5 Tips to Prepare for a New WordPress Site

Although WordPress was initially created as a platform for bloggers, it has grown into one of the most popular websites for artists, business owners, writers, and more.

Because of its ease of use, affordability, and array of themes and plugins, companies all over the world are turning to WordPress for their professional website needs.

Getting started on your own WordPress website is relatively simple, but the following tips will help you prepare beforehand:

Figure Out What Layout and Color Scheme You Want: There are thousands of professionally-created themes you can choose from on WordPress.

Take the time to peruse as many as you like to get an idea of the type of layout you want your website to have. Do you want a header at the top, sidebar menu and one column for content? Do you want one or two navigation bars? How many columns do you want for information?

For color schemes, many businesses will typically choose their store or brand colors, but feel free to also decide on something that’s eye-catching yet appropriate for your industry. The colors you choose say something to your audience as well. Younger audiences like bright colors; purple symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition.

Decide What Type of Content You Want on Your Page: It’s a good idea to decide on the type of content you want on your page beforehand so that you’ll have a description in mind of how you want your website to be.

For example, you’ll probably want to create content on your services, products, business hours, location, and any frequently asked questions. Additionally, however, think about blog topics, industry-relevant tips, and tutorial content that would benefit your website.

Decide How Blog Posts Will be Laid Out: Blogs are an important part of a business website and should be placed prominently so that consumers can easily find it. Once you’ve figured out your layout design, choose a space in the layout that would be ideal for your blog posts.

Some companies choose to place their blog posts on a sidebar of the main webpage while others place them at the top. Wherever you decide to place your blog posts, make sure that it’s easy for others to access.

Decide if You Want a Sidebar: A sidebar is a unique way to prominently place important information on the left-hand or right-hand side of a website.

A sidebar can be used to categorize your blog posts, but it can also be used to put your product information, archives, and photos in order.

In addition, sidebars provide a place for your widgets, such as calendars, social network sharing, and more.

Decide Who Will Design Your Site: WordPress has several different themes to choose from. However, if you need a site customized specifically how you want it, you’ll need to decide on a web designer, preferably a professional who is experienced in WordPress design.

We primarily use the Genesis framework with either a Studiopress or Web-Savvy child theme. Doing so gives us the confidence that the sites we develop have quality code.