Creating a WordPress Website in 6 Simple Steps (Without theextra Baggage)
In the digital age, having a fast, professional, and secure WordPress website is essential for any business or individual looking to establish an online presence. This article outlines the key steps to achieving just that.
## Pre-Launch Steps
Before launching your website, it's crucial to ensure all content is accurate, free of typos, and compatible across various browsers and devices. Cross-browser and device testing is a vital step to ensure a smooth user experience for all visitors.
Technical readiness is another essential aspect. To optimize speed, consider using plugins like NitroPack or WP Rocket. Regular updates of WordPress core, themes, and plugins, as well as the removal of unused plugins, are crucial for maintaining security. Backing up your website's database and files is also a must.
For SEO and analytics, plugins like Yoast SEO can help optimize your site for search engines, while Google Analytics can track website performance. Legal compliance is equally important, with necessary pages such as privacy policies, terms of service, and other required legal pages being essential.
## Security Measures
Using strong passwords and a password manager is a fundamental security measure. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security for login attempts. Limiting login attempts and setting time-outs for suspicious behavior are also recommended.
## Launch and Post-Launch
Before launching, perform a final review of your site for any broken links or functionality issues. A soft launch, testing the site with a small audience, can be beneficial before the full launch.
Post-launch, a promotion strategy is crucial. Engaging with your audience via social media, boosted posts, and tracking KPIs like website traffic and social media engagement can help optimize your PR efforts.
## Recommended Tools and Practices
Using The SEO Framework is recommended for SEO plugins, as it is lighter and cleaner than Yoast, with smart automation and zero ads. Rocket.net is recommended for fast, secure, performance-optimized WordPress hosting. Cloudflare DNS + APO is recommended as a speed booster, especially if not on Rocket.net hosting.
Wordfence Login Security is recommended for login security, as it adds 2FA to your login page. Perfmatters is a premium plugin that disables bloat, defers scripts, and lets you change your login URL so bots can't find it. WP Fastest Cache is a free caching solution, simple and solid.
Registering a domain with a separate company makes it easier to move later if needed. Fluent Forms Lite is a lightweight, flexible plugin for email form creation without bloat. Avoiding Jetpack, page builders like Elementor or Divi, duplicate SEO or caching plugins, and plugins that do the same job multiple times is also advised.
"Unlimited bandwidth" in hosting plans is often a gimmick. Cloudflare is recommended for DNS management due to its speed, uptime, and security benefits. Namecheap is recommended for domain registration due to its simplicity and affordability.
WordPress powers more than 40% of the web. However, most WordPress sites are slow, bloated, and abandoned. Using "admin" as a WordPress username is not recommended due to its vulnerability to bots. Anti-spam Bee is recommended for spam protection, as it is lightweight and effective with no data-sharing required.
SiteGround is a cheaper, beginner-friendly alternative for WordPress hosting. FlyingPress is a paid caching solution, considered best in class. ConvertKit has an official WordPress plugin that makes embedding forms painless.
GeneratePress and GenerateBlocks are recommended for lightweight, well-coded WordPress themes and a builder alternative. WPCode is recommended for adding form scripts or embed codes without editing theme files.
By following these steps and recommendations, you can ensure a fast, professional, and secure WordPress website launch. This guide provides a roadmap for launching a website that not only looks good but performs well too.
Technological tools like NitroPack or WP Rocket can help optimize the speed of your WordPress website during the pre-launch stage. By using plugins such as Yoast SEO and Google Analytics, you can ensure SEO and analytics optimizations for your site.
Maintaining the security of your WordPress site is essential. Using strong passwords, password managers, and two-factor authentication adds multiple layers of protection for login attempts, making it more difficult for unauthorized individuals to access your site.
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