You’ve taken the leap and started your WordPress journey – fantastic! It’s a powerful and flexible platform, but like learning to drive, there are a few common pitfalls that new users often tumble into. Don’t worry, it’s all part of the learning curve!
To help you navigate these initial bumps, we’ve compiled a list of the top five common mistakes beginners make when first working with WordPress. By being aware of these, you can save yourself a lot of frustration and ensure your website gets off to a smooth start.
Let’s dive in and learn from others’ missteps!
1. Neglecting Backups – The “Oh No!” Moment You Don’t Want
The mistake: This is arguably the biggest and most painful mistake beginners make. You pour hours into creating content, tweaking your design, and then suddenly, disaster strikes. A plugin conflict, a rogue line of code, or even a simple hosting issue can wipe out your entire site. Without a backup, all that hard work is gone.
How to avoid it: Back up your website religiously! Seriously, make it a habit from day one. As we mentioned in our previous blog, a plugin like UpdraftPlus is your best friend here. Set it to automatically back up your entire site (files and database) to a remote location like Google Drive or Dropbox. Think of it as your digital insurance policy – you hope you never need it, but you’ll be eternally grateful if you do.
2. Ignoring Updates – Leaving the Door Open to Trouble
The mistake: You’ll see those little notification bubbles in your WordPress dashboard. “Update WordPress.” “Update plugin.” “Update theme.” It’s tempting to ignore them, especially if everything seems to be working fine. However, neglecting updates is a significant security risk and can lead to compatibility issues and performance problems down the line.
How to avoid it: Always keep your WordPress core, themes, and plugins updated. Developers release updates for a reason: to fix bugs, improve performance, and most importantly, patch security vulnerabilities. Before updating, always perform a backup (see mistake #1!). For minor WordPress core updates, you can often enable automatic updates. For themes and plugins, check their compatibility with your WordPress version and other installed plugins before proceeding.
3. “Plugin Overload” and Installing Untrusted Plugins – More Isn’t Always Better
The mistake: WordPress has a plugin for almost everything, and it’s exciting to explore all the possibilities! However, new users often go overboard, installing dozens of plugins for every minor feature. This “plugin overload” can slow down your site, create conflicts between plugins, and even introduce security vulnerabilities if you’re installing from untrusted sources.
How to avoid it: Be selective and strategic with your plugins. Ask yourself if you really need a particular feature before installing a new plugin. Prioritize plugins that offer core functionality (like SEO, security, backups, and forms – as discussed in our previous blog!). Always download plugins from the official WordPress.org plugin directory or from reputable developers. Check reviews, active installations, and last updated dates before clicking “Install.” Less is often more when it comes to plugins.
4. Overlooking Permalink Structure – SEO’s First Steps
The mistake: When you first set up WordPress, the default permalink structure (how your URLs are formatted) might be something like yourwebsite.com/?p=123. This isn’t user-friendly or search engine-friendly. Many beginners launch their site without customizing this, missing a crucial early SEO win.
How to avoid it: Change your permalink structure early on! Go to Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard. The most recommended and SEO-friendly option is “Post name” (e.g., yourwebsite.com/your-post-title/). This makes your URLs clean, readable, and includes keywords, which helps search engines understand your content. It’s best to set this before you start creating a lot of content, as changing it later can affect existing links and SEO (though it’s fixable with redirects).
5. Using “Admin” as Your Username and Weak Passwords – An Open Invitation to Hackers
The mistake: This is a basic security oversight that far too many beginners make. The default WordPress installation often suggests “admin” as a username. Using this, or other common names like “administrator” or your site’s name, combined with a weak password, is like leaving your front door wide open for hackers.
How to avoid it: Never use “admin” or other easily guessable usernames. When you create your WordPress account, choose a unique and complex username that isn’t easily associated with you or your website. More importantly, always use strong, unique passwords that combine uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Consider using a password manager to generate and store these secure passwords. Implement a security plugin like Wordfence to further harden your site’s login security.
Learn, Adapt, and Conquer!
Starting with WordPress is an exciting adventure, and making a few mistakes along the way is perfectly normal. By being mindful of these common beginner blunders, you’ll set yourself up for a much smoother and more successful website building experience. Take your time, experiment, and remember that the WordPress community is vast and ready to help! Happy building!