Whether you’re new to blogs, or an experienced user, you’ve heard of WordPress. If you’re not familiar with WordPress, it’s a free, open-source content management system. It offers a user-friendly interface for creating websites, blogs, and other online content.
According to a Google Trends analysis, the popularity of the blogging software has been steadily growing over the past few years. It’s now the second most popular website software after Google’s own, and according to a recent report, we can expect that trend to continue. And for a good reason! It’s user-friendly, highly customizable, and offers plenty of plugins and themes for creating your unique site.
With that being said, if you’re planning to begin your journey as a WordPress website owner, it can be easy to overlook some of the nitty-gritty details. After all, you have a few free hours every day to spend on your project.
While a lot of time, effort, and planning can go into creating a new website, you’ll need to know a few of the key features that aren’t immediately obvious. Here’s an ultimate list of must-have features for your WordPress website, whether you’re new to the platform or just need a refresher.
1. An SSL Certificate
With cyber terrorists and hackers becoming bolder every day, you want to ensure your new site is secure. So, it’s essential to include a few security features, such as installing an SSL certificate.
SSL is a security certificate that protects your website and its visitors. It establishes a secure connection between your computer and the person visiting your site. In other words, it helps you avoid those pesky messages telling people to stop using an old browser when they visit your site.
SSL isn’t difficult to set up, but it does take some time. You will need to purchase an SSL certificate from a provider, then install the certificate on your hosting account and set up the necessary code on your WordPress site. When you finish, the URL of your website should start with HTTPS:// instead of HTTP://
You should have password protection in your admin area to protect against hacking attempts and a backup system to backup your website automatically (you should do this at least once a day).
2. A Simple WooCommerce Installation
WooCommerce is an essential tool for a website to sell products or services online. WooCommerce offers many great features, like product management and order management, that make it easy to set up an online shop.
The first thing you’ll want to do is install WooCommerce. This can be done in one click if you’re using the latest version of WordPress. You just have to go into “Plugins,” search for “WooCommerce,” and then click on “Install.”
Once installed, you can configure the settings by going through all the menus on your site. The grounds are essential as they determine how your store functions and looks. Nevertheless, you can always get help from an agency like this if it all feels a bit too technical.
3. Audio and Video Extensions
Adding audio and video to your site is essential for some businesses. WordPress offers several extensions that will help you add audio and video to your site, so it’s good to check out what they offer before deciding on one.
4. An Image Gallery
One of the simplest and most effective ways to add visual interest to your site is adding an image gallery. An image gallery will display several thumbnail images on the same page, and users can click on individual photos to see them in full size.
Whether you want to showcase your company’s latest products or show off your favorite vacation pictures, an image gallery provides an attractive way for visitors to scroll through a stream of photos.
5. Easy-to-Use Menu
Making resources such as information or products readily available for your web visitors is critical to generating and keeping traffic on your website. Therefore, having an easy-to-navigate menu is almost mandatory.
Your web visitors can find links to your blog, online store, company info and different other resources depending on your web design (which brings us to our next point).
6. A Responsive Design/Theme
A responsive design is essential for any website. Responsive websites have an intuitive layout and are accessible on any device. If your site isn’t responsive, it won’t work correctly on mobile devices, leading to low performance and user frustration.
A responsive design also means that your site will be optimized for Google. Google is constantly changing its algorithm to provide better search results. By optimizing your site for mobile rather than desktop, you’re allowing yourself the opportunity to show up in more searches.
In addition to improved search ranking, a responsive website can help you increase conversions. 60% of consumers say that they are more likely to buy from a shopping website if it has a mobile-friendly design.
A study by Shopify found that among shoppers who abandoned their shopping cart because of a bad checkout experience, 28% of them would have converted had there been a more straightforward checkout process available on their phones.\
Consider a mobile-friendly design if you have the proper HTML/CSS coding skills. But if not, you can always choose to install a WordPress theme.
Themes are pre-built templates for websites that allow you to quickly customize a website without starting from scratch. The most prevalent themes will come with plenty of customization options, widgets, sliders, and more, all without requiring any coding knowledge on your part!
To Sum It Up
When creating your WordPress site, there’s no shortage of resources giving you the run-down on what you need to know. The question is: do you understand everything they’re telling you? Or are you still floundering around in the dark, finding your way?
Many features make WordPress an ideal platform for your website, but the features we’ve highlighted will have the most impact on your website in terms of generating web traffic whether you’re a complete newbie or you’ve already got your bearings.
