WordPress is the most popular content management system of the world, powering millions of websites and blogs, so we decided to dedicate our last Twitter Chat to WordPress. Why choose WordPress over other content management systems? What are the most common mistakes that WordPress users make? What are the most popular plugins and how to use them in the right way? Let’s explore the answers to these questions from our participants and special guest Harsh Agrawal, professional blogger and entrepreneur.
WordPress is the most popular and widely used content management system. What is the secret of its success and which advantages prompt a majority of users to choose it over another CMS?
@semrush A1.1) U own your blog & u remain in control. Plugins makes it possible to extend features. #semrushchat
— Harsh Agrawal (@denharsh) July 8, 2015
@semrush A1.2) Free (Open source), Easy to maintain, great support from community, Beginner friendly. #semrushchat
— Harsh Agrawal (@denharsh) July 8, 2015
First of all: it’s free and easily accessible, it has an intuitive interface and it’s understandable even for beginners who have never dealt with a CMS.
A1: WordPress is free (.wordpress.com) + very user-friendly (but don't tell the masses ;) #SEMrushchat — Kathleen Garvin (@KGarvSEO) July 8, 2015
In addition to its simplicity, WordPress is quick to install and easy-to-use, so it would be the best choice if you want to launch a new website as soon as possible.
A1: It's easy, fast to set up, immensely powerful, very stable, works brilliantly. And it's easy for clients to use. #semrushchat
— Ian Lurie (@portentint) July 8, 2015
You can easily use WordPress to customize the design of a website to your needs. Do you want a built-in event calendar or video gallery, or maybe some e-commerce features? The many WordPress plugins make these all possible. “So many of our clients use a difficult CMS that doesn’t allow enough flexibility. WordPress gives you access to everything!” - Sarah Kelly @Sarah_S_Kelly.
A1: Wordpress is easily customizable w/ a ton of themes, is virtually free to use, and u don't need lots of coding ability #semrushchat — Ryan Johnson (@rsj8000) July 8, 2015
So WordPress is adjustable and, most importantly, it’s scalable. You can develop, enrich and expand your website without compromising its performance.
A1. Two absolutely KEY things ... Scalability and Flexibility! Essential for digital businesses #WordPress #semrushchat
— Sam Barnes (@Sam_Barnes90) July 8, 2015
Unlike other CMSs like Joomla or Drupal, WordPress doesn’t require technical skills like PHP or HTML knowledge, and it would be the best choice for an inexperienced user.
@semrush A1: Doesn't require much HTML exp to use, best suite of plugins, used/vetted by ppl who've been there/done that, etc #semrushchat — Steve Hill (@epiclysteve) July 8, 2015
With responsive WordPress themes, you can easily adapt your website to Google mobile update. Ecreativeworks @ECWseo shares their experience: “I wanted to make a site responsive; a quick theme switch did the trick.”
A1: You can easily create responsive and/or mobile sites without maintaining 2 sets of content and still be SEO-friendly #semrushchat
— Thom Craver (@thomcraver) July 8, 2015
This is an SEO-friendly CMS with that allows you to customize every page or site post to increase your chances of ranking in SERPs.
A1 Also, WP was designed with SEO in mind, so it's easy to implement most best practices with little to no coding knowledge #semrushchat — Brandon Seymour (@Beymour) July 8, 2015
And last but not the least – you can easily find a lot of Internet advice, ready-made solutions and free guides that will help with any WordPress problem or question.
A1 There's a large body of Help documents on the Web when it comes to Wordpress #SEMrushchat
— Bill Slawski (@bill_slawski) July 8, 2015
You can also find some interesting tips on managing a WordPress website from the article “5 HTML & WordPress Hacks for Non-Coders” by Kathleen Garvin @KGarvSEO.
Now let’s turn directly to the process of website creation and discuss the most significant steps. Good hosting is one of the fundamental components of website success.
A2 A great website begins with a great host; spend the time finding one. #SEMrushchat — Bill Slawski (@bill_slawski) July 8, 2015
The construction of a house begins with plans and blueprints. Likewise, before you actually start building your website, you need to make a clear plan and the structure. “Design your URL structure with care.” – Ian Lurie @portentint.
