This month we look at topics like WordPress security, website bloating, and creating a WordPress FAQ page.
If you have any questions or need help integrating any of these resources, please contact me.
Security
According to a recent survey, 63% of respondents said they have deleted files in the past that they have not backed up. Ouch! With so many options, there’s no excuse not to have a backup plan for your website.
WordPress takes security seriously. If you’re wanting first-hand information on WordPress security, WordPress.org has recently published a white paper on security, free to view or download here.
You’ll be very happy that WordPress takes security issues seriously when you read about possible hacking done by malicious groups around the world – in case you haven’t been watching the news.
Performance
How to Improve the Speed of Your WordPress Site. Need I say more?
This article is a bit more technical, but here are the three ways to prevent your WordPress website from becoming so bloated it becomes unusable: limit the number of plugins, choose plugins with quality code, and establish website development processes. All three are important, but I think the last is worth noting. Make sure your have written processes in place that guide your business in areas like content editing, image usage, SEO actions, and overall website maintenance.
If your website visitors engage with your blog by posting comments, you might benefit from a popular comment plugin called Disqus. I have installed it on a couple of client sites and it seems to work quite well for their visitors. I do agree with one of the “Bad” features mentioned in this article: support, although free, is hard to come by.
Education
One common website page that is often found on big corporate sites is the FAQ page. I usually think Frequently Asked Questions pages are appropriate for companies that sell to the masses, or that have complicated products or services. But this article triggered an idea that I am going to suggest to all future web projects.
Should you have a full website or a one-page site that reveals information as users scroll down? Listen to this podcast (audio) or just read the article if you’d rather bypass all the initial marketing and news. There are some good points here if you have noticed the number of single page sites on the web now and you’re wondering if this option might work for your small business. Bottom line: one-page websites are ideal for very specific purposes, but they’re not for everyone.
If you have old posts that need to be updated due to changes in technology, events, company policies, etc. here’s a helpful article on the best way to do that.
That’s all for this month. If you have tried any of these tips, or if you have anything to add, please use the Comments section below.
