WordPress is the most popular blog/website platform with a bevy of free “themes” that let anyone design a gorgeous site in a snap (really). In fact, a lot of so-called web designers simply plug in the information a client wants into a WordPress platform, upgrades the URL to a .com (or whatever) instead of a .wordpress.com for $18 per year (billed to the client, of course) and then charges an arm and a leg for updates, even when it takes less than one minute to change the meta description. The vast majority of small businesses, especially those that don’t need mega safeguarding (like financial institutions) can at least start with a WordPress site.
However, there are many things you can do yourself to manage WordPress that you don’t need a “web designer” for. In fact, the basics of WordPress might even be discussed should you bring in a business services consulting firm or you’re chatting with your mentor. Some shady techies, like those “web designers”, bank (literally) on the fact that a lot of people are intimidated by technology and web design. There’s obviously a learning curve with WordPress, but here are a few things even Luddites should be capable of:
1. Creating new pages
Where those pages are located on the site depends on the theme you choose (although most will be in the “nav bar” at the top or sides of the website). In the Admin section of your WordPress site, which is always available when you’re logged in at the top left corner as “WP Admin”, simply hover over “Pages” then select “Add New” (or any other changes you’d like to make). You’ll be brought to a simple page where there’s a title, room for content, and many other self-explanatory bells and whistles you can add as necessary.
2. Making/updating tags
“Tags” are always an option when in the Admin side of your Pages. This is what makes your website “rank” when people are checking out the latest WordPress pages. You want your tags to be relevant and reach the best, widest audience for your business. This is especially crucial with “Posts”, which are often used on the blog part of your Pages. You might be a local pet food supplier, but when a post is about something relevant but not necessarily on other Pages, you want to make sure it gets ranked for new-to-you keywords.
3. Change content
Obviously some of your content might be evergreen, but others could change on a regular basis. Check out Distilled’s tips for evergreen content, which can be a great way to grow your business, but don’t be afraid to shake things up on internal pages (even your homepage can be updated to include snippets of the latest news!). Too often, businesses feel “stuck” with the content they’re given because they don’t want to pay $100 (or whatever your web designer’s hourly fee is) just to change a single line. Regularly updating your content and keywords will help you rank better in Google and other search engines.
4. Add images/videos
You can do this on any page or post, and Wix can help you make sure the images are of the highest quality. Simply click the “Add Media” button at the top of any Page or Post, then select “Upload images”. Make sure you also include a caption and cite any resource that you may have curated the image/video from. Stock photos are hit and miss, so try Flickr’s Creative Commons for copyright-legal images.
The most you play with WordPress, the more comfortable you’ll get (and ultimately the more you’ll save in your web designer budget).