7.0 or 4.7.1, you are vulnerable to this bug. It is a serious bug and can easily compromise a website. It is highly recommended that you install the latest update - WordPress 4.7.2.
PREVIOUSLY: On 26 January 2017, WordPress released an important security update, WordPress 4.7.2. WordPress states this is a security release for all previous released versions, and strongly encourages users to update their websites immediately.
The previous update - WordPress 4.7.1 - and any other earlier websites were affected by three security issues. These are:
1. Permission
It was found that the user interface for assigning taxonomy terms in Press This was being shown to users who did not have permission to use it. Generally, if a user does not have permission to take an action, it is hidden. In this case, those who did not have permission had access to items they normally could not get into.
2. SQL Injection
When passing unsafe data, the WP_Query class is potentially vulnerable to an SQL injection. An SQL injection can destroy a database and compromise the security of a web application. This happens when malicious users inject SQL commands into a SQL statement, via web page input.
3. Cross-site scripting
It was discovered that within the post list table there was a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability.
An XSS attack occurs when malicious scripts are injected into a trusted website. The attacking user will use a web application to sent malicious code to another user. This user has no way to tell the script cannot be trusted, and will execute it. This means the malicious code can access cookies, session tokens and any sensitive information retained within that website, and can even rewrite content.
This is perhaps the most important reason to ensure your WordPress website is always kept up to date. To avoid being left vulnerable to these attacks, it is important to update your security on WordPress. Because of WordPress’ popularity, it is highly vulnerable to attacks from hackers, malicious code distributors and people trying to access and steal data.
If you do not use the latest version of WordPress, you’re leaving your website vulnerable. This not only includes WordPress, but also its plugins and themes. It’s important to always update to the latest version. An earlier update allowed for users to automate updates, which users can enable.
Speed
Each released update includes performance updates which will help WordPress be faster and more efficient. Speed is a huge factor in website success, especially if you’re using your WordPress website for a business. In order not to miss out on the fastest possible website, make sure you always update WordPress.
New features
You always want the best and newest features on your website, right? Each major WordPress release includes changes to software that includes new features. This can include features such as image editing, faster updates or an improved install experience, to name a few. As with most technology these days, if you don’t update, you don’t get to access all the latest features everyone else has. In the case of WordPress, you can even have trouble gaining help online, as those on forums will assume you’re using the latest version.
As soon as the newest version of WordPress is released, it’s important to update it, with WordPress 4.7.2 being no exception.
When you’ve got a business, you’ll inevitably need a website. But the big question is whether you should build it yourself, create your own static HTML website, or hire an agency or developer.
The idea of building your own website can seem like it would be confusing or difficult, but it doesn’t need to be. WordPress is a great option for those who want to build their own website. It is very easy to grasp because it is so user friendly - much easier to understand than sites such as Drupal. You don’t need to be a web developer to be able to grasp WordPress.
However, designing, maintaining and updating a WordPress website can take time, and it can be very easy to ruin your website. If you don’t have the best computer skills, then it’s best to hire an agency. There’s tons of questions to ask before building a website, but we’ve narrowed it down to a few important ones.
Don’t panic if the answer is no. You don’t need to be a programmer or developer to be able to use WordPress. WordPress is user friendly and is very easy to navigate. Even if you’re not tech savvy, you’ll be able to quickly learn how to use WordPress. You can download and install WordPress in under five minutes, and start writing and producing content instantly. There are even tutorials available if you need assistance starting off using WordPress.
When you first start building a website with WordPress, you will pick a theme that you can customise to suit your business. This is all pretty straightforward. However, if you’re going to add plugins to customise your website, then you’re going to need a bit more coding knowledge. It may be difficult to create a completely professional looking website with just basic WordPress knowledge. Of course, WordPress is the easier option than starting with a blank canvas and designing the website yourself. However, you have to decide whether it is better to hire an agency or trust your own skills.
What is your budget?
How much money are you spending on hosting and web development? Do you have enough money to hire an agency to build and design your website for you? These are questions you have to stack up. While WordPress is free to install and use, there are hidden costs not all businesses would initially consider. While there are around 38,000 free plugins on WordPress, you have to pay to use premium themes and plugins. Chances are you’re going to end up using at least a few of these plugins. You’ll also need to factor in hosting costs. Designing your own website could end up being substantially cheaper than using WordPress.
How much time do you have?
