Writing and editing blogs may seem easy, but with the best will in the world, things can still go wrong. Here are a few things to remember, especially if you’re less skilled and experienced. If you found even one of these ideas helpful, please share!
1. Code, Code, CODE!
Don’t assume you can do everything without coding. Sometimes, an experienced coder can help you with things you can’t do just using the interface.
2. Meta Tags: Not Just a Pretty Pitch!
Don’t forget a meta tag for the site. This is a useful summary of the site, which can help it perform better in search engine results.
3. Bin the Boilerplate!
DO NOT use a standard ‘boilerplate’ meta description for all articles. This is repetitive; if you’re using Yoast, then (ideally) you should write a unique one for each article; but if you already have a large catalogue of existing content, you should just leave it be, and a relevant snippet will be automatically chosen.
4. Plugins: Not Created Equal, OR Maintained!
Just because a plugin looks shiny, it doesn’t mean it’s right for your system. The WordPress plugin store will tell you when a plugin was last updated, and whether or not it has been tested with your version of WordPress. If it hasn’t been updated by the progammer for a while, or if it hasn’t been tested for compatibility with your current version of WordPress, there is a serious chance it might not even be safe; not because the programme is malicious necessarily, but because it may not be up to date, and so the risk of hackers taking advantage of any security flaws may increase proportionately.
5. Updates are NEVER Optional
Just like operating system updates (like for Windows, say(, the updates that come for Plugins and for the WordPress itself are NOT optional. They don’t take long to install, so please don’t forget! This is a very important security matter.
6. Vanilla Guys Finish Last
Don’t assume you can get on just fine without plugins. Unless you actually know how to code, plugins provide a lot of useful features and in some cases, may even prove indispensable!
7. Plugin to Alternatives…
Don’t forget that there are many plugins on the market offering to do similar things: but not all of them are as safe, reliable, or comprehensive. Look for reviews online, read first party descriptions (by the programmers), third party descriptions (from other sites), and remember to test them too.
8. Mind the Speed!
You have the freedom to run as many plugins as you like, but if you install a million plugins, and only about five or ten of them are really useful for you, you’re likely to slow your site down considerably, which is really not helpful for you.
9. I SAID…
Actually, the speed of your site is just generally an important thing! Places you can test it include here and here.
10. The Best Things in Life Are free… Ish!
Don’t assume plugins are all really expensive. Some of the best plugins out there are either free or freemium (the latter simply means you can use the basic version for free, or else pay to subscribe to a more sophisticated version with better features.