If you’re running a business, then you know how important having a great website is. Not only do you need to have a website that looks good and functions well, but it also needs to be able to rank high in search engines so people can actually find it.
One of the best platforms for building a business website is WordPress. It’s easy to use, has a ton of features and plugins, and is highly customizable. Plus, there are plenty of resources out there on how to make a WordPress site look great and function well.
However, just because WordPress is a great platform doesn’t mean that building a successful business website is easy. There are still a lot of things you need to do in order to make sure your WordPress site is up to par.
To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of 10 essential tips for building an awesome business website with WordPress.
1. Choose the right theme
When it comes to WordPress themes, there are literally thousands of options to choose from. And while it’s great to have so many choices, it can also be overwhelming trying to pick the perfect theme for your site.
When selecting a theme, it’s important to consider the overall design and layout of the site. You want something that’s going to look good and be easy for people to navigate. But you also need to make sure the theme is responsive, so it looks good on all devices.
There are a lot of great places to find WordPress themes, but some of our favorites include ThemeForest and Elegant Themes.
2. Get a good domain name
Your domain name is what people are going to type into their browser to find your site, so it’s important to choose something that’s easy to remember and catchy. Ideally, your domain name should be the same as your business name. But if that’s not possible, then try to come up with something that’s closely related.
3. Install essential plugins
There are tons of great WordPress plugins out there that can help you do everything from adding social media buttons to your site to optimizing your content for search engines. While you don’t need to install every plugin under the sun, there are a few essential plugins that we recommend for all business websites.
Some of our must-have plugins include Yoast SEO, Gravity Forms, and WP Smush.
4. Set up Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a free tool that allows you to track your website’s traffic and see where your visitors are coming from. This information is critical for understanding what’s working well on your site and what needs to be improved.
5. Optimize your images
Images are an important part of any website, but they can also slow down your site if they’re not properly optimized. That’s why it’s important to make sure you’re using images that are the right size and format for your site.
We recommend using a plugin like WP Smush to optimize your images for the web.
6. Use social media sharing buttons
Making it easy for people to share your content on social media is a great way to increase traffic to your site. There are a number of plugins that allow you to add social media sharing buttons to your WordPress site, so we recommend experimenting with a few until you find one that you like.
7. Create compelling content
If you want people to keep coming back to your website, then you need to make sure you’re creating compelling content that they’ll actually want to read. This means writing helpful blog posts, developing infographics, and creating other types of content that people will find useful.
8. Implement Google Authorship
Google Authorship is a great way to increase the visibility of your content in search results. It allows you to link your articles to your Google+ account, which helps your articles stand out and also gets them more exposure.
9. Promote your content
Just because you’ve created great content doesn’t mean people are going to see it. You need to actively promote your content if you want it to be successful. There are a number of ways to promote your content, but some of our favorites include social media, email marketing, and guest blogging.
10. Keep your site updated
One of the most important things you can do to keep your website running smoothly is to make sure you’re keeping it updated. This means updating WordPress and all of your plugins and themes on a regular basis. It’s also important to keep an eye on your site’s security and back up your data regularly.