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WordPress is no longer a simple way to create an online presence. WordPress mistakes are inevitable at the beginning of a site you create.
It started as a basic platform for personal blogs, but gradually grew and matured over the years. Now it is the most used configurator for sites with the largest community of active developers.
So, either you use it or you will soon. It is important to learn from the beginning what are the most common WordPress mistakes and how to avoid them.
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Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you anything you already know. Today’s tutorial explains the mistakes you shouldn’t make this year, according to Google’s latest release on its indexing algorithms. Yes, it is about the Page Quality Rating.
Don’t be scared, it’s not about SEO yet.
I know, you’re probably full of information on how to optimize your site for better search engine indexing. But in the end, the recipe for success online comes down to one simple thing: Are you visible to your customers?
After all, it is useless to provide quality services if they do not exist in the organic results.
And for that, you have to learn that SEO is not just about backlinks, meta tags, and plenty of content. It means, first of all, knowing what mistakes to avoid at the beginning of the road.
WordPress Mistakes: 7 Common Mistakes You Don’t Have to Make
Choosing the wrong hosting package
One of the most common WordPress mistakes refers to the very first step you need to take. Choosing the online hosting package for your future site.
I know, when you’re at the beginning of the road, you want to do your best. And from here we can talk about the first mistake in your strategy.
The hosting must be chosen depending on the project you want to start. Don’t think about what he will look like in 3 years. Think about what you have now and what you will offer in the short term. You can change the hosting package whenever you want.
So do not choose the most expensive option. Most of the time the basic package is the ideal solution for you.
Start with small steps. Pay only for the services that really help you. You will realize what you need as you develop your site.
So, choose the basic hosting and start from there. Install WordPress, choose a theme, and configure it. You will see, your plan from the beginning will change several times. Don’t think about it too much. Does your effort and especially your budget, invest at the right time.
If you are at the beginning of the road, this first step can be decisive in your evolution.
Don’t confuse pages with posts and categories with tags
Suppose you have finished installing WordPress and choosing the theme. Do you know what the next steps are?
Creating a site is not really a walk in the park. Even if you have everything at your fingertips, it is difficult to find the best structure. But even more difficult is to implement it.
Learn how to create a site in WordPress.
And one of the most important WordPress mistakes is the confusion you can make between pages and posts, or categories and tags.
These elements play a different role in the structure of your site and determine subsequent indexing in search engines.
Pages are used to create content that does not change over time; or rarely changes. Here we usually include the About Us, Services, Contact, Terms, and Conditions or Privacy Policy pages.
Posts, on the other hand, have a temporary limit. They are usually articles, news, press releases, or any other content that complements the pages. In short, all posts have links to pages, but not all pages have links to posts.
Similarly, we have a difference between categories and tags. These elements will structure the content on the site. In addition, their role is to optimize SEO content published online.
The rule is this: while a post falls into a single category, it can have multiple tags.
For example, you can have categories such as Travel, Culinary, and Art. Tags will be specific structures that will belong to a certain category. For example, soup recipes, baked steak, or homemade desserts can be tags from the Culinary category.
Do not include an About Us page
When we talk about WordPress mistakes, we must pay attention to how we promote ourselves on the personal site.
As you may have already read, Page Quality Rating is sharp when it comes to online information.
In short, you need to provide quality, documented, reasoned, and certified information. What does all this mean?
That you know what you are talking about, that you have studies in the field in which you carry out your activity, and that you do not fool your customers.
Online you can prove your expertise in one way: through the About Us page. This is also the way you tell the indexing algorithm who you are and what you do.
It is best to give as much detail as possible about yourself and your team. Includes pictures, detailed descriptions for each member, contact details, and any other details that may benefit you.
You are not using a sitemap
Another mistake is to ignore the indexing process or the way Google analyzes your site. Start by using the Webmaster Tools service.
Then, create a sitemap and send it to indexing. A sitemap is your site map and is the Google guide when browsing your pages and posts.
Without submitting a sitemap you cannot know if the site is indexed without errors. In the Webmaster, you will see the first reports about your online presence. You are notified when indexing algorithms have problems accessing the online platform, or when technical errors affect your organic positioning.
You can create a sitemap using intuitive plugins such as All In One SEO.
You are not using Google Analytics
Skipping Google Analytics is one of the worst WordPress mistakes. Without this free service, you won’t find out how your visitors interact with your site.
Google Analytics gives you reports on everything that’s important: how many unique visitors you have per month, what they do on your site, what their age category is, what devices they use when they visit your site, what are the most popular pages, which are the keywords that have been successful and many others that you will discover on your own.
Basically starting from this information you learn how you can optimize your site for better search engine positioning.
You are not analyzing the performance of your site
The latest update to Google’s indexing algorithms focuses heavily on the experience that online sites offer. And here we are talking about a friendly and modern interface, responsive templates, and loading speed.
There are elements related to the performance of the site and they represent essential SEO factors. If you don’t consider them, your site will probably be downgraded.
An analysis from which to start can be done using the Lighthouse service. It’s a small program that can be run from the Chrome console and starts an audit for your site. It is developed by Google and uses the same parameters used by the indexing algorithms.
To run it, open the site in Chrome. Press Ctrl + Shift + I and access the Audit section. Run Lighthouse and wait for the results. You will then see the recommendations you need to follow to improve the performance of your WordPress site.
Similar data can be found in Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics reports.
Don’t care about online security
Another factor that can be decisive when talking about SEO efficiency relates to site security.
Even if you don’t realize it, there are a lot of viruses and deceptive applications that can affect your WordPress site.
A simple link hidden somewhere in the source code of such a virus can penalize your site in a way you don’t want to think about.
Protect your site using special programs. Use complex WordPress passwords and don’t forget about backups.
A backup can save you a lot of trouble. If you have a recent backup you can always revert to an earlier version, quickly and easily getting rid of even viruses and hidden links.
These are the most common WordPress mistakes that you need to beware of.
Errors are everywhere. Mistakes are made even by the most experienced programmers and SEO experts. The important thing is to be documented to solve everything in a timely manner.
And, of course, let’s not repeat the mistakes of others
