Installing the WordPress platform won’t take long, but what do you do after it’s installed? Some webmasters can make their way around the platform with their eyes closed, but beginners often overlook some very important steps. You can learn more about WordPress themes click the website https://thewebdruid.com/
Here are your first steps for customizing and securing WordPress after a fresh installation.
Get an API Key
Akismet is a plugin that’s automatically included with every new installation. Its spam-fighting ability will get rid of spam comments and trackbacks, but you need a key to activate the features. Visit WordPress.com to apply for the key and once delivered, use it to activate the plugin.
Find it: Settings -> Akismet Configuration
Remove the default admin account
Removing the default admin account and creating a new user will make it harder for hackers to get in. Even if you use a secure password for login, why would you want to use the same account name used by every other WordPress blog. Create another user with Administrator privileges – don’t forget this. Log out and log back in as the new user.
Use your administrator privileges to delete the default account. You can delete the default “Hello World” post as well or assign it to another user.
Find it: Users -> Add New
Implement permalinks
Start with a permalink structure that you’ll want to continue using for the life of your blog. Although WordPress is now smart enough to resolve issues related to permalink changes, changing the structure could affect your site’s SEO. The /%postname%/ is the most common and effective link structure for SEO, but if your posts are time sensitive, you could also use the date option.
Find it: Settings -> Permalinks
Install Google’s XML Sitemap plugin
Your XML sitemap will update automatically whenever you publish a new page or post. Both WordPress and custom pages are supported, and all major search engines will be notified, through the sitemap, whenever you edit or publish a new post.
Find it: Plugins -> Add New
Burn Your RSS Feed
Use a service like Google’s Feedburner to burn your feed. This not only makes it easy for users to subscribe to your posts but also offers the benefits of analytical data – such as providing details on your number of subscribers. You’ll also be able to track the popularity of your posts and offer email subscriptions. To learn more about SEO tools click here on the website https://cluebees.com/ for more information.
Add About and Contact Pages
Anonymity is outdated, so make it easy for site visitors to learn more about you. An About page should provide some insight into who you are, and a Contact page would assure visitors that they can contact you when they need.
Related Content Plugin
A related content plugin helps your site’s SEO and also gives readers more places to visit on the website. This plugin will come in handy when you start adding more posts to your new blog.
Find it: Plugins -> Add New
Comments
Comments are a sign of a successful blog, so you’ll have some very important decisions to make in the early stages. Will you allow comments to go through without moderation? Do you want people to register before posting comments? Since comment spam is epidemic, you should moderate the comments that get posted to your blog. Although Askimet does a fairly admirable job, moderation is sometimes necessary.
Find it: Settings -> Discussion
Now that you’ve handled the basics, you can start posting and building a blog that’s everything you want it to be.
Want to learn more about SEO strategies? Our website https://venturecake.com/ give you more information about SEO strategies.
