Choosing WordPress as a CMS brings about an unmatched sense of freedom and approachability, allowing users to build and manage websites with unparalleled flexibility. With the platform’s versatility and massive plugin ecosystem, it’s no wonder why WordPress attracts millions of users and accounts for 43.4% of all websites.
But that doesn’t mean it’s all smooth sailing. Nothing is foolproof. If you aren’t mindful, there are some common WordPress mistakes that will jeopardize the efficiency, safety, and overall user experience of your site, so it’s best to align the work you’re doing with industry best practices. Below we’ll go over 8 of the most common mistakes people make when managing a WordPress site and what you can do to avoid these pitfalls.
Mistake #1: No Backups
Always have a backup. Not having site backups is easily one of the most avoidable WordPress mistakes. Backups serve as a form of insurance for all that could go wrong with your website. Simple mistakes, server crashes, or accidental deletions can all lead to data loss if you don’t have a backup system in place.
Solution:
- Hosting Providers: Check if your hosting provider offers automatic backups. At Pagely, we provide completely managed and automated nightly backups of all of your files and databases, with a 14 day retention period. You can also send a copies to your own S3 bucket for added peace of mind.
- Plugins: Alternatively, look into backup plugins to automate and manage backups. Some let you connect to cloud services like Google Drive and Dropbox to store your backups there.
- Version Control: Use a version control system like Git to track changes and be able to easily restore your site to previous versions.
- Off-Site Backups: Store backups off-site to protect against server failures. This ensures your data remains safe even if your primary server encounters issues. At Pagely, you can send backups to a personal S3 bucket, allowing you to retain backups beyond the 14 day retention period.
Mistake #2: Not Backing Up Before Updates
Closely following a lack of backups altogether is having a poor backup strategy. Updates are a given for security and functionality, but can also cause compatibility issues, so failing to back up your site before updates can lead to irreversible issues.
Solution:
- Manual Backups: Always take a backup before performing updates so you can revert to a working version if something goes wrong.
- Staging Environment: As we’ll expand on further in the next section, always test updates within a staging environment before applying them to your live site so you’re able to identify and resolve issues beforehand.
Mistake #3: No Staging Environment
Making direct changes to your live site is risky, period. Without a staging environment to test changes, you risk outcomes like breaking your site or hurting your user experience with each update you make.
Solution:
- Hosting Services: Many managed hosting providers, including Pagely, offer staging environments so you can safely test changes before deploying them to your live site.
- Plugins: Use plugins like WP Stagecoach or WP Staging to create a staging site. These tools clone your site, enabling you to test changes without impacting your live site.
Mistake #4: Not Using Child Themes
Customizing a theme directly is a common WordPress mistake that can lead to lost changes after the theme updates. Instead, create and customize child themes. When updates are made to your parent theme, you won’t lose your customizations, which will be safely housed in the child theme.
Solution:
- Creating Child Themes: Follow WordPress’ guide to creating child themes.
Mistake #5: Using ‘admin’ as Your Username
Using ‘admin’ as a username basically rolls out the welcome mat for hackers and makes your site highly vulnerable to brute force attacks.
Solution:
- Change Username: Create a new admin account with a unique username and delete the old ‘admin’ account. This simple step will significantly enhance your security.
- Security Plugins: Consider installing a security plugin like Sucuri to add an extra layer of protection.
- Two-Factor Authentication: Implement two-factor authentication (2FA) as an additional layer of security for your login page.
Mistake #6: Excessive Use of Plugins
Plugins are a key feature of WordPress that enhance functionality and extend capabilities, but they can be a double-edged sword. Overloading your site with too many plugins can slow it down, create security vulnerabilities, and eventually lead to various conflicts between various plugins.
Solution:
- Conduct Regular Audits: Regularly review all plugins installed on your site and delete any that are no longer relevant. This will help reduce the load on your server and minimize potential security risks.
- Opt for Multipurpose Plugins: Instead of installing multiple plugins for various functions, narrow in on a multipurpose plugin that can cover several tasks.
- Priority on Quality: Poorly made plugins can introduce vulnerabilities and performance issues. Always choose plugins from reputable developers and check their reviews thoroughly.
Mistake #7: Ignoring Website Performance
Maintaining solid website performance is a top priority for several reasons. A poor user experience will get your site nowhere, and you need to consider the SEO factor. Slow websites frustrate users and will result in higher bounce rates. This, of course, impacts your search engine rankings, especially with the emphasis on Google’s Core Web Vitals.
Solution:
- Image Optimization: Large images can significantly slow down your site. Pagely plans have access to our free PressThumb add-on, which uses your original size images to generate thumbnails and optimize them on the fly. If you need dedicated nodes to handle all image processing, we have Premium versions starting at $250/mo.
- Minify CSS and JavaScript: Combine and minify CSS and JavaScript files. This will reduce the number of server requests and remove unnecessary code to help speed up your site.
- Performance Audits: Regularly audit your site’s performance using tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse. These tools provide solid insights into areas of your site that need improvement.
- Code Optimization: Make sure your code is clean and efficient, not just to improve load times but to also make it easier to maintain and update your site over time.
Mistake #8: Lack of WordPress Expertise
Even if you have a ton of experience with the platform, managing a WordPress site can get pretty complex. Trying to handle everything on your own can lead to mistakes and oversights that are hard to recover from, so it’s important to know where to get help when you need it.
Solution:
- Hire Experts: Platforms like Codeable can connect you with certified WordPress experts for tasks ranging from plugin setup to customizations and bug fixes.
- Managed Hosting: Consider using a managed WordPress hosting provider like Pagely, who can assist with regular maintenance tasks, performance optimizations, security, and offer expert support 24/7.
Additional Considerations
Address Security Concerns
WordPress sites are a frequent target for hackers, so security is a top priority. Common threats are SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.
Solution:
- Secure Hosting: Opt for secure WordPress hosting solutions that offer built-in security features and regular monitoring. Pagely’s Secure WordPress Hosting ensures your site is protected against common threats.
- SQL Injection: Use prepared statements and parameterized queries to prevent SQL injection attacks. These ensure that user inputs are treated as data, not executable code.
- Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): Sanitize all user inputs by removing or encoding HTML tags and validate all data before displaying it back to the user.
Website Accessibility
Making your website accessible to people with disabilities is not only the right thing to do, but also makes your site more usable for everyone.
Solution:
- Use Alt Text: Provide descriptive alt text for images to help screen readers describe the images to visually impaired users.
- Keyboard Navigation: Ensure your site can be navigated using just a keyboard for users who cannot use a mouse.
- Contrast Ratios: Use sufficient contrast between text and background colors to ensure readability for users with visual impairments.
Enhancing User Experience
A good user experience keeps visitors engaged and encourages them to return. Poor navigation, unresponsive design, and usability issues are some of the main factors that drive users away.
Solution:
- Clear Navigation: Design intuitive menus and navigation bars, ensuring that top-level pages are easily accessible from the header or footer.
- Mobile Responsiveness: Use responsive design principles to make sure your site works well on all devices, including smartphones, tablets, and desktops.
- Usability Testing: Regularly conduct usability tests to identify areas you can improve and explore ways to gather feedback from real users to understand their pain points so you can make the necessary adjustments.
The success of a WordPress site hinges on avoiding common mistakes and following best practices. From managing plugins and optimizing performance to enhancing security and improving user experience, each aspect plays a vital role.
Stay informed and proactive so you can ensure your WordPress site remains secure, high-performing, and user-friendly. For further tips or expert help, check out our knowledge base or ping our sales team to learn more about Pagely’s managed WordPress hosting.