3 top tips for your WordPress blog
WordPress is one of the world’s most popular publishing platforms, and it’s believed that WordPress websites account for over a quarter of all websites on the Internet.
And while it is famed for its simplicity and helpful user interface, users still struggle from time to time when it comes to the platform’s specific features.
But don’t worry – help is at hand. In this blog post, the iprogress team will share some of their top tips and tricks for beginners developing a WordPress website for the first time.
Integrate social sharing buttons
In the age of social media, it’s never been more important to make sure that you can get your piece of the viral pie. Facebook alone has one billion users, and you need to make sure you use the features offered by WordPress to make it as easy as possible for your readers to share your content on these important platforms.
Depending on the theme you choose, social sharing buttons may already be there, in which case it’s likely to simply be a matter of inputting your social network account names. If not, there are plenty of plugins out there which can integrate share buttons to your site. Just make sure you opt for one which puts your share buttons in a prominent location.
Avoid cluttered designs
There are thousands of WordPress themes out there, but not all of them are created equally. In fact, there are some that you should definitely avoid!
An excellent WordPress theme is one that has all the features your reader needs to make the most of your content, but absolutely no features which detract from the reading experience.
For example, your ideal theme will have a navigation system based on precise and relevant categories – but perhaps with drop-down menus to avoid clutter.
Colour also matters when it comes to themes. You can often customise your theme to match your pre-existing brand or hire a developer or local web design agency to do it for you using the Custom CSS tools built into the platform.
If you do this, make sure you think carefully about the options available – and don’t become too trigger happy with colour choices. Often, less is more: using two or three complementary colours is usually enough. After all, no user wants to be bombarded with an explosion of colour when they open a new page.
To find themes, you could head over to sites such as ThemeForest or work with a design agency who can find or create the perfect one for you.
Stay consistent
Thinking about specific user experience aspects of your WordPress blog, such as layout and colour schemes, is important. But ultimately the success or failure of your WordPress site will come down to how consistent you are.
Some of this is design-related. You should try, for example, to keep the same logos, fonts and colours used in other brand materials, such as your business cards and social media account graphics. If you don’t do this, your customers (and potential customers) may find the disjoint jarring and start to wonder whether you’ll be as inconsistent with your client work as you are with your own company’s image.
But there’s also no getting around the fact that successful WordPress sites are the ones with quality and unique posts, regular content plans and frequent multimedia (images and video) integration. Your designs are vital, but they could also go to waste if your content isn’t consistently strong.
Are you looking for a shiny new WordPress website? As one of Liverpool’s leading independent web design companies, iprogress can help you develop your business’ online presence and get more sales or conversions through the door. Get in touch today to find out more.