Ultimate WordPress tips and tricks for a successful website
Millions of websites worldwide are powered by WordPress. To make your WordPress website stand out, we share our ultimate WordPress tips with you - from important basic settings to useful WordPress plugins and SEO optimization to security measures. Find out how to take your website to the next level!
Note: To get the most out of our blog post, it is helpful if you are already familiar with the following terms. If not, simply click on the relevant links to find out more in our glossary. We wish you much success and enjoyment with your training!
15 tips and tricks for your WordPress website
Here are our tips and tricks to get the most out of your WordPress website!
1. use the correct URL
Choosing the right URL when registering with WordPress is the first step to a successful website. A memorable, short and relevant URL can have a big impact on the findability and recognizability of your WordPress website. Make sure that your URL Clear and easy to remember .
If possible, use keywords that describe your company or service. Alternatively, simply use the name of your company or brand. A well-chosen URL lays the foundation for successful online marketing. It plays a role in domain authority and is therefore important for effective search engine optimization (SEO).
Our Tip: Reserve your individual .at, .de or .com domain.
By default, the URLs of WordPress websites are URL.wordpress.com, for example. You can make your URL more professional (and shorter) by reserving an individual .at, .de, .com or .net domain for a small annual fee and linking your WordPress website to it. You can do this with an external hosting provider or when you register with WordPress. It's best to simply compare offers to find the best one for you. By the way, we at KOMMA99 also offer website hosting!
2. install a suitable theme
The theme determines the appearance and user-friendliness of your WordPress site. An appealing and functional theme is therefore crucial for the success of your WordPress site.
You can find many ready-made themes in the WordPress Theme Library. However, you can also purchase and install external themes. Choose a theme that suits your industry and your brand identity - and that also appeals to you personally. Make sure that the theme responsive is not only good on the PC screen, but also on smartphones and tablets.
Many themes offer additional customization options such as colors, fonts and layout options. A well-chosen theme can significantly improve the user experience and increase the time spent on your website.
3. define a logical page structure
Determine which pages and categories you need and organize them logically. Intuitive navigation helps visitors to quickly find the information they need. Use menus and submenus to make it easier to find your way around. Make sure that important pages such as "About us", "Services" and "Contact" are easy to find so that they can be navigated quickly. A well thought-out structure not only improves the user experience, but also the SEO performance of the website.
Important: Check your WordPress website regularly for broken links (404 errors) and set up redirects. This will ensure that every link works at all times.
4. optimize the landing page
The landing page is the page that visitors land on when they call up the URL. The landing page is the figurehead of your website - and first impressions count. Especially if you want to achieve a high conversion rate, you should pay attention to an optimized landing page. This includes:
- Attractive design
- Relevant content
- Clear call-to-actions
- Easy-to-find menu with the most important links
- Fast loading times
Use meaningful headlines and appealing images to grab visitors' attention. Test different layouts and elements to find out what works best. Tools like Google Analytics and A/B testing can help you analyze your website's performance, make informed decisions and continuously improve your website.
5. create first-class content
High-quality content is at the heart of every successful website. This mainly includes text content, such as transactional descriptions of products and services as well as informative blog articles. But content is not just text - incorporate different formats into your website where possible, for example:
- Photos
- Videos
- Infographics
- GIFs
- Downloads
Research relevant topics and keywords to create content that appeals to your target group and is also relevant for Google. Make sure your content is clear and structured and use appealing headlines and paragraphs.
You can be creative with your content. Offer variety to cater to different user preferences. Don't forget to regularly publish new content to keep your website up-to-date, retain readers and improve SEO rankings.
6. keep your media library organized
Your WordPress media library contains all the visual content that you integrate into your website. A well-organized media library saves time and makes it easier to manage your media content. With these tips, you can quickly find exactly the file you need.
- Create folders and categories to structure images, videos and other files in a meaningful way.
- Use meaningful file names and tags so that your media can be found using the search function.
- Organize your WordPress media library regularly to save storage space and maintain clarity.
Plugins such as "Media Library Assistant" or "WP Media Folder" can help you to manage your WordPress media library efficiently.
7. use the power of SEO
A well-optimized WordPress website can make the difference between first and tenth place in Google search results. SEO (search engine optimization) is an extensive process with a lot to consider. Here are a few tips and tricks on how to optimize your website for search engines such as Google and others:
- Use relevant keywords (catchwords)
- Build backlinks to your site from other websites
- Optimize your website for mobile devices
- Create pillar content and link your subpages logically to each other (internal links)
- Ensure a fast loading time
- Carry out regular updates and security measures
WordPress offers numerous plugins and integrated functions for search engine optimization (SEO). With tools such as Yoast SEO or All in One SEO Pack, you can easily manage meta tags, sitemaps and other important SEO elements. These tools help you to improve the visibility of your website on Google and generate more organic traffic.
