Since you have migrated to WordPress, the right move would be to make sure your website is built on a solid foundation and will not cause you headaches in the future. To do it, make yourself familiar with the following essential tips that need to be completed at the dawn of your new WordPress site.
Get Rid of Sample Content
WordPress cares about its users and does not leave them alone at the beginning of their WordPress path. That is why you may often find some sample content after the website has been installed. This serves as an example of how your future posts may look like when published on WordPress. You do not need it to be on your site after you have acquainted yourself with it.
Prevent Vulnerability of Your Website
Disable directory browsing if you do not want anyone to have access to the files on your web hosting space and download them, or some malware or hackers to dig a pit for you. All that needs to be done is opening the .htaccess file on the server that hosts your site and adding the ‘Options – Indexes’ line to the end of it. If such a file does not exist, create it yourself.
Make Your Permalinks More User-Friendly
By default, WordPress sets the URL of each post to a number. You can change it by going to Settings>Permalinks and choosing the “Post name” option. This will also improve your website’s SEO.
Choose Your Theme
Personalized look will help your site stand out and appear more professional. There are many WordPress themes to choose from, both free and premium. Mind your expenses and pick what is right for you.
Set Website Security
Protect your site by installing an effective security plugin. You can try Wordfence Security or All In One WP Security & Firewall as potential options.
Consider Backup Plugins
These are extremely useful, for it is vital to ensure that your website and its content are backed up just in case they get hacked or malwared. Some of the free plugins available are BackWPup and Backup to Dropbox.
Prevent Spam Comments
Spammers are always eager to attack your website with hope to get a link to their site from yours. Fortunately, there are extensions that make a strong defense against them. One among such is Stop Spam Comments plugin.
Install SEO Plugin
Your website ranking matters and adding an extension will contribute to it. WordPress SEO by Yoast is the best free option you could find.
Make sure your content is as easily sharable as possible. Installing a social sharing extension will bring traffic from such social networks as Twitter or Facebook. This will also increase the chances of people sharing your website with their friends and followers.
There are numerous free social sharing plugins and some of those that you might find useful are Floating Social Bar, Cunjo, Shareaholic, and Smart Website Tools by AddThis.
Add Caching Plugin
A faster-loading website both appeals to users and works well for search engine optimization. Consider installing such free plugins as WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache.
Let Your Readers Know More About You
Sign up for your free Gravatar account to show your avatar photo and provide some biographical or ‘about me’ information. It is important that your followers have an idea who you are and, thus, feel some connection to you.
With all the written above kept in mind, you know what to start with. Enjoy your beginning and keep enhancing your WordPress website both functionally and in terms of design.
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