The World has been witnessing the growing popularity of WordPress CMS from the last decade. Over 172 million websites are using WordPress and half of them are hosted on WordPress. However, as every technology comes with its booms and banes the WordPress Comes with them too. A recently published blog by Catalin Cimpanu revealed that in 2018, around 90% of all hacked CMS sites were WordPress websites.
Most of the WordPress sites were hacked due to common mistakes that had been done during the development phase. So, here is a list of a few common mistakes that most of Word Press’s beginners do, and the best ways to avoid them are also mentioned:
1. Not Using Mobile Responsive Design
Nowadays, Google is ranking well to those sites which have a mobile responsive design. Around 65% of shopping is done from mobile phones, so Google is giving priority to mobile responsive websites. The story doesn’t end here, besides ranking well the mobile websites, it has penalized websites that weren’t mobile responsive. Therefore, make sure to develop a desktop and mobile version website to take the best benefits.
2. Choosing The Wrong Platform
Most of the beginners choose a wrong platform. Basically, two kinds of WordPress are available. The first one is a blog hosting service called WordPress.com, it suits well to bloggers or photographers. And another is WordPress.org, it is an open-source platform that lets you have total control on your website. If you’re developing an eCommerce, the second one will be ideal for you.
3. Poor Security
Recent researches show that around 90,000 websites are targeted every day, and over 82% of targeted websites are WordPress. WordPress offers several security Plugins, but they provide enough security to your website. But, if you install a EV SSL Certificate on your website for making it HTTPs from HTTP, you can secure your website and user’s sensitive information in high extent.
SSL is a security protocol that encrypts sensitive information (name, address, passwords or credit card number) that is being transmitted between a web server and a web browser. Moreover, it provides SEO benefits, enhances consumer’s trust, and reduces cart abandonment.
4. Ignoring Backups
Usually, people do not realize the importance of things until they lose it. The same thing also applies to a WordPress website, if you do not bother creating backups regularly, you may lose control on your entire website just in a few seconds. Therefore make sure to have regular backups of your site, especially if you’re supposing to perform an update on your site. There are some backup plugin which you can use to take backup of your website.
5. Irregular Updates
WordPress core developers and contributors are continuously working to improve its speed, efficiency, and user-interface. Around 20 updates have been launched in WordPress CMS till now and with every update, it is becoming more secure and efficient. But, irregular updates can leave your website vulnerable to security beaches. So, stay up-to-date with WordPress CMS and its Plugins.
6. Using The Default Username
The default username is ‘admin’ while installing a WordPress website. Here is the place where most of the web owners make mistake and leave a serious WordPress security loophole for hackers. The recent brute force attack has targeted over half the WordPress sites; the default username ‘admin’ was the primary cause of the attack. So always use a different username while installing a WordPress.
7. Not Using Google Analytics
If you haven’t installed Google Analytics on your website, it means that you do not the basic information about your eCommerce like conversions, traffic sources, top-performing content, how people navigate, and things of this nature, etc. Such ignorance may harm your business badly and you may go in lose Therefore, install a Google Analytics plugin on your WordPress site to review your audience.
8. Using Weak Passwords
Unfortunately, some web owners are still using vulnerable passwords that are easy to remember e.g. Davil123 or Superstar. Hackers can crack the weak passwords in a blink of an eye. So, ensure to use a complex password structure that includes Uppercase, Lowercase, Numbers and Special Characters e.g. ‘Com21plex$%’.
9. Installing WordPress In A Default Subfolder
Most of the people think they should install the WordPress site under the right named folder ‘WordPress’. Here they make a mistake. If they are using only single CMS, so why do they need to make a subfolder names’ WordPress’. Just install it in the base directory. For example, http://www.yourwebsite.com looks way more professional than http://www.yourwebsite.com/wordpress. If you use multiple CMSs, you can use subfolders; otherwise, use a base directory to save your website.
10. Using Posts Instead Of Pages
If you’re a beginner, you do not the difference between a post and a page. In such a situation, you may publish your different pages under different posts. Here, you need to learn the difference between both, so that you can publish the written content on write place. The best examples of pages are; Contact page, Privacy policy, Pricing, Services, about us page. On the other hand, posts may like articles, blogs, and news updates.
11. Keeping Unused Plugins
If you have not been using any WordPress plugins for a long time, ensure to deactivate or delete them, as too many unused and unnecessary active plugins can slow down your website speed. Moreover, the broken WordPress plugins may open a window for hackers to steal your sensitive information.
Conclusion
The user-friendly atmosphere of WordPress makes your web development easy, even an unprofessional can make a website under WordPress CMS. But a few mistakes while developing a WordPress website can harm your website badly. So make sure to consider the above-mentioned mistakes and avoid them. It will not only protect your website from online threats but also protect you from becoming a victim of cybercrimes. ‘Protection is always better than curing’, just remember this thing while developing your website in WordPress.