Having a WordPress website and uploading regularly is not enough. There are some maintenance procedures that must be carried out regularly to ensure that the website is attractive for visitors while it is easy for the person who runs the website to keep track of the posts and comments. A properly maintained website is good for both parties.
Below is a list of tasks that must be done for proper maintenance of your WordPress website.
1. Upgrade to The Latest Version of The Website
WordPress gets updated multiple times a year. When there is an update then the older version becomes obsolete. So, it is better to go for the updated version of the website that will have additional features and more upgrades. This is the first and most basic step in WordPress maintenance.
The latest version of the website can be found on the homepage of WordPress. Make sure that this is done every three months or latest within six months to ensure that the website is running smoothly and you can enjoy all the latest features that are on offer. The WordPress homepage also contains news, events and resources that might be helpful for those who run websites.
2. Make Sure That the Contents of The Website Are Backed Up
While carrying out the WordPress maintenance tasks, it is a good idea to schedule a backup of the posts to either the device used to upload to the website or to the WordPress server host. A backup must be scheduled a minimum of three times a year but a more frequent backing up schedule can be chosen if content is uploaded on the website very regularly.
Doing this takes the stress away from the owner of the website who does not have to worry about losing the data that has already been uploaded to the website.
3. Remove Dead Links from The Website
Dead links are those which may be embedded in articles or posts on the website but lead to an error 404 page when visitors click on them. The number of dead links reported are posted on the statistics log of the website.
During the WordPress maintenance, the owner must run a links check to make sure that all external and internal links are still connected and functioning properly. If they are not connected then they must be removed or changed if new links are available.
4. Clean Up the Clutter in Your WordPress Database
The WordPress database stores all the content, comments, and settings which are specific to one website. A lot of clutter may accumulate in this database which may affect the uploading speed and the speed of restoring backups. So, the clutter must be cleared for the optimum use of this database.
5. Get Rid of Spam Comments
Comment spam WordPress plugins store all comments which may be spam. The owner of the website may review the comments and delete the ones which are spam and restore the ones which may have been wrongly marked as spam. This is an important step in WordPress maintenance and must not be ignored.
6. Make Sure That The Website Is Updated
If the website has been lying dormant for a while then it is a good idea to put up a few posts during the WordPress maintenance procedures. If posts on the website are frequent then Changing the theme of the website prevents it from looking monotonous. During this step, owners of the website can look through the comments on their posts and see what can be done to improve their content and attract more visitors.
7. Optimize Images and Other Media on The Website
Images and other forms of media lower the loading speed of the pages on the website. If they are not optimized then the overall experience of visiting a website can be hampered because of slow loading speed. While this may be easy to spot in the popular posts, they might go unnoticed if they feature in less popular posts. So, an image and media library review should be a part of WordPress maintenance procedures. Images that are too big or too small must be fitted to an optimum size.
These are the bigger tasks that website owners should carry out regularly to ensure that their website is being utilized to the fullest. There are also a number of smaller tasks which can make the job of running a website easier. These tasks are:
- Check the website statistics - Website statistics give information like who is visiting the website, which websites are most commonly visited, etc. Such kind of information helps owners to curate the content on their website in a way that it attracts more visitors. Uploading more of what seems to be popular is key along with improving what is not so popular.
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Check linkability of the website - Link popularity tools show wherever a website has been linked. This attracts more visitors to a website who may land up on one from an external link and explore the website. This increases the rankings of the website as well. This should be done frequently to see how well the website and the posts are performing.
- Include regular site submissions - Including regular submissions on a website ensure activity on the website which in turn helps the site to rise in rankings.
To Conclude
A website that has very frequently scheduled updates with great content may still be a dud if proper WordPress maintenance procedures are not carried out from time to time. Hence, all the effort put into creating content may go to waste if the website is not maintained properly.
So, maintenance must be given as much importance as content creation for the website. Preparing a schedule to carry out maintenance procedures and scheduling whatever can be scheduled beforehand must be done to ensure that the website is optimized to full capacity.