Since our main focus is WordPress here (maybe that changes this year)…I thought I would write a little article on some of the resources I use whenever I am showing people how to make a wordpress website.

This isn’t the most comprehensive list and I am writing this on the go…but off the top of my head, these are the things I suggest you look into or have for your website if you are new to making a website.

Contact Form

There are a few different plugins to choose from, but one of my favorites is the Wpforms Contact plugin (and the Contact Form 7 plugin).

The reason why you should have a contact form or multiple contact forms integrated into your wordpress website is because it gives people the opportunity to reach out to you and ask a question or get in touch.

Some businesses seem to think that they can just put a phone number up and people will call them if a website visitor has question or wants to do business. But I think this logic is flawed. We like convenience. We like less friction. And for some of us, using a phone and calling isn’t the easiest and best way to get in touch any more.

Just remember, if you let people contact you via email, you gotta reply back or you’re just going to annoy people 🙂

Google Analytics

Having a website is one thing. Understanding where your visitors are coming from is another. We want to make sure we can target our content and website so that we reach the right audience.

There are a variety of plugins out there that will give you an idea of where your visitors are coming from. My favorite is Google Analytics. It will show you the keywords people are searching, where people are finding your website and where they are located. Best of all, it will show you which pages are being viewed and how long they are viewing the pages and if they are dropping off or clicking on different links on your wordpress website.

Make sure you definitely understand the analytics of your website so you can understand who is coming.

Cache Plugin

Speed is key. You want to make sure your website loads quickly. And the best way to do that is by having a cache plugin to store your content so it loads faster.

I think a lot of them are created the same way. I’ll link you o a few of them because I haven’t tested them all but normally I would choose W3 Total Cache since its the one I’ve used the most.

So There You Have It

There are plenty of other plugins that are worth adding to your wordpress website but these are the main ones or types that you should consider.

Everyone will have a different view on what’s important and what’s not but I think these are essential in order to really run a website the best way possible.

Let me know what you guys think!