While WordPress is the option for those who are financially strapped, you also have to consider your time allowances. Your website will need constant updating. That’s not only the content, but the plugins and themes as well. If you develop your own website, you won’t be hounded with constant updates. All you’ll need to do is backup your website. But, like WordPress, having a static HTML website will take time to initially develop, and a considerably larger amount of time if you don’t have the web skills.
If you don’t really have the time to dedicate to web development, then hiring an agency is definitely the best decision.
What type of business do you run?
It depends on what type of business you run to know whether WordPress is really the most suitable website for you. WordPress is great if you are producing lots of content that can be constantly changed and updated. It’s also very simple to change the appearance and layout using WordPress. If you decide to build your own website from scratch, then you’ll have to know the appropriate coding to modify all these components. Using WordPress will save you a whole lot of time and effort.
It’s also important to consider the size of your business. Not just the size of it now, but also consider whether it’s likely to expand in the future and need a bigger, more capable website. Including lots of plugins and content on WordPress will slow your website down. If you’ve got a business whose website will be data heavy, then it’s best to use sites such as Drupal, design your own website from scratch or hire an agency.
So, how should you build your businesses website? Well, if you have the knowledge, have a website that doesn’t need updating frequently and want to avoid hosting costs, you could design your own HTML website. If you need a bit of assistance with the technical side, and don’t mind paying a little more, then WordPress is for you. And if you simply don’t have the technical skills or time to dedicate to building a website, then hiring an agency to do the work for you is the best option.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) uses technical strategies to increase the amount of visitors to a website by getting a high ranking placement in search result pages of search engines such as Google. This can all sound pretty technical to those who run businesses - that’s why they hire agencies.
There are lots of strategies that might be confusing to those who don’t specialise in SEO. However, there are a few simple things anyone can do:
1. Well Written Content
Make sure to not only produce content, but to make sure it’s well written. Double check the content for any spelling and grammar mistakes. Nothing is worse than producing professional content that’s full of spelling errors. Who is going to take you seriously? Check that your paragraphs make sense and are in some chronological order. This will greatly improve your blog’s SEO.
2. Recycle
Recycling is good for the environment, but in this instance we’re referring to your content. Did you write something good a year ago? Check out your old content, update it and send it out again. Evergreen content - or content that continually stays fresh and relevant - can be used again and again. Google’s algorithms take into account the newness of an article. If the content is still relevant but it’s now an old article, it makes no sense for it not to be on Google’s first page. In fact, according to Backlinko, recycling your old content could lead to a 111.37% increase in organic traffic. With an increase of traffic that high, there’s really no excuse not to update old, relevant content.
3. Page loading times
You know when you go into a website, and you have to stare at that blank white screen for a few seconds while the website loads? Sometimes that’s not just due to Australia’s slow internet speeds. The way a website is set up and run can also have a drastic impact in response times. If you’ve designed a website on WordPress, there are simple steps you can take to increasing your page’s response time. If you’re worried about your website, head to Google’s PageSpeed Insights, which will analyse the content of your web page and generate suggestions which will help you make the page faster.
4. Share your content
There’s no point in creating content if it’s just going to sit there and not be shared. Social media is a free and easy way for anyone to promote their content. Post the link in as many places possible - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram - wherever! The more places you post the link, the more hits the piece will receive.
5. Headings
Whatever Google says, goes, and that includes the formatting of your content too. Google loves it when you format your blog posts correctly. This includes using headings in the biggest font, and sub headings in the next size down. Make sure you’re also using relevant topics for your headings, and use keywords in your subheadings. This will help when Google scans your blog for the relevant topics.
6. Include multimedia content
Content is far more interesting when it’s got photos to break up that big block of text, right? Search engines know that’s what people prefer, and will reward those who produce content with multimedia content. So make sure to include photos or even videos throughout your posts to make them more interesting.
These are some tips that even the least tech savvy person should easily be able to implement. Use these tips on your blog and you’ll see your SEO greatly improve.
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When you’re running a business and have a WordPress website, one of the first design aspects you’re going to think about is what theme should the website have? WordPress has tons of free and premium themes ready for you to pick from. Or should you not bother with that, and get a fully customised theme instead?
We have listed some pros and cons of each so you can decide whether you should use a custom or pre-made WordPress theme for your website.
Custom themes
PROS
It’s unique
The best reason to use a custom made theme is it’s unique. You’ll be the only one with this theme. Pre-made themes are going to end up being used by several websites. You’ll be able to ensure your business stands out from the competition by having a custom made theme. The last thing you want is for somebody to visit your website and think how similar it is to a competitors website.
