7 Common Mistakes People Make When Starting A WordPress Blog

In this article, we will explore seven common mistakes people make when starting a WordPress blog. 

If you can avoid these mistakes, you can set your blog up for success.

WordPress is one of the most popular site-building and content-management systems in the world. Here are four reasons why you should consider using WordPress for your next website or blog.

Why WordPress?

WordPress is one of the most popular site-building and content management systems in the world. Here are four reasons why you should consider using WordPress for your next website or blog.

• WordPress is free and open source. That means anyone can contribute to its development and there are no licensing fees.
• WordPress is extremely user-friendly. Even if you’re not a tech-savvy person, you can still easily create and manage a WordPress site.
• WordPress is very versatile. You can use it for everything from a simple blog to a complex e-commerce site. And there are literally thousands of themes and plugins available to further customize your site.
• WordPress has a huge community of users and developers behind it. This means there’s always someone available to help you if you run into any problems.

Starting Off on the Wrong Foot: 7 Common Mistakes.

1. Not doing research.

There are a few things you should do before diving into the world of WordPress. Namely, research! 

Not doing your research before starting can lead to some big mistakes down the road. Here’s how to avoid them:

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important to know what you’re getting into before you start using WordPress. There are a lot of moving parts to WordPress, and it’s important to understand how they all work together before you start using the platform.

The best way to do your research is to start with the WordPress Codex. The Codex is a comprehensive resource that covers everything from installation to administration and beyond. 

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the basics, you can move on to more specific resources like tutorials and how-tos.

You also need to understand the target audience for your site. If you’re building a personal blog, for example, you’ll need to choose a theme and plugins that are geared toward casual users. 

On the other hand, if you’re creating a business website, you’ll want to make sure your theme and plugins offer features that will appeal to your target customers.

Make sure you have a clear purpose for your site before starting. It’s important to know what kind of content you want to publish on your WordPress site before starting the design process. Do some brainstorming and figure out what type of content will best suit your needs. 

2. Choosing the wrong theme.

If you’re new to WordPress, choosing a theme can be daunting. There are literally thousands of themes to choose from, so how do you pick the best one for your site? 

Here are four common mistakes people make when choosing a WordPress theme:

• Not knowing what a theme is. A theme is essentially the look and feel of your website. It determines things like the layout, colors, fonts, and overall design. So it’s important to choose a theme that fits the style and tone of your site.
• Choosing a theme based solely on its looks. Just because a theme looks good on the surface doesn’t mean it’s going to be the best option for your site. Take some time to read reviews and see what other users have to say about it before making your decision.
• Not considering functionality. A theme may look great, but if it doesn’t offer the features and functionality you need, it’s not going to be very helpful. Make sure to check things like whether a theme is responsive (meaning it will work on mobile devices), how easy it is to use, and what kind of support is available.
• Not trying before you buy. Many WordPress themes offer free trials or demo versions so you can try them out before spending any money. This is a great way to see how a theme works in action and make sure it’s the right fit for your site.

The theme is what dictates how your site looks. It even determines things like conversion rates.

Put a lot of thought into what you choose.

3. Not planning ahead.

This is a mistake almost everyone makes, from those who’ve been using it for a while, as well as the newcomers. 

Before you start creating content, it’s important to take some time to plan out what you want your blog to achieve. 

For example, are you wanting to use it as a platform to share your thoughts and ideas? Or, are you wanting to use it as a way to promote your business?

Once you know what the purpose of your blog is, then you can start creating content that is in line with that. 

However, if you don’t take the time to plan ahead, then you may find yourself creating content that doesn’t really fit with what you’re trying to achieve.

4. Not utilizing plugins

If you don’t know what a WordPress plugin is, it is basically a piece of software that you can add to your WordPress site to extend its functionality. 

There are plugins for just about everything, from social media integration to eCommerce. 

And while there are some great plugins out there that can really help your site, there are also some that can do more harm than good. Here are four WordPress plugin mistakes that you should avoid:

• Not Checking for Compatibility: Before installing a plugin, always check to see if it’s compatible with the current version of WordPress. If it’s not, it could cause problems with your site.
• Not Reading the Reviews: Just because a plugin has a lot of downloads doesn’t mean it’s good. Always read the reviews before installing any plugin, and pay attention to any negative feedback.
• Not Updating Plugins: Keeping your plugins up-to-date is important for security reasons. If a plugin has an update available, install it as soon as possible.
• Installing Too Many Plugins: While plugins can be great, too many of them can slow down your site and make it difficult to use. Only install the plugins that you really need, and delete any that you’re not using.

You need to find the balance between improving the functionality and what’s necessary for your WordPress blog.

5. Not creating quality content.

If you’re not creating quality content, you are making a big mistake with your WordPress site. Here’s why:

Quality content is one of the most important ranking factors on search engines. If your content isn’t up to par, you’re not going to rank well on SERPs.

They play an important role in driving traffic to your site. If your content isn’t good, people aren’t going to want to read it or share it.

And most importantly, quality content is essential for building a loyal audience. If your readers don’t trust your content, they won’t stick around for long.

So how can you make sure you’re creating quality content? Here are a few tips:

• Write for your audience first and foremost. What do they want to read about? What would be helpful for them?
• Make sure your content is well-researched and accurate. Don’t make things up just to fill space!
• Structure your content in an easy-to-read format. Use headlines, subheadings, and bullet points to break things up.
• Edit, edit, edit! Make sure there are no grammar or spelling errors in your final piece.

If you follow these tips, you’ll be on your way to creating quality content that will help your WordPress site succeed.

6. Forgetting SEO basics.

Search Engine Optimization is vital for any website that wants to rank high in search engine results pages, and there are a few key things you can do to make sure your site is optimized.

First, it’s important to understand what SEO is and why it’s so important. 

SEO is the process of optimizing a website for Google’s search algorithms. This means making sure your site is well-structured, has relevant and keyword-rich content, and is easy for Google to crawl and index.

Once you understand what SEO is and its importance, you need to start thinking about how to optimize your own site. This means thinking about your site’s content, structure, and design. 

It also means making sure you’re using the right keywords in your titles and descriptions.

Once you’ve optimized your own site, it’s time to start promoting it. This means getting links from other websites and social media accounts. The more high-quality links you have pointing to your site, the higher Google will rank it in their search results pages.

Keep track of your SEO progress. 

This means using Google Analytics to see how much traffic you’re getting from organic search results. It also means monitoring your keyword rankings in Google Search Console so you can make sure your site is still ranking high for the keywords that matter most to you.

Follow these four steps to ensure that your WordPress site is well-optimized for Google’s search algorithms and will start seeing more traffic from organic search results.

7. Failing to promote.

Another one of the most common WordPress mistakes is failing to promote your site. 

While it is important to have great content, if no one is visiting your site, it won’t matter how good your content is. Traffic is the lifeblood of any website and there are a number of ways to get it.

One way to get traffic is through search engine optimization (SEO). This involves making sure your site is properly configured so that it will show up in search engine results when people are looking for topics that you write about.

Another way to get traffic is through social media. This involves promoting your content on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Alternatively, you can pay for traffic through advertising. This can be done with Google AdWords or other forms of online advertising.

Final thoughts

Starting a WordPress blog can be an exciting endeavor, but it’s important to avoid making common mistakes. 

While this is not the complete list of all mistakes, by doing your research ahead of time, choosing the right theme and plugins, creating quality content, and promoting your site effectively, you can set your blog up for success.

Common WordPress Blog Mistakes FAQs