When you first install WordPress, usually via your hosting control panel, it feels like a fresh start. But it’s often not as fresh as you think. 

Whilst nearly every hosting company now offers one-click WordPress install apps, and this is a good thing, most hosting companies also install WordPress using their own recommended setup. 

This can sometimes include a bunch of themes, plugins and settings that you don’t need or want. 

Considering outdated themes and plugins are the number one WordPress security risk, why hang onto unused files that still need updating even if you’re not using them. Who needs to do more work, right?

After an install, I usually spend the first 5 minutes cleaning up and getting organised and I suggest you do the same. Here are my top tips.

1. Delete any unwanted themes

Apart from the theme you plan to use, the only other theme that should be sitting in your Appearance > Themes area, is the most recent default theme from WordPress itself. It’s currently Twenty Twenty-Two.

It’s useful to keep a copy of the latest default theme to hand for troubleshooting errors, but you certainly don’t need to keep any of the previous default themes. I’m looking at you, TwentyNinteen.

2. Delete any unwanted plugins

Most hosting companies load a couple of plugins during the WordPress install. They range from really useful (Loginizer login security plugin) to optional (Akismet spam blocker) to intrusive and annoying (yes you, Jetpack).

You don’t have to use any of them just because your hosting company says so. Have a look at what each plugin does and decide if that plugin is there to help you or help them or both. 

Also, check out alternatives to the widely used (and installed) plugin, Akismet. It’s a brilliant plugin that stops all comment spam but it’s not free and I see that it sits, inactive, on many people’s sites. Instead, check out the free and effective, Anti-Spam Bee. 

A good example is the Siteground Optimization plugin that loads with every install. If you’re not planning to install any kind of speed or caching plugin, then the Siteground plugin does a great job keeping your site speedy. If you’re a more advanced user, you might find there is some overlap with your preferred caching plugin.

3. Set your permalinks

A permalink refers to the structure of all of the page urls in your website. Rather ridiculously, the default permalink structure set by WordPress out of the box defaults either the ‘Plain’ or ‘Day & Name’ option, which includes the page id number and, for blog posts, the year, month or day.

Once upon a time, it used to be considered helpful for SEO to include the date in your permalinks, in order to show how well-established your site was. This hasn’t been the case for some time, and it fact, having permalink and urls in your site that aren’t easily readable can actively harm your Google ranking. 

So head over to Settings > Permalink and set your links to Post Name. This will suit 99% of WordPress users. Do it first to avoid changing the permalink structure later when your website has been indexed.

*Important note*. If your site has been up and running for some time and you want to change the permalinks, make sure you use a redirection plugin to let Google know that your old pages haven’t disappeared but simply changed.

4. Declutter Your Dashboard Areas

Often when I log into WordPress websites to help people, I find the dashboards full of so many apps and notifications that it makes me anxious. And when you get into editing at page level, having so many active areas to review can start to give you a headache.

Many people overlook the hidden-away ‘Screen Options’ tab, but it’s the key to a streamlined workspace and allows you to hide and reveal functions and screen area with one click. 

On the home dashboard, get rid of things you are never going to read, like the Welcome Notice or WordPress Events. You can even fill these spots with handy tools that you really do need. I really like the plugin, Ultimate Dashboard, which lets you replace the WordPress dashboard widgets with your own set of useful quick-link widgets. Or, if more than one person edits your website, Dashboard Notes allows you to leave post-it-style notes for yourself or share them with other users.

At page and post level, the Screen Options area allows you to toggle off advanced page editing functions, plugin areas and more. And if you can’t find a particular functionality, then chances are that it’s been toggled off. The most common item to ‘go missing’ is the Comments / Discussions area, which can be toggled on and off in the Screen Options area. 

Find it at the top right of any WordPress editing screen.

5. Make it personal

You can spot a new website a mile off if it’s still got the default tagline, ‘Just Another WordPress Site’.

Even if you’re not ready to dive into your SEO strategy just yet, it’s good practise to change the Site Title and Tagline in the Settings > General area. Doing this will make you feel right at home!

A word of warning though, don’t ever be tempted to change your site address in the address box (eg. changing http to https). 

This will make a change that takes your site offline and which can only be fixed by logging into your database. Believe me, you don’t need that hassle!

Finally, head to the Users > Your Profile area and set up your nickname display and fill out your bio. Google actively checks if your bio has been completed and notes it as positive confirmation that your site has been created by a real person rather than a spammy robot. 

In the Your Profile area, you can also enable the Toolbar to show on the front end (if you’re not doing this already, it will change your life!) and you can even choose your own colour scheme.

Remember this is your website – no one can tell you what to do!

If you’d like to join an inspiring online community, you can find out more about Melissa’s online membership, The Marketing Fix, at www.themarketingfix.co.