A WordPress website, like any other structure, needs to be updated on a regular basis in order to keep it functioning well. Without consistent maintenance, it will begin to fall apart little by little. This process can seem overwhelming, but if you take small steps it doesn’t have to be. Begin with these four maintenance tasks to improve the overall performance of your WordPress website.
Complete Backup of Your Website
WordPress websites are vulnerable to attacks. Having a backup of your site will give you peace of mind if your site does get hacked by an outsider. There are both free and paid plugins that can accomplish this on your behalf. Search for these plugin on your WP dashboard:
- Backup Buddy
- BackUpWordPress
- VaultPress
Fix Broken Links
As you add content and blog posts to your website, you should be internally linking to older content, for SEO purposes and also to decrease your bounce rate. It’s a good idea to go back through and re-check those links, as some of them could be broken, linked to something that is out of date, or linking to content that is no longer available. You can do one of three things with these links – delete them, fix them, or replace them with newer content.
Perform Content & SEO Audits
Updating your website and its content will help increase its SEO, allowing it to rank higher in search engine results. Optimize the following on your website and within your blog posts:
- Page Titles
- Meta Descriptions
- Images
- Blog Titles
- Subheadings
Always Update Your Themes & Plugins
WordPress automatically checks for updates on the theme and plug-ins installed on your website. You can typically perform these updates with only a few clicks. This is one of the best ways to keep your website running smoothly, as well as one of the easiest.
Looking to free up time in your day so you can focus on running your business? We can keep your website up to date with ongoing maintenance and upgrades. This will not only allow your website to run at peak performance, but also give you the time you need to build your business.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.