External tools such as Google Analytics are useful for analyzing the behavior of your visitors. This allows you to find out what is well received and where there is a need for optimization. You can continuously improve your website through targeted adjustments.
Do you want to optimize the visibility of your website on Google? We can help you! As an experienced online marketing agency, we know exactly which screws we need to turn to improve your online presence. Simply take contact for a non-binding consultation!
8. supplement WordPress with useful plugins
Plugins are the heart of WordPress and allow you to extend the functionality of your website almost indefinitely. However, plugins should be chosen carefully so that they don't slow down your website or jeopardize its security. Here are our tips:
- Start with basic plugins like Gutenberg Editor or Elementor to design your pages easily.
- Plugins such as Wordfence Security or Sucuri Security are essential for the security of your website.
- To improve loading times, use caching plugins such as W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache.
- Contact forms (e.g. Contact Form 7) and e-commerce solutions (e.g. WooCommerce) should also not be missing from your plugin arsenal.
9. pay attention to the security of your website
The security of your WordPress website should be a top priority.
Make sure you use strong passwords that you do not use on any other sites. Regularly update your WordPress version as well as all plugins and themes.
Install security plugins such as Wordfence or Sucuri, which offer protection against malware, hacker attacks and other threats. These tools offer functions such as firewall protection, malware scans and login security measures to secure your data and that of your users. Be sure to use HTTPS to encrypt the data transfer.
10. perform regular WordPress backups
A regular backup of your WordPress website protects against data loss in the event of a hack or technical problem. Thanks to a backup, you can get your website back online quickly.
There are numerous plugins that can help you create automatic backups. Popular options are BackWPup and VaultPress.
Make sure that your backups are not only saved on the server, but also offline, e.g. in a folder on your PC. This way you can rest assured that a current version of your website can always be restored.
11. optimize the loading time
The loading time of your website is crucial for user-friendliness and ranking on Google. If your content takes too long to load, users will bounce and you will lose them to the competition.
Our tips for optimizing loading times:
- Rely on fast hosting providers
- Use caching plugins such as W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache
- Compress your images and video files
- Use a content delivery network (CDN)
- Uninstall plugins and widgets that slow down your website
- Look for well-programmed themes without unnecessary code
- Minimize animations in your theme
- Remove widgets with external content (e.g. Facebook embeds)
12. install updates regularly
Regular updates of WordPress, themes and plugins ensure that your website remains secure and functional. Updates contain important security patches and performance improvements.
Very important: Before you carry out an update, you should create a full backup of your website to be able to fix any compatibility issues. Check your website after every update to ensure that everything is working correctly.
13. automatically published posts
A great way to manage your blog is to use the scheduled publishing feature in WordPress. With this feature, you can schedule articles in advance and make sure they go live at a specific time without having to intervene manually. This is particularly useful if you publish content regularly or want to keep your blog active during your vacation.
To publish an article in WordPress on a scheduled basis, simply go to the edit mode of your article. On the right-hand side, you will find the "Publish" field. Click on "Publish immediately" and select a date and time for publication. Confirm your selection and save the changes. Your article will now automatically be published on your blog at the selected time.
14. use the full potential of WordPress extensions
WordPress offers you numerous functions to create your website. However, if you want more than just the basics, you have numerous extensions available to expand your WordPress website as much as your heart desires.
1. plugins
A plugin is a software component that adds additional functionality to your WordPress site. With thousands of plugins available, you can seamlessly implement everything from SEO optimization to security and social media integration. This allows you to customize your website to your needs without the need for programming knowledge.
2. themes
The standard themes in WordPress don't really appeal to you? Theme plugins offer you countless free and paid themes that will help you create a professional and appealing website that exactly meets your expectations.
3. widgets
Widgets are small blocks that add specific functions to your sidebar, footer or other areas of your homepage. They allow you to easily and quickly integrate useful features such as search fields, images, graphics, categories or other content into your design.
4. user roles and rights
If several people are working on your website, WordPress offers a flexible system for managing user roles and rights. You can grant different users different access rights depending on the tasks they are to perform on your website. This is particularly useful for larger sites with multiple authors, editors and administrators.
5. e-commerce functions
With plugins like WooCommerce, you can turn your WordPress site into a fully functional online store. These e-commerce solutions offer everything you need to present products, process payments and manage orders.
15. have your website made by professionals
Creating a website takes a lot of time, energy and effort - especially if you have no previous experience in creating websites. There is a lot to consider with business websites so that they also contribute to the success of your company.
Is the whole website thing too complicated for you or do you simply not have the time or inclination to deal with it? Then simply hand over the creation and management of your website to us! We take care of all aspects of your WordPress website - from domain and hosting to web design, content and SEO. Whether it's a website or an online store - we'll make sure you have the ultimate online presence.
Sounds exciting? Then get in touch with us right away!
