Every person on the planet makes mistakes because mistakes are something that teaches how to get better at that particular job. When creating a new WordPress website every beginner and sometimes expert also commits different WordPress mistakes. That is the reason why most of the business look to hire a highly experienced WordPress web design company because they understand what a small mistake in the design can cost them.
Today WordPress features allow users to make a fully functioning website up and running quickly. But before you start making your website it’s important to identify the common WordPress mistakes. In the coming paragraphs, we are going to give detailed ideas about the common WordPress mistakes committed by most users. Whether you are a beginner or have a good idea about the WordPress interface considering these steps will enhance your WordPress website design and development process.
Table Of Content:
- An Overview Of WordPress Mistakes
- Common WordPress Mistakes To Avoid In 2021
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Question
An Overview Of WordPress Mistakes
WordPress is one of the most popular and widely used CMS platforms that comes with an abundance of features helping users to create all sorts of websites i.e. ranging from a small blogging website to a fully functioning ecommerce website. Committing mistakes on WordPress is common mainly when you are a beginner and looking to build a WordPress website from scratch.
People that are already using WordPress might be familiar with the WordPress interface and some of you who recently joined WordPress might be in the phase to discover new things about WordPress. In both cases, there are high chances that you might commit mistakes while creating a new website or managing an existing WordPress website. That is the reason why businesses look to hire a highly experienced WordPress web design company for their business.
Sometimes these mistakes can be frustrating and can take a lot of time to recover. That’s why it is recommended to identify those mistakes so that you can avoid those mistakes while building or managing your website. Mostly these mistakes are committed in hurry or due to a lack of knowledge about the platform.
If you feel that you are someone who started new and have less knowledge about the working of the platform then this article can be helpful in many ways.
For the past 12 years, our WordPress website design company has delivered thousands of custom WordPress websites for different industries. From the experience, we are going to highlight some of the basic WordPress mistakes that you can avoid while creating your WordPress website.
In this article, we are going to highlight some of the common WordPress mistakes that every new beginner makes while creating a new WordPress website for their business.
If you are creating the website for the first time and looking to know the cost behind creating a WordPress website then make sure to check our blog on WordPress Website Design Cost Guide: Cost To Build A WordPress Website
Common WordPress Mistakes To Avoid In 2021
1. Selecting the wrong Platform (WordPress.com and WordPress.org)
First, in the list, we have got If you are planning to use WordPress then you might have come across both the platform WordPress.org and WordPress.com. Well, both platforms are offered by WordPress and both can be used to create websites. But people often get confused between the two platforms and end up selecting the wrong one for their website.
Both the platforms are right for users but it all comes down to the requirements of users. If you are looking to build an ecommerce website and you are wordpres.com then we would recommend WordPress.org because it can offer you more flexibility. On the other hand, if you are looking to create a blogging website then WordPress.com can be best for your niche.
WordPress.com is a blog hosting platform and WordPress.org is one of the popular and widely used self-hosted platforms by many small and enterprise-level businesses. WordPress.org is the most preferred by users because it offers all the basic and advanced features that are required to create and run a website.
So before you select one of the platforms for your website it’s important to identify your requirements and act accordingly. If you need further help related to WordPress website design then you can always reach out to our highly experienced WordPress website design professionals.
2. Overpaying For More Things
To run your website you need to have a hosting and domain name. Bot the domain name and hosting is considered as the basic criteria to create and run a WordPress website. Well, the mistake here is not paying for the domain name or the hosting but the other charges most of the users end up paying. Many new beginners fall into the trap of domain registrars that try to upsell other services.
Most of them are not aware of the services and some of them purchase the service thinking that it will enhance their website functioning and performance. If you are totally new to this purchase process then all the services offered by the domain registrar may sound essential just because the registrar places it so well to encourage users to purchase the services.
You may come across things like privacy protection or enhanced privacy, extra email accounts, security services, and more. Even now all the services may sound essential to you but in reality, you don’t need these extra services mainly in your initial stage. Instead, you can save money depending on your requirement. While making the purchase the amount may not sound big but when all the services are billed on a monthly basis then things might go out of your hand (In terms of budget). That’s why from the beginning we recommend you identify your requirements and act accordingly.
