Are you an attorney who uses WordPress to power your website?

Here are 6 of the most common WordPress problems that should be avoided.

WordPress has become the leader in content management. The growth of this platform in recent years is astounding!

Statistics posted in this article reveal that approximately 74,652,825 websites are hosted by WordPress.

It also states that twenty-two percent of new US domain registrations are driven by WordPress alone.

With the increasing popularity and competition, your WordPress site should be efficient and up to date.

 

Below are some of the most common mistakes WordPress users should be aware of:

 

Failure To Back Up

The absolute worst mistake you can make is not backing up your WordPress site.

Every bit of information on your website can be gone in the blink of an eye due to many unexpected reasons, such as hackers and update errors.

If you are planning an update, it is crucial that you protect your content by creating a back up.

Solution 

It is suggested here that if you are using a WordPress hosted site, to go to the Dashboard and click on Tools, then click on Export. For self-hosted WordPress sites, it is recommended that a back up plugin is installed, such as BackUp Buddy.

 

 

Failure to Back Up your Back Up

If you want to ensure that your content is the safest it can be and can be retrieved easily, make a back up of your back up on an online cloud.

Online storage will prevent loss of information that you store on your computer. Nobody ever expects the black screen of death, but it happens to the best of us. Secure your data by having multiple back ups in place.

Solution 

One of the best online backup services you can use is Vaultpress. It backs up your site automatically and is very affordable for the piece of mind you get.

 

Failure To Update Plugins and Themes

If the plugins and theme you are running on your WordPress site have not been updated, there is a risk to the security of your website and information. Hackers are able to access vulnerable sites, stealing information and possibly wiping out your page altogether.

This article states that updating your theme and plug-ins will patch any vulnerabilities that have been currently discovered, improve performance and fix any bugs that have been found.

 

Not Being Prepared Before Making Updates

As mentioned above, creating a back up of your WordPress site is top priority, especially before any updates take place. You will be able to restore it back to it’s original form much easier if you take this simple precaution.

It is also recommended to deactivate the caching plug-in, because it interferes with the update process. Once your update is complete, you simply reactivate it.

 

No Google Analytics

Tracking your visitors is an excellent way to analyze your audience.

By implementing the Google Analytics plug-in into your WordPress site, you will know:

– The geographical location of your visitor

– What keywords your visitors are using to find your content

– What pages they are visiting and length of time spent on each page

– Referral pages (links to how they got to your site)

– Time of day site was visited

– Which links on your site receive the most clicks

 

It is essential that you install the Google Analytics plug-in to adjust your content according to the trends in your visitors and page views.

Take advantage of the keyword recommendations to better optimize your page and receive more hits.

 

Weak Passwords

Creating a strong password with a combination of letters, numbers and special characters will make it more difficult for hackers to access your WordPress site.

Avoid using your child’s name or common phrases. NEVER make your password, “Password!”

 

Conclusion

Always protect your content by keeping your WordPress site, themes and plug-ins up to date. Install updates immediately to prevent any vulnerabilities from being hacked.

Use the data and keywords provided by Google Analytics to post content that will make your visitors return to your page. Doing so will increase your success and exposure on the internet as a whole.

If you are interested in training on how to use WordPress to it’s fullest capabilities, click here.

Be sure to read I Use WordPress to Build Websites (And You Should Too) for more WordPress tips.