Functionality
With a WordPress theme, the website will ultimately maintain some control of the functionality of your website. With a custom theme, you’ll have complete control over every aspect and function of the website. Everything you want on the website you’ll be able to get.
If you’re running a business then you’re going to want to create a brand. Having a customised theme will help achieve this goal. Not only will it help you be memorable and stand out, but it can also really reflect on your business and what it’s about.
It will look better
Not only will your custom websites functionality improve, its aesthetic appeal will too. Designers are never going to put their best effort into a product they release for free. You get what you pay for, and often that’s the case with custom themes. A designer is definitely going to put more effort into making the website look better when they’re also receiving a higher reward.
This is the big one. Custom themes are expensive. Sure, you have to pay for premium WordPress themes. Custom themes range greatly in price, depending on your designer. You can expect to pay as little as $300, or you could end up being charged $5000. It all depends on your designer and what you’re including on your website. If you’re budget conscious, then this is probably going to be the make or break decision as to whether you use a custom made theme.
Updates
This isn’t always necessarily a con, but is definitely something worth considering prior to deciding on a custom made theme. Will the developer be able to address future updates, such as fixes for bugs? If they’re not, then that’s something you’re either going to have to address yourself, or find another developer.
Pre-made themes
PROS
Low price
A pre-made theme is going to be substantially cheaper. If you’re not purchasing a premium theme, then it’s going to be completely free! Premium themes will cost you, but the cost won’t be nearly as close as a customised theme. Generally, the cost will be under $100. You won’t be able to find a custom theme that will be available for that price.
Variety
Why have a custom made theme when there’s such a large variety of WordPress themes to choose from? With so many available, you’ll definitely be able to find something to suit your niche. Designers release new themes every day at an astonishing rate, so you’re bound to be able to find one that’s perfect for you and your business.
Future-proofed
WordPress websites are future-proofed. Unlike a custom website, you’ll be able to have constant support to handle any problems. WordPress completes updates automatically, so you won’t even have to worry about your website being out of date. You’ll easily be able to contact a developer, or simply type your problem into a search engine, there’s bound to be a blog or forum with the solution. With a custom theme, you might end up abandoned by your developer once they’ve built the website. No need to worry about that with a pre-made theme.
Shorter development time
If you’re time poor, then having a pre-made theme is definitely going to be more appealing. If you’ve already got an idea of how the website will look and function, then all you have to do is install the theme and configure appropriately using plugins. You don’t have to worry about design or front-end coding.
Ease of Use
If you’re not that great with technology, then pre-made themes are the better option. They are going to be far more user friendly than custom made themes. You won’t have to bother with coding, you’ll just have to install plugins to increase the functionality of the website. As Tubik Studio states, with WordPress, it's what you see is what you get. You won't need any training, you can just get straight to work.
CONS
They’re not unique
They’re not going to be unique. Chances are somebody else is using the same theme as you. You’ll have to make sure you can choose a theme that not only suits your business, but makes you stand out from them. This may not be as possible with WordPress, and is far easier to achieve with a custom made theme.
Everyone uses them
While there are lots of themes to choose from, there’s always going to be a group of themes that stand out from the rest. Unfortunately, this is the group of themes that everybody uses. The more attractive the theme, the more people are going to download it. If you’re in a small niche, then it’s going to be more difficult to differentiate yourself from your competition.
Who did you buy from?
Do you trust who you buy your themes from? Do they follow the WordPress development best practices? Do they offer ongoing support? Maybe they’re not trustworthy, and have included malicious plugins within the theme. Some developers may even release their themes for sale, but then abandon the project, meaning you’ll have to handle updates yourself. When you’re downloading a free or premium WordPress theme, make sure you download from a reputable source.
Lack of customizability
If you’re looking for a completely customizable WordPress website, then chances are you need to consider a custom built theme. The theme developer will have set up boundaries to limit what you can customize. Particularly with free themes, your options are going to be very limited. Using third party plugins can also cause additional problems. Often it’s a better option to use coding to customize your website, and that’s not necessarily an option available with a pre-made template.
To summarise:
It all comes down to what you really want from your website and what the most important factors are for you. Maybe you’re budget conscious, and are limited to a pre-made theme. Perhaps you need a completely customizable website made by a designer you know. In that instance, custom themes are the way to go. There are many factors to consider when deciding what is the best option for you. Think about what will save you the most time and money in the long run, and start to make your decision from there.