When it comes to security many hosting providers offer free SSL certificates and you can also make use of security plugging to secure your WordPress website. If you are looking to know more about the best WordPress security plugin then make sure to check our blog on 5 Best WordPress Security Plugins To Use In 2020
3. Not keeping the updated backup of the website
Whether you are aware or not but every year many WordPress website owners end up losing many just because of data loss. If you think it won’t happen with you then my friend you are committing the biggest mistakes having these kinds of thoughts. Our WordPress website design company has been approached by many WordPress website owners who asked us to create a new website just because they didn’t have the website back up and ended up losing their website data.
In today’s unpredictable world where no one knew about the arrival of the COVID19 pandemic but somehow it occurred and damaged the country’s economy, people’s lives, and more. So if you think it can’t happen to you then from our experience we are telling you that it’s common to expect these data loss problems with any type of WordPress website.
Today every website on the internet is prone to unpredictable and unwanted accidents like theft, hacking attempts, malicious activities, and more. So, it’s important that you keep an updated backup of your WordPress website no matter how small your website is for your business. The backup of your website acts as the defense system against all threats and accidents. Manually updating your website can be difficult. That’s why it’s recommended to make use of a plugin or hire a website designer that offers a maintenance package for the website.
If you are looking to know more about WordPress backup then make sure to check our blog on
How To Backup A WooCommerce Store? Explained With Best Backup Plugin In 2020
4. Making new testing on live site
One of the common and biggest mistakes committed by more of the new as well as the existing users is testing new features and products on the live site. For example, if you have a live website running and you decided to install a backup plugin or add any new feature to your WordPress website. Well, the WordPress interface makes it easy for the site owner to access the dashboard and make changes to it without accessing the code. But what if something goes wrong while making changes to your website.
To repair the mistakes you need to make your website offline for a few hours and sometimes it takes days to repair the damage. The consequences of making your website offline can impact your organic traffic, direct referral traffic, conversion, leads, advertisement clicks, email options, and many more. That means if your website is offline you may end up losing money and traffic.
So what’s the solution? If you are looking to test new themes, plugins, features, and more on your WordPress website then we recommend you create a staging website that acts as a copy of your website. It replicates all the elements, design, and every small aspect present in your website so that you can easily experiment and determine whether the theme, plugin, and feature you are adding is right for your website or not.
If your host doesn’t offer a staging area then you can always create your own staging area so that you can experiment with your existing website without harming the live website.
5. Selecting the wrong theme
Theme and plugins are some of the important aspects of WordPress that allow users to create and run the desired website for their business. Most beginners commit a common WordPress mistake by selecting the wrong and heavily coded theme for their website. WordPress comes with thousands of free as well as paid plugins apart from there are thirst party themes available for users.
With the wide range of options available it’s obvious to expect that new users might get confused and end up selecting the wrong theme for their website. Some of the users also try to use multiple themes before settling their WordPress website to one but if you follow this strategy then it will take more time, effort and you need to build your website multiple times.
That is the reason why we recommend using the right WordPress theme for your website. Sticking to one design and one theme will make your site visitor familiar with the website. Remember when it comes to online advertisement consistency plays a major role as it helps users to trust your brand, product, services, and more. On the other hand, if you keep on changing your website design and theme then users might not be able to trust your website.
So it’s important for the WordPress website to select the right theme but you might be wondering how you can select the right one for your website. Before integrating any theme into your WordPress website we recommend you to check the reputation and review of the theme. It will tell you a lot about the performance and security offered by the theme.
Apart from that, you can also look at whether the theme is responsive on all devices and screens or not. Make sure the theme offers easy-to-use customization features that are flexible and allows you to create the website you desire. You need to ensure that themes are compatible with the WordPress plugins and most importantly page builder plugins. Make sure you are selecting a lightweight theme that is optimized for speed and performance.
In the beginning, we recommend you to go with a free theme but if you are looking to have more advanced customization features then you can buy a pre-built WordPress theme for your website.
WordPress website owner often gets confused about what’s best for their WordPress website a pre-built WordPress theme or a custom-coded WordPress theme if you are looking to learn more about them then make sure to check our blog on Custom Coded VS Pre Built Template: What Is Best For WordPress Website.
