6 Ways to Make Your New WordPress Website Kick Ass

To make your new WordPress website kick ass you’ll need to do more than just install a free theme and add a few blog posts.

You’ll need to put some thought into the design of your site, the content you post, and the user’s experience.

Here are six ways to make your WordPress site kick ass.

1. Install a Kick-Ass Theme

A premium, well-designed theme can make your WordPress site more attractive to visitors.

There are thousands of themes to choose from. Most are free (80% of them suck) and others require a modest payment typically under $60/year to keep up with bug fixes and new features.

We recommend paying for a premium theme over free themes because the support is better, the options are better, the updates are more frequent, and they are generally well-designed with lots of options.

Choose a WordPress theme that gives you plenty of customization options so you can really make the site your own. A theme that includes the demo content will help you get started faster. Just edit the demo content with your own and you’re ready to go.

We love WordPress because it’s such a versatile CMS. The built-in Search Engine Optimization features alone will outperform a Drupal or Joomla site any day.

You can create a beautiful ecommerce site, or use the theme to build a blog, landing page, and everything in between. Plus, it comes with pre-built layouts to make your life easier so you can start selling products right away.

With WordPress themes, you get:

• Pre-built responsive page layouts
• Custom widgets
• 600+ Google Fonts
• Over 2,000 Retina icons
• Advanced Opt-in forms
• Custom header design, and more!

The right theme will keep visitors on your site and increase conversion rates so premium themes are worth every penny.

2. Create Share-Worthy Content

If you really want your WordPress website to kick ass, you need to create share-worthy, awesome content that your visitors love.

Don’t just throw sales pitches at them; give them information and keep them entertained. Get creative with your content by adding infographics or creating your own videos.

Even if you can only offer your visitors blog posts and articles, you can at least give them information they’re looking for. Show them how to do something or teach them something new. They’ll come back for more and they’ll bring their friends with them.

3. Offer Vlogs

Did you know that most visitors prefer video content over written content and images?

Offering vlogs, or video blogs, is a great way to give your visitors the content they want the way they want it.

If you offer regular vlogs you can gain a whole new following of people and your content instantly becomes more share-worthy. You don’t have to invest in fancy video editing software or turn your vlog into a Hollywood production either.

It’s all about connecting with your audience and sending them the right message.

4. Create an Awesome About Me Page

Don’t overlook your About Me page. This is your opportunity to connect with your visitors and make your website just a little more awesome.

When visitors land on your site they want to put a face to the author. They want to get to know you. Your About Me page lets you do just that.

Be yourself; be a little quirky; but most of all, be personable.

5. Add Caching

Website speed is a huge factor for both real visitors and Google’s bots.

If your site loads slower than a turtle crossing the road visitors are going to click off your site and get what they need from a competitor’s site.

Visit Pingdom’s Full Page Test or Google’s PageSpeed tool to check your website. We also like GTMetrix Website Speed tool too.

Install a caching plugin to improve your page load time and decrease your bounce rate. Contact us and we can help you install and configure your site.

Remember: the more time a visitor spends on your site, the more likely they are to become a customer.

6. Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly

Mobile web browsing is no longer the “wave of the future”. It’s here, right now.

The majority of people use their mobile phones and tablets to browse the web. Mobile-friendly sites are easier to navigate on these devices and if the design is responsive then they look good too.

Like the this blog post? Click the Like button and share! What other ways you think can make your WordPress kick ass?

For a more in-depth article about optimizing your WordPress site check out these 22 tips to speed up your WordPress site.