Creating a website using WordPress is only the first step. Once you have your site, it is time to proceed with taking it online. Did you create a website to blog, to sell something, or for professional use? The purpose of the site you created will dictate your future actions on WordPress.
Regardless of your intentions for the site, there are several aspects all site owners must undertake. For example, driving traffic and increasing conversion rates is a must for all websites regardless of the purpose. Here are some of the tasks you should undertake once you have your WordPress site:
Change Default Settings
Start by changing the default settings in the Settings > General tab of your WordPress site account. Obviously, you will have to replace the default text copy, like the descriptions that say “Just another WordPress site.”
Go to the Settings > Reading tab to secure your place by preventing search engines from indexing your site. If search engines do index your site at this stage, you will be inviting annoying automated programs and bots. Keep the site private until it is ready for the public completely. You can uncheck this setting later.
For now, use a custom structure for your permalinks. Change the default permalinks and create one that is optimised for search engines. It is recommended to fully research how to use keywords in permalinks before doing this. Remember that you can only mess around with permalinks during development mode, and never after the site is live.
Tweak and Test the Theme
Are you fully satisfied with the WordPress theme you have chosen? Now is the time to make changes and see how well they go. If you selected a free theme, now is the time to customise thoroughly, so your website does not end up looking similar to hundreds of others.
You should pay attention to how the various components are arranged throughout your landing page. You need an attention-grabbing headline and a subheading for conversion purposes. Move around components so the design is not cluttered. Also, make the call to action buttons and forms prominent.
Add Plugins
You need plugins to optimise the performance of your site and to gather data like traffic stats. All WordPress sites need only five plugins. If you have too many plugins, they will slow down the site speed, and your conversion rate will suffer.
The five plugins you must have are the following:
- backup plugin (in case things go downhill)
- SEO plugin (to gather data and help traffic driving efforts)
- contact form plugin (a must for all sites)
- anti-spam plugin (to prevent people from posting spam comments and the like)
- maintenance mode plugin (when the site is not ready for public viewing)
Choose a plugin of your choice for the above-mentioned categories. Read reviews and ratings before you install. Keep in mind not to clutter your site with too many plugins.
Create Dummy Pages and Posts
It could be a while until your site is fully ready for public viewing. Until then, you might want to consider creating dummy pages for certain incomplete sections. Dummy pages are better than showing off links that don’t work.
WordPress automatically generates dummy pages and posts, like the “Hello World!” post. You should add more dummy pages and change the default WordPress ones. You can be innovative here and create unique dummy pages that won’t look off-putting to potential readers or customers.
Start Creating Content
Once you have the skeletal structure of your WordPress site, you must begin creating content. The content you produce should be of high quality, optimised with SEO and free of silly mistakes. You should ideally have at least 70 percent of content complete before your site goes online.
Pay attention to how you title posts, tabs and buttons. The words you choose should be compelling to attract potential visitors. The SEO tactics you employ here will only drive traffic to your website. You will need compelling content, eye-catching visuals and attention to grab titles to convert traffic into customers, subscribers, followers or readers.
It Never Ends
This is just the first phase of designing your website. The original faces of most website undergo serious changes after they go online. Here’s the thing: Even if you think you have a great site, you will never know until it is online. Once your traffic is directed to your site from search engines and other locations, you will be able to tell if your site design has been a success.
As soon as your website goes online, you will need to gather data. Collect hard stats like conversion numbers. Also, collect user feedback, which will be essential for introducing effective changes. If you are unsure of how your site will be received, you should just make a beta version live and gather feedback.