WordPress is easily the best web development platform around. Apart from being intuitive, WordPress is also versatile, affordable, and SEO-friendly. Do not be mistaken, though. Just because you are running a website using WordPress doesn’t mean it’s going to be an instant success. Keep in mind that there are countless websites you are competing with.

What’s more:

The number continues to grow day-by-day.

Hiring professionals like web designers and SEO specialists can help you get an edge over the competition. Understandably, not everyone has the time and resources for that extra manpower.

There’s no need to panic, though:

Even if you are taking on this venture alone, there are some things you can do to make the journey a lot easier.

Don’t Be Afraid to Make the Initial Investments

If you are going to be in the business for the long-term, you will need to make the right investments. The first thing you should invest in is a hosting site that’s dedicated to the WordPress website. A good example of this is WP Engine. It will provide you will all of the necessary tools to get your website up and running on the internet.

Next, you will need to strengthen your website’s security. You can use plugins like Better WP Security, but your defenses should start from the ground up. Help out cybersecurity solutions and plugins by being ready for any attack. Ready your backups, strengthen your passwords and update all your software. This way, attackers will have a harder time getting to your assets.

Lastly, try to invest in themes as well. Although there are many amazing looking free themes available, keep in mind that there might be a ton of other websites using them.

Here’s the thing:

The key is to stand out. Buy amazing premium themes from Elegant Themes, Thesis, and Genesis. This investment will do wonders for your website.

Publish Content Regularly

SEO is the primary reason why websites rank where they do on search engine results pages (SERP). There are, however, several ranking factors that determine how good a website’s SEO is.

Now:

Content is one of the three ranking factors, along with RankBrain and links. If you have done a little research on running a website, you may have come across the phrase “content is king.”

So, if you want to gain an edge over the competition, you may want to publish content on a regular basis. This doesn’t mean you should add posts every day just for the sake of having something new. Quality will always be important to your viewers, so make sure you revise, edit, and proofread before posting.

Understandably, not everyone can manage to release a new piece of content every day.

Here’s what you need to do:

If you want to have a constant stream of content while keeping the workload relatively light, you should try to schedule when you’ll publish content instead. You could go on an MWF basis or something similar. This can also help out your website visitors, as they know when to expect something new.

Use Yoast

Yoast is a handy tool for SEO management made by the people behind WordPress coding tips itself. It is a free plugin that you can use immediately, so you can optimize your content for SEO easily. While there are many tools and features readily available on Yoast, what you should be most interested in is its SEO Analysis.

Here’s the deal:

This tool lets you see whether or not your post has good SEO. Beyond that, it provides a list of possible changes you can make to improve its SEO standing. Using this guide, you can constantly publish posts with good SEO.

Get Hands-On With Social Media

Social media presence isn’t currently a factor when it comes to SEO.

However:

The truth is that the links on your Facebook and Twitter accounts do matter when it comes to getting clicks. You should build your social media presence at the same time as your website, as these two can go hand-in-hand.

You should post on your social media platforms just as you would on your website. As your follower base grows, it will share more and more links. While you’re at it, connect with your followers via the comments section on Facebook or via retweets on Twitter. Becoming more engaged with them will also help build your reputation online.

Optimize for Speed

Internet users value their time very much. They have no time for websites that take more than a few seconds to load. As the website owner, it is your job to ensure your website performs at its best at all times.

But there’s good news:

Doing so is fairly easy if you already know which areas you need to improve on.

High-quality images and videos are some of the reasons why websites load slowly. If this is your issue, use the Smush Image Compression and Optimization plugin. This useful tool will optimize all the images on your website by decreasing file size, therefore making your website load faster.

Aside from this, keep in mind that simplicity is key when it comes to web development. Avoid adding way too many complicated and heavy objects on your website. Your visitors will appreciate a better performance over visuals any day.

Manage Yourself Efficiently

Running a website may put a ton of pressure on you. Too much pressure can affect the quality of your work. Worse, it could hamper your website’s growth. Keep in mind that you’re the powerhouse behind your website, so you need to manage yourself more efficiently and not lose track of what you are doing.

The thing is:

You can use an array of tools to manage your time better. Something basic such as a pen and paper can already do wonders for you. You can also use management apps and recording apps so you don’t lose track of your ideas. By keeping yourself organized, you’ll be able to see which areas you need to improve on for your WordPress developer.