At Valley Crossing Digital, we know that building a professional-looking website can be a daunting task, especially if you’re a beginner WordPress developer. It’s easy to make mistakes that can hurt your website’s performance, security, and user experience. As a small business owner, you need a website that reflects your brand and helps you stand out in a competitive market. To help you avoid common pitfalls, we’ve compiled a list of seven common mistakes every beginner WordPress developer makes, and how to avoid them.

Failing to Plan Your Website Properly

Before you start building your website, take the time to plan it out properly. At Valley Crossing Digital, we use a variety of tools to plan and organize website content.

This includes creating a site map, identifying your target audience, and using a wireframe to organize your content. Proper planning will save you time and frustration in the long run, and help ensure your website meets your business objectives.

Using Too Many Plugins

Plugins can add valuable functionality to your website, but using too many can slow down your website and cause conflicts. At Valley Crossing Digital, we only use essential plugins, and research them before installing.

We make sure they are compatible with your version of WordPress. This helps ensure your website runs smoothly and without any issues.

Neglecting Website Security

Website security is crucial for protecting your website and user data. At Valley Crossing Digital, we implement best practices such as using strong passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, and keeping WordPress and plugins up to date.

We also use a security plugin to add an extra layer of protection. This helps keep your website safe from malicious attacks and ensures the trust of your site’s visitors.

Ignoring Website Speed and Performance

Your website’s speed and performance are essential for user experience and SEO. At Valley Crossing Digital, we optimize your website for speed and performance by using a variety of techniques. This includes optimizing your images by compressing them or using a plugin like Smush, and using caching plugins like WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache to speed up your website.

This helps ensure that your website loads quickly and efficiently, providing your visitors with a great user experience.

Not Optimizing Your Website for SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is critical for getting your website found on search engines like Google. At Valley Crossing Digital, we conduct keyword research and use an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO.

This helps us optimize your website for search engines and improve your website’s visibility among the many other businesses in your area. This helps ensure that your website attracts the right visitors and helps you reach your business objectives.

Overlooking Website Backups

Backing up your website regularly is essential to protect your website from data loss. At Valley Crossing Digital, we use a backup plugin like UpdraftPlus or BackupBuddy and store your backups offsite in the cloud.

This helps ensure that your website is always backed up and can be restored in the event of a data loss, ensuring that your business operations continue uninterrupted.

Not Testing Your Website Thoroughly

Before launching your website, test it thoroughly to avoid issues. At Valley Crossing Digital, we conduct thorough testing to ensure that your website works correctly and meets your business objectives.

We make sure all links work, your website is responsive on different devices, and your contact forms are working correctly. This is important for users who are more likely to use their mobile devices to browse your website while on the go.

At Valley Crossing Digital, we know that building a professional-looking website can be a daunting task, especially if you’re a beginner WordPress developer. However, taking the time to avoid these common mistakes will make all the difference.