Development • Wordpress •
As an award-winning WordPress web designer and development agency in London, Synmek has encountered a wide range of issues that business owners face with their WordPress websites. While WordPress is a powerful and flexible platform, its potential can be hindered by common mistakes. Below, we cover 40 frequent WordPress mistakes, explaining why they occur, the potential consequences, and how to fix them.
1. Not Updating WordPress Regularly
WordPress frequently releases updates for security and performance improvements. Many business owners neglect these updates, either out of fear of breaking their site or simply not being aware of them.
Consequences: Vulnerability to security threats, poor performance, and incompatibility with plugins.
Solution: Regularly check for updates and schedule them during low-traffic periods. Consider using a managed WordPress hosting service like Synmek’s, which can handle updates automatically.
2. Ignoring Plugin and Theme Updates
Plugins and themes also require updates to remain compatible with the latest WordPress version and to patch security issues.
Consequences: Outdated plugins can cause your site to break or be hacked.
Solution: Enable automatic updates for trusted plugins or monitor them manually. At Synmek, we offer maintenance packages to handle this for you.
3. Using Too Many Plugins
It’s common to overload WordPress with plugins to add functionality. However, too many plugins can slow your website down and create security vulnerabilities.
Consequences: A slow website leads to poor user experience, higher bounce rates, and lower search rankings.
Solution: Use only essential, reputable plugins. If you need help with custom functionality, Synmek can build it without bloating your site.
4. Not Using a Child Theme
Customising a theme without using a child theme means your changes will be lost when the theme is updated.
Consequences: Losing all your customisations after a theme update.
Solution: Always create a child theme before customising your website’s design or functionality. For complex customisation, hiring a professional WordPress designer like Synmek is advisable.
5. Choosing a Poor-Quality Hosting Provider
Opting for cheap hosting might seem like a good idea initially, but it can lead to significant performance issues.
Consequences: Slow loading times, frequent downtimes, and limited customer support.
Solution: Choose a reputable hosting provider that offers speed, security, and support. Synmek offers optimised WordPress hosting tailored to UK businesses.
6. Ignoring Security Best Practices
Many business owners fail to implement basic security measures, leaving their site vulnerable to attacks.
Consequences: Hacks, data breaches, and loss of customer trust.
Solution: Install a security plugin, use strong passwords, and enable two-factor authentication. Synmek can help secure your site with advanced security solutions.
7. Not Backing Up Your Website
Relying on your hosting provider for backups is risky, as their backups might not be recent or reliable.
Consequences: Loss of data in the event of a crash or hack.
Solution: Use a dedicated backup plugin or service to schedule regular backups. At Synmek, we offer comprehensive backup services as part of our maintenance packages.
8. Neglecting Mobile Optimisation
With mobile traffic surpassing desktop, ignoring mobile responsiveness is a costly mistake.
Consequences: Poor mobile experience, leading to lower conversion rates and higher bounce rates.
Solution: Use a mobile-responsive theme and test your site across devices. Synmek specialises in mobile-first WordPress design to ensure an excellent experience for all users.
9. Slow Website Loading Speeds
Many WordPress sites suffer from slow loading times due to unoptimised images, poor hosting, or bloated plugins.
Consequences: Lower search engine rankings and frustrated visitors.
Solution: Compress images, use a caching plugin, and opt for quality hosting. Synmek’s performance optimisation services can speed up your site significantly.
10. Not Optimising Images for Web
Uploading large, uncompressed images can drastically slow down your site.
Consequences: Poor page loading speeds and a worse user experience.
Solution: Use image compression plugins and upload appropriately sized images. Synmek can assist with image optimisation to improve your site’s performance.
11. Using Default Login URL
Leaving the default /wp-admin login URL unchanged makes it easier for hackers to launch brute force attacks.
Consequences: Higher risk of unauthorised access.
Solution: Change the default login URL using a security plugin. Synmek can secure your login process to protect against attacks.
12. Not Using SSL Certificates
An SSL certificate encrypts data between your website and its users, protecting sensitive information.
Consequences: No SSL results in a “Not Secure” warning in browsers, damaging credibility.
Solution: Install an SSL certificate. Most hosting providers, including Synmek, offer free SSL certificates as part of their services.
13. Ignoring SEO Best Practices
Many business owners neglect SEO, resulting in poor search engine rankings.