A2 One aspect that many site owners overlook is permalinks structure. Always consider users and search engines. #semrushchat
— Brandon Seymour (@Beymour) July 8, 2015
When planning for a website, always keep your users in mind, as a poor user experience will cost you customers and money in the long run.
A2: And for God's sake, don't just paste in a template. Create a real UX. You're building a site for users, not WordPress. #semrushchat — Ian Lurie (@portentint) July 8, 2015
By lending too much variety to your template, you run the risk of jumping to another extreme – overusing plugins.
A2: DO NOT just paste in plugins. Be very picky and keep them to a minimum. #semrushchat
— Ian Lurie (@portentint) July 8, 2015
Content creates real value for your website, so invest the time, money and resources to fill your website with content that is truly worthwhile. as According to Ecreativeworks @ECWseo, “WordPress makes it super easy to add new content, so make sure to write good stuff!”
A2: Include relevant, useful content. Show why your company is worth a customer's time! #semrushchat — Megan Ingenbrandt (@eZangaMeg) July 8, 2015
WordPress offers two types of content that you can choose for your website – posts and pages. They will look almost the same on your site, and there is very little difference between their dashboards. Yet there are some key differences that you need to consider when creating content.
A2: Separate pages from posts in a rational way. Posts = serial content. Pages = 'typical' site content. #semrushchat
— Ian Lurie (@portentint) July 8, 2015
Do not forget to consider website security, this should be your primary concern! Even if you think there’s nothing on your website worth stealing, it still may get hacked and used to broadcast spam, for example. “SECURITY. Make sure you choose a secure password & regularly update plug-ins. Hacking is more prevalent nowadays.” - Tripp Hamilton @Tripp_Hamilton.
A2 Watch your #Security. Several high profile attacks have used Wordpress sites with lax security. #SemRushChat — Larry Prevost (@larryprevost) July 8, 2015
So, if we have launched a new website step-by-step. What’s next? There’s no limit to perfection – continue developing it, look for new tactics and tips, and analyze your users’ behavior.
A2 (a): There is no perfect website, only a really good start. You're never "done" - keep tweaking, testing, and improving. #semrushchat
— Jacques Bouchard (@jacquesbouchard) July 8, 2015
Here’s a comprehensive plan suggested by Harsh Agrawal @denharsh:
A2.1) Use #WP optimised Hosting (Peace of mind) Use Clean Permalink Activate Akismet Plugin (It's free) #semrushchat pic.twitter.com/KxSY9DxcBN — Harsh Agrawal (@denharsh) July 8, 2015
A2.2) Configure Cache Plugin (Free: W3TC or Super cache) Update Ping List Submit Sitemap to Google, Bing #semrushchat
— Harsh Agrawal (@denharsh) July 8, 2015
A2.3) Use Responsive theme or Offer mobile friendly site Along with #SEO focus on Social SEO too, Use Robots.txt #semrushchat
— Harsh Agrawal (@denharsh) July 8, 2015
Even experienced marketers aren’t immune to making mistakes when working on a project, and beginners are almost doomed to make some.
We all have to learn from our mistakes, but it is definitely better to learn from others’ experiences. Here is some useful advice from our participants:
@semrush A4.1) Using two SEO plugins for D same purpose Using Multiple h1 tag Not optimising images before uploading #semrushchat
— Harsh Agrawal (@denharsh) July 8, 2015
A4. Using too many plugins. Not considering mobile experience. UX vs. content volume. NYT can have 100 links/page–you can't #semrushchat
— Brandon Stettenbenz (@UXcelsior) July 8, 2015
A4: The top mistake 1. change the permalink to a clean url 2. Not setting up a backup mechanism 3. Not optimizing their site #semrushchat — Adegboye Adeniyi (@legendcrest) July 8, 2015
There are countless WordPress plugins - one to meet the needs of almost any website owner, and most of them are free. But this can lead to the temptation to stuff your website with as many plugins as possible. As Andrew Epperson @eppand suggests, “Be careful with your plugins. The more the add, the more your site has to work to load.”
@semrush A4: Too many plug-ins! Make sure you read reviews & make informed decisions on which plug-ins work best for your site. #SEMRushChat
— Tripp Hamilton (@Tripp_Hamilton) July 8, 2015
However, using too few plugins is another extreme. The solution here is balance.