Custom WordPress Theme: How much does a custom WordPress theme cost?
6. Installing too many plugins
WordPress plugins are something that enhances your website’s functioning and allows you to add various features to your WordPress website. But sometimes adding too many plugins to your WordPress website can harm your website’s functioning as well as speed. Wprd[ress comes with thousands of free plugins that can be easily installed and integrated into the WordPress website.
However, it’s not important that all the plugins in WordPress are optimized and can be used by the website. If you are an existing user of WordPress then you might be aware of the bad and bloated plugins that can affect your website performance, speed, and security. Most of the time WordPress website users end up downloading different plugins for their website without having any idea about the hidden malware or the damage it can cause to the website.
So before you start downloading any plugin for your website make sure it is developed by a reliable and popular company. Mainly try to prefer plugins that are either recommended by WordPress or developed by WordPress some of the popular plugins are Yoast SEO, WP-Cache, woocommerce, and more.
Before you install and activate any plugin on your website we recommend you check the plugin review and go through support forums. By doing this you can easily identify whether the plugin is right for your WordPress website or not. Most of the time plugins that are not healthy for websites get listed in the blogs and WordPress users don’t hesitate to offer a true review about the plugin.
Lastly, we recommend you download a limited number of plugins for your WordPress website and make sure the plugins you are activating in your website enhance your website performative instead of damaging it. Apart from that, you can also reach out to our WordPress website design professional to create a custom plugin for your website.
If you need a further recommendation about plugin then you can check our article on
5 Best WordPress Lead Generation Plugin To Use In 2020
WordPress Plugins List: Best Free WordPress Plugins to use in 2020
5 Best WordPress Security Plugins To Use In 2020
5 Best WordPress Landing Page Plugins To Use In 2020
7. Not integrating Google Analytics
If you are not aware of your website performance then it will be impossible for you to outperform your competitors. To grow your business in the competitive marketplace it is important to understand how your potential customers are finding your website, what actions they are taking inside your website, and more.
Our website design company has come across many site owners that are already operating but they don’t have the basic information about their website traffic source, conversion, top-performing web pages, and more. That’s where Google Analytics comes in.
Whether you are building a new website or already have a WordPress site it’s important for you to integrate Google Analytics in your WordPress dashboard. Tracking your website activity with Google Analytics will help you to gain more detailed insight into your website.
You can either download the Google analytics plugin into your WordPress dashboard or use the Monster Insight plugin (one of the popular google analytics plugins for WordPress). But before that, you need to set up your WordPress website with Google analytics. Once you are done setting up your google analytics account then you can connect it with the plugin and track the performance of your website.
Remember monster insight comes with both the free as well as the pro version, if you are starting new then we recommend you to use the free version on the other hand if you have the budget then you can always go with the paid version of the plugin.
8. Changing the web pages URL
Another common WordPress mistake there are committed by most new beginners and sometimes even by the existing WordPress user is changing the WordPress URL. Remember the address or the URL of your website is most crucial that helps users to access your content and helps search engines to understand its purpose. Making changes in your website can lead to losing traffic, backlinks, and eventually the ranking of your website.
If you are starting one then at some point you will come to know about how SEO works. If you are getting a backlink from another website or some other web page is creating an anchor text of your web pages and you suddenly change your web pages URL then whenever a user clicks on the anchor it will redirect them to “404 error not found” pages. If users are continuously getting redirected to then the site owner may change the URL and you may end up losing all your backlink.
Apart from that, it will impact your SEO and there are high chances that you may end up losing your website traffic as well. So make sure while creating your URL you create it in a way so that you don’t have to change it in the future. And even if you are changing the URL make sure you take all the necessary steps to get the SEO ranking back.
9. Not making changes depending on search engine guidelines
No matter how attractive your website design and features are for the user if your website is not optimized for SEO then it will be difficult for you to rank at the top and drive traffic to your website in a cost-effective way. Today when it comes to promoting and marketing most websites rely on SEO because it is considered one of the best ways to drive traffic on the website without paying any amount to the search engine.
