Are you planning to start a WordPress blog and intend to do it the right way? Although starting a blog is a straightforward process, the thought of doing it can be terrifying, especially if you do not have the right strategy in place. Today we will talk about a WordPress strategy for beginners.
Simplicity and minimalism have been mentioned as one of the web design trends in 2020. Guess what – you can easily achieve these two features by following this comprehensive guide on how to develop a sound strategy for your WordPress site.
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The fewer The Plugins, The Better
If you want to keep your website as simple as possible, use as few plugins as possible. Experienced WordPress users will tell you how many plugins increase security issues and load time.
It is always easy to get carried away as a new developer, since you may want to explore with as many plugins as possible. Doing this will not make you a better designer. Instead, you may end up installing plugins that put you at risk of potential hacks.
Different plugins perform different tasks. You do not wish to distort the functionality of your website by using many of them at once. Moreover, each of these plugins come with a set of files. The more files you install, the longer it takes for your pages to load. So, if you want to maintain your website’s performance, having fewer plugins is the way to go.
Learn HTML And CSS Basics
These are not mandatory for creating a WordPress website. However, HTML and CSS skills are essential in case you want to come up with professional websites. It is possible to customize your site even without any coding skills. However, taking some time to learn how to code helps you make the most out of all WordPress features.
HTML allows you to learn some essential elements that you can use to continuously improve the structure of your website. Most people will keep visiting your website, depending on how well it is structured.
Just like any other programming language, you cannot learn all the HTML elements overnight. Keep practicing each day until you master the essentials.
The chief web developer for best paper writing services says that once you set up your website, you will be presented with some blank pages that need to be filled with content. Cascading style sheets allow you to add style to your content. You can change text colors, font types, sizes, margins, and background themes using CSS skills. You can learn both HTML and CSS online or in a classroom.
Be Ready To Research And Learn
To create the best WordPress pages, you will need to make Google your friend. Look for relevant information about what you do not understand and read more. Besides finding unique ideas from experienced developers, you will also get answers to any questions you may be having regarding web design, programming, and WordPress in general.
The search bar has answers to all your questions. In some cases, you will find answers quickly, but in some, you may need to spend hours or days Googling. Keep changing the search phrases until you find the right answers.
As someone who is just starting on WordPress, you may be tempted to spend hours trying to find answers. As you do this, also remember to take a break and rest. You are likely to find answers faster when you are more relaxed.
Create Backups Of Your Website
One of the common mistakes that beginners do is failing to create backups of their WordPress website. Making this a habit can save you a lot of time, as you never know when something will go amiss.
Most developers will tell you how frustrating it is to spend days or weeks working n WordPress only for the server to crash, resulting in a loss. If you do not back up regularly, you risk losing all the work you have done in the past. You can follow the steps at the previous link “back up regularly” or you can download the UpdraftPlus plugin and follow those instructions.
Experienced WordPress users can always find a way of fixing website errors without using backups. This may not apply to you, so create a backup before updating any features on your server.
Changes on the domain name, web pages, databases, and other files should also be done after you have backed up your site. In case these changes are not successful, you can always roll back your website to its previous version.
Try Different Themes And Plugins
You will find several themes and plugin options on WordPress. These provide an opportunity to explore. Although you need to keep your plugins at a minimum, it is also essential that you familiarize yourself with most of the popular ones.
Being creative with the themes and plugin options is okay, as long as you do not overuse them. Although you must ensure that your website remains simple by avoiding the overuse of plugins, learning more about them will go a long way in case you need to use them in the future.
Combine multiple plugins with the same functionality to make your website different. Choose your preferences, test them, and assess your website’s performance and the user experience when using them.
Network With Other Developers
A great way to learn faster is by networking with other developers. Join their groups, attend conferences, and collaborate for some complex projects. Getting a group of individuals who have the same interest can help you make progress faster.
You can learn a lot from the search bar and from watching videos about WordPress website development, but there are answers to some complicated questions that you can quickly get from your friends.
You can join WordPress meetups within your area, or request to be added to WordPress social media groups. WordPress has a large community of users across the world. It may not be too challenging to locate a meetup within your city.
You will be surprised at how much information you will receive from fellow developers within a short span.
Get Inspiration From Other WordPress Sites
Every project requires new ideas, including web design. The best place to start as a beginner is to look at what others have already done. You can generate ideas off existing websites so that you design your website faster. Look at site layout, color schemes, text, and structure to decide if the theme being used would apply to your brand, or combine design pieces from different sources of inspiration.
Getting ideas from others gives you an easy roadmap, and assists you in adding or eliminating pages to your website as and when needed. Beginners and experienced developers alike use this strategy, so you should not shy away from employing it in your plans.
Doing this does not mean that you copy somebody’s work page by page, color for color. Instead, you can take bits from various developers and merge them with your initial ideas to create a fantastic website. Some of the things to borrow ideas from include page layouts, color schemes, and text, although this must be edited.
Conclusion
WordPress is mentioned in most conversations people have regarding websites and website design. It is an excellent tool for beginners because it does not require any coding, and you can easily use it to customize your website to your liking. Because of this, beginners can design quick websites that provide the best user experience. However, to leverage this wonderful tool, you need to have the right strategies. By following these strategies, you will easily come up with a professional website within no time. Our WordPress strategy for beginners should help you a lot.