A4 Not finding the right balance when it comes to plugins. Too many can clutter your design. Too few and you're missing out. #semrushchat — Hal Fickett & Co. (@HFandCompany) July 8, 2015
It’s important to constantly update your WordPress to keep your website secure. “Update everything often. Remove plugins and themes you don't use, even if inactive” - Thom Craver @thomcraver.
A4 Failure to update!!!!! I've never seen a WP site hacked that was up to date. Old installs, on the other hand... #semrushchat
— Ian Lurie (@portentint) July 8, 2015
Using the child themes, you can make changes to your website without changing the original code, and you won’t have to delete your changes when updating your parent theme. Working directly on a parent theme may cause you a lot of problems.
A4: Editing the parent theme files itself instead of working on a "child theme" makes it difficult to update the parent theme #semrushchat — Bharat (@bharatpc) July 8, 2015
Joe Cayetano @GameofJoes warns of “going with a ‘pretty’ template rather than one with good UX and is responsive and mobile ready”. Besides being good-looking, a website should possess a clear structure and be navigable and understandable for users.
A4/2: And also adding this and that features to make the website prettier but in opposite, it ruins the UX and makes it heavy. #SEMRushChat
— Adeel Sami ツ (@AdeelMSami) July 8, 2015
Since mobile-friendliness has become an official ranking factor, it would be unwise to not use responsive templates.
A4 cont. Not choosing a responsive design! There are still far too many templates that do not work on mobile. #semrushchat — Hal Fickett & Co. (@HFandCompany) July 8, 2015
Check out the article “10 Tips on Writing the Living Web” recommended by Bill Slawski @bill_slawski:
a4 This article gave me lots of help and ideas over the years while blogging: http://t.co/fvMOd0J2z3#semrushchat
— Bill Slawski (@bill_slawski) July 8, 2015
WordPress is deservingly considered king of all content management systems – many of our participants claimed that WordPress has everything a website owner may need.
A6: Nothing comes to mind--if WP doesn't have it, "There's a Plugin For That." We love it for that! #semrushchat https://t.co/xTrATMEneo
— ThinkSEM (@ThinkSEM) July 8, 2015
Although even the best CMS has its imperfections. Some of our participants wished WordPress had more developed social connectivity:
A6 Better social connectivity should be there in #Wordpress @semrush #semrushchat
— Yogita Aggarwal (@tanyagarg60) July 8, 2015
Others suggested that it should have a better comment system.
A6: @bill_slawski is so right - respond to comments. I flip a table and use @disqus or Facebook comments instead #semrushchat
— Tara Clapper (@TaraMClapper) July 8, 2015
Today, semantic search is booming, so it would be very convenient if WordPress had some plugins for semantic markup. “I would like better schema markup plugins for WordPress” - Bill Slawski @bill_slawski.
A6 Native support for schema tagging. #semrushchat
— Chris Bell (@riskycontent) July 8, 2015
A6: Hope I'm wrong, but I can't find a plugin to let people leave natural reviews that are tagged with schema. Help! #semrushchat
— Joe Martinez (@MilwaukeePPC) July 8, 2015
A lot of e-commerce websites that use WordPress face problems at some point. WordPress might be a good start, and it has enough settings to build a decent e-commerce website, but as the site begins to grow in scale, WordPress will not be able to maintain it. What’s more, many specialists mention security issues. “Maybe delving more into becoming a stronger contender for ecommerce functionality? That would be sweet.” - Rachel Howe @R8chel_Marie.
A6: Still think ecommerce for WordPress sucks. Wrote a post on it two years ago. Improved, but not enough IMO. #semrushchat
— netmeg (@netmeg) July 8, 2015
For many websites moving from HTTP to HTTPS is crucial, especially since Google has started considering HTTPS as a ranking factor.
A6: I wish they'd make it MUCH easier to migrate to HTTPS. It's quite an ordeal as it stands right now. #semrushchat
— Jacques Bouchard (@jacquesbouchard) July 8, 2015
That's it for today, hope you will join our next Twitter Chat!
Special thanks to the following participants whose tweets we used to create images:
Thank YOU, guys!! :)