Consequences: Missed opportunities for organic traffic and lower visibility.
Solution: Use an SEO plugin, optimise on-page elements, and create quality content. Synmek offers SEO services that can help your WordPress site rank better.
14. Not Creating a Sitemap
Without a sitemap, search engines may not fully index your site, impacting your SEO efforts.
Consequences: Lower search engine visibility.
Solution: Use a plugin like Yoast SEO to automatically generate a sitemap. Synmek ensures every site we build is properly indexed by search engines.
15. Using Default Permalink Structure
The default WordPress permalink structure is not SEO-friendly.
Consequences: Poor SEO performance due to unreadable URLs.
Solution: Change your permalink structure to use post names (/post-name/). Synmek configures SEO-friendly permalinks for optimal results.
16. Neglecting Contact Forms
Many websites either lack a contact form or use an unreliable one.
Consequences: Lost leads and missed business opportunities.
Solution: Use a reliable contact form plugin like Gravity Forms or Contact Form 7. Synmek can customise forms to improve your site’s lead generation.
Recommended Reading: Top 6 Reasons Why Visitors Leave Your Website Immediately
17. Failing to Test Site Functionality Regularly
Over time, plugins or updates can cause site functionality to break.
Consequences: Broken forms, features, or pages, leading to a poor user experience.
Solution: Regularly test your site’s functionality. Synmek’s maintenance services include comprehensive testing and troubleshooting.
18. Not Setting Up Google Analytics
Without tracking your visitors, you can’t measure the success of your site.
Consequences: Lack of data to inform your marketing strategies.
Solution: Install Google Analytics using a plugin like MonsterInsights. Synmek integrates analytics and reporting into all WordPress sites we manage.
19. Not Setting Up a Custom 404 Page
A 404 page is displayed when a user accesses a broken link, and a generic 404 page frustrates visitors.
Consequences: Poor user experience and potential loss of traffic.
Solution: Create a custom 404 page with helpful navigation links. Synmek designs engaging 404 pages that keep users on your site.
20. Neglecting Blog Maintenance
Many businesses start a blog but fail to maintain it with regular content.
Consequences: Missed opportunities for SEO and user engagement.
Solution: Publish consistent, relevant content. Synmek offers content marketing services to keep your blog active and optimised for search engines.
21. Using Inconsistent Branding
Inconsistent branding across your website confuses visitors and reduces trust.
Consequences: Weak brand identity and lower user engagement.
Solution: Maintain consistent colours, fonts, and messaging across your site. Synmek can help with brand design and website consistency.
22. Overloading with Too Many Ads
Overloading your site with ads can frustrate users and slow down your site.
Consequences: Poor user experience, higher bounce rates, and slower loading times.
Solution: Keep ads minimal and well-placed to balance user experience and monetisation. Synmek can advise on advertising strategies that work for your site.
23. Ignoring Accessibility Standards
Web accessibility is essential for providing equal access to all users, including those with disabilities.
Consequences: Excluding a significant portion of your audience and risking legal action.
Solution: Implement accessibility features such as keyboard navigation and alt text for images. Synmek ensures that the websites we develop meet accessibility standards.
24. Not Setting Up Automatic Backups
Relying solely on manual backups puts your site at risk of data loss.
Consequences: Loss of critical data in case of a crash or hack.
Solution: Use a plugin like UpdraftPlus to set up automatic backups. Synmek includes automatic backups as part of our WordPress maintenance plans.
25. Not Using a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
A CDN can speed up your site by serving content from servers closer to the user.
Consequences: Slow loading speeds for users located far from your server.
Solution: Use a CDN like Cloudflare to improve site speed. Synmek’s hosting plans include CDN integration for faster loading times.
26. Using Default Favicon
A favicon is the small icon that appears in browser tabs, and using the default WordPress icon can make your site look unprofessional.
Consequences: It weakens brand identity and can confuse users who have multiple tabs open.
Solution: Upload a custom favicon in your theme customizer or use a plugin like RealFaviconGenerator. Synmek can help design and implement a favicon that aligns with your brand.
27. No Image Alt Text
Image alt text is crucial for both accessibility and SEO, yet it’s often overlooked by site owners.
Consequences: Poor SEO performance and inaccessible content for visually impaired users.
