See what are the 7 mistakes that you should not make under any circumstances on your WordPress website. Despite being very popular, full of features and quite complete, WordPress requires some care and precautions so that you can be successful with your website or blog on the internet.
In this article we present the main mistakes that you should not make, under any circumstances, with WordPress. Are you interested? So stick around! We hope that after reading this you will no longer make any mistakes on this list.
Some of the errors shown below are quite common , especially when it comes to a beginner user who has no experience in administering WordPress. The big problem is that these errors are extremely harmful to your website, as we will see below.
1. Not performing periodic backups
Backup is an essential process to keep your data safe. For this reason, in this process, copies of all your WordPress data are made to ensure that everything continues to work, even after you make a change that compromises the integrity of your page.
Basically, in other words, we can define a backup as a simple process, which allows you to create copies, clones of your files in their original state (from the moment they were copied). Thus, the backup process facilitates data restoration and reduces the cost related to website maintenance .
In this aspect, just ignoring a backup puts all files at risk, especially when we talk about online pages. In WordPress this is no different, backups work as a type of insurance, ensuring that everything is recovered in the event of an accident (a serious system failure, an invasion of your website, an accidental change, among other factors). Therefore, it is important to carry out a backup whenever possible, and it is recommended for each new change. If it is not possible to run a backup at the end of the day, do so weekly at least.
And don’t forget that when an invasion occurs, it may take us a while to realize that the site has been compromised. For this reason it is important to keep a backup for a minimum period of 1 week before it is overwritten or deleted. Anyone who performs daily backups then needs to keep at least 7 backup copies (one for each day), to ensure that in case of problems you will have a copy that was not compromised by the invasion.
2. Not choosing reliable themes
This tip may seem a little insignificant, but it is very important for those who love downloading themes from any collection on the Internet . Although WordPress provides a repository of themes for customizing your personal page, many users opt for external themes. Maybe WordPress’s own themes don’t appeal to everyone. If you are looking for a WordPress theme made perfectly for your page, then be extra careful.
Given this fact, there are many developers who make themes available for free over the Internet. Even though this process seems safe, it is important to take some precautions, especially when it comes to websites. In this aspect, we often look for external themes, without even knowing their origin.
Thus, a theme may look elegant, but it may end up being a huge Trojan horse. In other words, many themes carry malicious code behind the elegance and simplicity. Malicious codes can be hidden within a theme without us even realizing it.
Based on this matter, the suggestion is to be very careful. Generally speaking, themes from unknown sources may contain security holes , which allow hackers to exploit them and contaminate all your pages and your website hosting service. It seems like something that will never happen, but this is much more common than you think, even for the most experienced users.
Because they seem so harmless, themes can bring a huge bomb to your page, stealing information, infecting other users, distributing malicious links and spreading spam. Most of the time, these codes are intended to propagate spam messages (which harm your website’s reputation), but there is an even greater risk when it comes to banking transactions, which can compromise all users who access your page. on the Web.
3. Do not use Anti-Spam filters
Spams are malicious practices, they consist of propagating unwanted messages, bombarding your website, especially on WordPress. Oftentimes, spam spreads through comments on your blog, which can send malicious messages, photos or even links.
Spam is, most of the time, carried out automatically, by software programmed to send several messages per second. The purpose of spam is very clear, it is programmed to spread everything from advertising messages to links full of malicious code. In other words, spam goes far beyond just sending mass advertisements, they can also be serious sources of virtual infection, drowning your website and increasing network traffic.
Faced with this challenge, there are ways to overcome this situation. In WordPress, you can use anti-spam plugins that allow you to filter everything on your website, including post comments or new publications by users. In fact, leaving your WordPress open, without any protection, can be very bad, it’s equivalent to leaving your front door open every night (and even in the most violent neighborhoods in the city).
4. Not moderating comments
Another problem, also of a serious nature, is the fact that WordPress users do not filter or moderate comments on posts or pages. As we saw earlier, spam messages are a challenge, damaging the experience of both a blog moderator and a regular user.
Based on this subject, it is important to define a moderation policy within your WordPress page, especially on blogs. So, you can choose what should or should not be published in the comments, even before the comment goes live. In this case, security always comes first, this will prevent offensive comments and the spread of spam, overloading your page and causing a bad impression on anyone who enters your website or blog.
If you are also experiencing this on your personal WordPress page, start creating filters to protect your site. Install anti-spam plugins immediately to protect your website, the best known are Antispam Bee , Akismet , LH Zero Spam .
To enable comment moderation in WordPress , go to Settings > Discussion and check the “Comment must be manually approved” option under the “ Before a comment appears ” property .
5. Not performing updates
Never forget to periodically update your WordPress , especially the plugins installed on it.
An outdated plugin can compromise the complete security of your page. Given this, we can say that an outdated plugin is an open door for future threats, which can turn your website into a viral propagation center.
In addition to outdated plugins , don’t forget to check your WordPress updates . In this case, you can check the version and possible updates directly from the WordPress admin panel. Still not convinced this is a good option? So we list some of the advantages of always updating WordPress, they are:
- Greater speed due to constant optimizations provided through software updates;
- Correction of flaws and bugs that could compromise your experience with the platform;
- Greater compatibility with themes provided by WordPress itself;
- Greater compatibility with new plugins.
6. Keep unnecessary plugins
The use of plugins is very common on websites or blogs created with WordPress. In this context, installing plugins allows you to create new functionalities for your pages and make it easier for people to interact with your website. Although there are advantages to plugins, their misuse can end up hindering the final performance of the platform.
In this aspect, it is always good to check which plugins are no longer being used . Therefore, for these plugins, it is highly recommended that they be deactivated as soon as possible, preventing them from causing slowdowns or even worse.
Now, for plugins that are being used all the time, it is essential to always check for system updates . An outdated plugin may contain bugs or even serious flaws that could compromise your security and that of users who directly access the platform.
A frequent source of invasions are those old plugins that haven’t received an update in over 4…5 years . For this reason, check whether the plugins you use have been recently updated by the developer.
7. Use the default theme
As you may know, WordPress comes with pre-installed themes . A frequent mistake made by those who use this popular CMS is not replacing this theme with something more unique. It’s no secret that WordPress is extremely popular and used by a large number of websites, and leaving the default theme means having a website that looks similar to thousands of other websites.
In the WordPress theme repository you can find incredible themes that give a much more professional appearance than standard WordPress themes. There is also the possibility of purchasing a premium (paid) theme , but that is up to you, the important thing is not to use the default WordPress theme.
To install a new theme on WordPress, go to Appearance > Themes and then click “Add new”. Use the search field or filters to select the ideal theme for your website or blog.