While building your new site if you have an SEO strategy pre-built for your website then it will become easy for you to rank your web pages on the top in the search engine result page. Identifying the right keyword and optimizing your web pages accordingly will help you to make your website search engine friendly. Today search engines are the biggest source of traffic. If you are using paid ads then it might cost you more and for every click, you need to pay Google. On the other hand, if your website ranks organically then it will help you to save a lot of money.
10. Ignoring Updates
Another common mistake that is committed by most WordPress users is not updating the website regularly. If there is a new update available then whenever you open your WordPress dashboard you may come across a message saying that “An updated version of the WordPress is available”.
Whenever there is an update available WordPress will notify you about the new version of WordPress but many times these messages are ignored by beginners just because they think that updating the WordPress to the newest version can damage their website or cause some unwanted errors.
Well, it doesn’t happen because WordPress offers updates after going through various testing. However, there are chances that third-party addons in your WordPress dashboard can cause some compatibility issues if they are not updated according to the latest version of WordPress.
Before updating your website you can create a backup. If the update is released recently then you can wait for a day or two just to check the expert’s opinions. But if you are planning not to install the backup then you are opening your website for various vulnerable activities and security breaches. SO it’s important for you to update your WordPress website regularly.
Apart from WordPress your themes and plugin also release regular updates so we recommend you to keep a track of it because those updates are mainly for bug fixes, security patches, and when providers add updated or unique features. If you don’t want yourself to get indulged in these activities then you can also take the help of an experienced WordPress web design company to maintain your website.
If you are looking to know website maintenance costs then make sure to check our blog on 2020 Website Maintenance Cost Guide: How Much Does Website Maintenance Cost?
11. Forgetting to Remove Demo content
Whether you are installing a new WordPress or a new theme you need to ensure that your website doesn’t contain DEMO content. Many times new beginners just care about the front page and other main pages but if you are integrating a new third-party WordPress theme or downloading WordPress themes from the dashboard then there are chances that a new user might forget to remove the DEMO content. Mainly in the sidebar and footer area.
If you are not removing the demo content then it will be crawled by a search engine and marked as copied content. Because like you there are many users out there who might have forgotten to remove the demo content which means your website will have the same content as other websites and because of that, it will be marked as duplicate content. Search engines penalize websites that are having duplicate content on their website.
That’s why it’s important for your website to remove all the demo content before making the site live for the audience. Make sure you also check the tag line as there many new users who doesn’t change the tag line and make their website look unprofessional.
12. Using pages instead of post
You must have heard thet WordPress comes with a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for the user to create any type of website for their business. But sometimes users get confused between posts and pages as both sections offer the same interface. Newbies end up creating posts in pages and sometimes even create pages in the post section.
We have seen many WordPress beginners using pages for creating and posting articles. Well, it’s not a mistake that can be recovered because WordPress offers a trash option in the dashboard that allows the user to delete the posts and pages. But the time and efforts you will spend in creating these pages and articles can go in vain. That’s why we recommend you to get a clear understanding of why and how pages and post sections of WordPress are used.
Remember one of the common differences between pages and posts is that you can use pages to create static pages like privacy policy, contact us page, pricing page, and more. On the other hand, posts are generally used to publish articles, blogs, and other news/updates about your business and product. We recommend you explore more about posts and pages so that you don’t end up creating a confusing website architecture for your website.
13. Not optimizing website speed and performance
Most WordPress website owners commit mistakes by not optimizing the speed of the website. Remember your website speed and performance is related to so many factors like your website traffic, leads, conversion, revenue, and more. If you keep on ignoring website speed and performance then there are changes that allow your efforts to go in vain.
Having a speed and performance-optimized website not only garbs user attention but also encourages search engines to recommend your website to searchers. On the other hand, if your website speed is not optimized then your website will never rank on the top in SERP because the top search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, and more have clearly mentioned there they want their searches to have the best browsing experience.
If the search engine starts recommending an unoptimized website and web pages then it will not affect the website’s reputation but also the search engine’s reputation. Optimizing your website for speed and performance will help make users trust your website and encourage them to perform the desired action. So no matter whether you have fewer to no site visitors on your website make sure your website is optimized for speed and performance.