Solution: Always add descriptive alt text to your images. Synmek optimises WordPress websites for accessibility and SEO, ensuring all content is user-friendly and search-engine optimised.
28. Not Using a Staging Site
Making changes directly on a live WordPress site can result in downtime or broken functionality.
Consequences: Broken site features or full-site crashes, leading to lost traffic and sales.
Solution: Use a staging environment to test updates and changes before pushing them live. Synmek offers staging site setups as part of our development and maintenance packages.
29. Ignoring Caching
Caching helps improve site performance by storing frequently accessed content. Many site owners fail to enable caching, leading to slower load times.
Consequences: Slow site performance, lower user satisfaction, and decreased SEO rankings.
Solution: Install a caching plugin like WP Rocket or enable caching through your host. Synmek can configure caching solutions that significantly boost site performance.
30. Using Poorly Optimised Themes
Many business owners opt for free or poorly coded themes, which can hurt performance and security.
Consequences: Slow site speed, security vulnerabilities, and limited customisation options.
Solution: Invest in a professionally developed theme or hire a WordPress designer like Synmek to create a custom, optimised theme that meets your business needs.
31. Neglecting Social Media Integration
Many websites fail to integrate social media properly, missing out on potential traffic and engagement.
Consequences: Less visibility for your content and lower user engagement.
Solution: Use social media plugins to embed feeds, share buttons, or integrate with social login options. Synmek can help ensure seamless social media integration to enhance your online presence.
32. Poor Use of Categories and Tags
Misusing categories and tags or not using them at all can create a poor user experience and impact SEO.
Consequences: Confusing site navigation and missed SEO opportunities.
Solution: Use categories for broad topics and tags for specific terms to organise your content effectively. Synmek can assist with proper content organisation for a better user experience and improved SEO.
33. Not Implementing GDPR Compliance
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires businesses to handle user data responsibly, but many ignore this.
Consequences: Legal penalties, loss of trust, and potential fines.
Solution: Ensure your website has a clear privacy policy, cookie consent forms, and data handling practices. Synmek can make sure your WordPress site is fully GDPR compliant.
34. Hard-Coding Instead of Using Plugins or Widgets
Hard-coding features directly into your theme instead of using plugins or widgets makes it harder to maintain and update your site.
Consequences: Complicated future updates and potential site-breaking issues.
Solution: Use plugins or widgets where possible for easier management. Synmek specialises in clean, maintainable code, ensuring easy future scalability.
35. Not Creating Custom Post Types
Business owners often shoehorn all content into standard blog posts or pages, limiting functionality.
Consequences: A messy content structure that’s hard to manage.
Solution: Use custom post types for more complex content like portfolios, products, or testimonials. Synmek can develop custom post types tailored to your business.
36. Not Optimising for Local SEO
Local SEO is crucial for businesses that serve a specific geographic area, yet many site owners neglect it.
Consequences: Missing out on local customers and appearing lower in local search results.
Solution: Optimise your content with local keywords, create a Google My Business profile, and use schema markup for local businesses. Synmek’s SEO experts can help optimise your WordPress site for local searches.
37. Not Using Lazy Loading for Images
Loading all images at once can slow down page speed, especially on image-heavy pages.
Consequences: Slow loading times and a negative impact on user experience and SEO.
Solution: Enable lazy loading to only load images when they come into view. Synmek can configure lazy loading for faster site performance.
38. Using Weak Passwords
Many business owners use weak or easily guessable passwords, leaving their site vulnerable to attacks.
Consequences: Higher risk of hacking or brute force attacks.
Solution: Use strong passwords and a password manager to generate and store them securely. Synmek can implement additional security measures like two-factor authentication (2FA) to safeguard your site.
39. Not Compressing Files
Large CSS, JS, and HTML files can slow down your website’s load times.
Consequences: Poor performance and slower loading speeds.
Solution: Minify and compress these files using plugins like Autoptimize or WP Rocket. At Synmek, we handle performance optimisation to ensure your site loads quickly.
40. Not Setting Up Proper Permalinks for Products
If you’re running an e-commerce site, using the default permalink structure for product pages can hinder SEO and user experience.
Consequences: Poor SEO performance and confusing URLs for users.
Solution: Set up clear, SEO-friendly permalinks for your products using the WooCommerce settings. Synmek’s e-commerce expertise ensures that your WordPress store is optimised for both users and search engines.
