If you’re gearing up to build a website, it’s well worth your time to consider WordPress. It’s one of the most popular web building platforms on the web. It’s so popular that it’s responsible for powering a whopping 26-percent of the internet!
WordPress is popular for a reason. It’s an open source platform, which means it’s free to use. The way it is built, it’s relatively simple to use too. Countless amateur bloggers and businesses have saved money by designing websites themselves using this innovative website builder.
Are you ready to join them and create a website of your own using WordPress? Although it is user-friendly, there’s a lot to learn! Here are few things that will help you make the most of this platform as a beginner.
Understand the Benefits and Risks of Open Source Software
WordPress is an example of open source software. That’s great for people looking to build a website. It means they can save hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars on the cost of hiring a programmer to create a website for you!
However, that doesn’t mean it’s all good. Open source software can cause some problems if you aren’t careful. ActiveState makes it clear that, “it’s free to use but not necessarily risk-free to redistribute.” That includes the platform itself, but it also includes plugins.
It’s important to understand exactly how you’ll be using the platform to avoid potential problems. If you anticipate issues, you may have to pay for licenses and certain aspects of the site.
Take Advantage of Free WordPress Resources
You don’t have to know code to use WordPress, and it has been designed in a user-friendly way, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to use. Beginners can spend hours just trying to figure out the basics.
Make things easier by checking out the free WordPress resources that are available. They include WordPress plugins, but they also include other resources like:
- Subscribe to a free newsletter for WordPress updates.
- Search for WordPress tutorials online.
- Subscribe to the WPBeginner’s YouTube channel.
- Follow WordPress experts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Pay Attention to SEO
WordPress can help you create a beautiful website that’s easy to navigate, but how your website looks shouldn’t be your only focus. It’s important to understand how to make the most of an SEO strategy using WordPress.
Fortunately, WordPress does a good job with SEO without a lot of time and attention, but there’s much more you can do to boost your rankings on search engines.
A few things you can do to increase the SEO on your WordPress website include:
- Finding ways to improve load times on your website.
- Securing it properly by backing it up regularly.
- Optimizing your site structure.
- Creating high-quality, unique content.
Use a Landing Page If You Want Your Visitors to Do Something
Everyone needs a website nowadays, but have you stopped to think about exactly what you want visitors to do when they visit your website? They have many different options!
It’s hard to control exactly what visitors do when they visit your website. Many will visit and do nothing at all. If you want to get your visitors to do something when they visit your website, create a landing page.
A landing page is simply a dialog box that opens up over the top of your website. In order for visitors to continue, they have to click something in that box. It’s a great way to get people to sign up for an email newsletter or make a purchase by accepting a coupon.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for a Little Design Help
There isn’t anything you can’t do with a WordPress website. Even amateurs can design a beautiful website, but it can take a lot of time.
If you aren’t very technologically inclined, if you don’t have a lot of time, or if you simply don’t have any interest in creating a website, don’t be afraid to ask for a little design help. There are a lot of WordPress experts out there who would be happy to help you with your design, whether that means building the entire website for you or helping you enable details that you can’t quite figure out.
Building a website using WordPress is an exciting adventure! With so many options, the learning curve for this platform can be a bit steep. Instead of going in blindly, tackle the design of your website by getting started with these tips.