14. Poor Security
Many new beginners don’t take security measures seriously thinking that who will attack a small or newly created website but in today’s vulnerable marketplace it is really hard to predict what type of website will get attacked by hackers and intruders. That’s why it’s recommended to secure your WordPress website by taking all the necessary security measures.
Above we have mentioned that WordPress offers a secured environment to its user but by adding various third-party plugins and themes WordPress becomes open for malicious activities and is targeted by hackers. Even though running a small website, hackers can use your website to distribute malware, steal data, and more.
So, If you are not taking your WordPress website security seriously then there are high chances that you may end up losing your site data, and something even your website. The first thing we would recommend is to install an SSL certificate that will make your website secure. Apart from that, you can also take the help of WordPress plugins to secure your WordPress website.
If you are looking to know more about how you can secure your WordPress website then make sure to check our blog on WordPress Security Guide: 8 Tips To Secure WordPress Website In 2020
Conclusion:
Now you might be aware of all the basic WordPress mistakes that a new beginner, as well as an existing WordPress user, can avoid while creating and managing a WordPress website. Frank’s mistakes don’t have any limitation even if you accidentally delete any post or image is called a mistake and even if you end up deleting your whole website that’s also a mistake (not everyone does that). But in the above paragraphs, we have listed some of the common WordPress mistakes committed by most of the users. So you can consider them while creating a new website.
If you need further help related to WordPress website design and maintenance then you can always reach out to our highly experienced WordPress web design experts that can help you to create a revenue-generating WordPress website for your business.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What are the most popular WordPress plugins?
Below we are listing some of the best and popular WordPress theme that you can integrate into your WordPress website:
- Yoast SEO
- MonsterInsight
- WPForms
- Jetpack
- Akismet
- Sucuri
- Wordfence Security
- Contact Form 7
- WPRocket
- WooCommerce
- Google Analytics
- All in One SEO Pack
- And many more
If you are looking to create a custom plugin for your WordPress website then you can partner with an experienced and reliable WordPress website design company that can help you to create a custom plugin depending on your needs.
2. What are the most popular free WordPress themes?
Below we are going to highlight some of the best free WordPress themes that you can use for your WordPress website:
- Astra
- Bento
- OceanWP
- Hestia
- SiteOrigin Unwind
- Hemingway
- Sydney
- Neve
- Poseidon
- Maxwell
- And many more
If you are looking to create a custom-coded theme for your WordPress website then make sure you reach out to one of the leading and award-winning WordPress website design company that can help you to create a website that you desire.
3. Is WordPress secure from hackers?
WordPress users often have various questions related to security so here is a thing WordPress offers a secured platform for the user. Not only that but WordPress is also considered one of the secured platforms. But due to different third-party plugins and themes, WordPress can be exposed to hackers. Yes, today WordPress users integrate various third-party themes and plugins that make WordPress open for malicious activities. SO to avoid that you can always take measures to ensure the safety of your website.
Or you can get a custom-coded theme and plugins built for your website by hiring an experienced WordPress web design company so that you don’t come across any problem related to WordPress security.
4. Is it worth buying the WordPress Theme?
People who are planning to build a new WordPress or looking to redesign their current WordPress website often ask whether it’s the right decision to buy a pre-built WordPress theme or not. Anyone can access the premium theme but it totally depends on your requirement and budget. If you are running tight on budget then it’s always recommended to go with the cost-effective option.
But if you’re someone with a good budget and looking to know whether it’s good to buy a premium theme or not then we recommend you get a custom-coded WordPress website for your business. A custom-coded website cost may be higher than the pre-built theme but the value it will bring to your business can never be compared to the pre-built themes.
5. How do I secure my WordPress website?
WordPress website users often ask about how they can secure a WordPress website from unwanted security issues. Below we are going to highlight some of the important security tips that you can consider to secure your WordPress website:
- Select the right hosting company
- Avoid using bloated theme they are exposed to malicious activities
- Install various security plugins
- Make use of a strong username and password
- Disable file editing option
- Install SSL certificate in your WordPress website
- Change WP-login to a more secure URL
- Limit Login attempts
- Install 2 Factor authentication
- Update your WordPress to the new version
- And many more
If you need further assistance related to WordPress web design security then you can always reach out to our highly experienced WordPress website design professional.