How to See How Much Traffic Your Website Gets in WordPress
WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) available. It has been estimated that over 28% of the world’s websites use WordPress. This makes it the second most popular CMS behind only Google’s own Blogger platform.
The main reason behind WordPress’ popularity is its extremely simple yet effective interface, which allows any user to create a professional-looking website with just a few clicks.
However, despite its simplicity, WordPress has an effective system in place to prevent spam and hacks (i.e. illegal activities aimed at using a website for financial or marketing gain). When using WordPress, it is extremely important to understand how the platform works and how to properly secure your installation.
The Basics of WordPress
At its core, WordPress is a platform for websites. It is very similar to other Content Management Systems (CMS), such as Joomla and Drupal. However, despite its simplicity, WordPress is far more effective and popular than most other platforms.
When initially setting up a new WordPress website, there are a few basic things you need to do. First, you need to make sure that you have a domain name (e.g. my-site.com) for your website. You can purchase a domain name from one of the popular domain registrars such as Bluehost, which provides cheap and reliable hosting services.
To create a new WordPress website, you first need to select a Template (i.e. the general layout and design of your website) from one of the many available WordPress Themes. You should select a theme that is suitable for general website use and does not have any unique features (e.g. parallax scrolling or advanced custom widgets) that might make it more suitable for a particular type of site (i.e. a magazine or blog).
Once you have selected a theme, you can start customizing the appearance of your site by adjusting the colors, adding additional features (e.g. a contact form or social media links), and changing the fonts.
Why is WordPress Suitable for My Site?
WordPress is the perfect solution for anyone looking for a simple and free solution to create a professional-looking website. Not only is WordPress extremely easy to use, but it also has a vibrant and active community of developers and designers who are willing to help you get your site up and running as quickly as possible.
Along with its ease of use and community support, WordPress also provides a diverse set of functions that allow you to fully customize your site to meet your needs. For example, you can install a free WordPress plugin such as Shorten URL which automatically creates short, clickable links from long URLs. You can use these links on your site to let your readers easily navigate to your content.
WordPress also provides you with all the tools you need to build a community around your website. You can use various social media platforms (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, and Google+), along with your site’s RSS feed, to keep up with and interact with your readers.
WordPress Security: How to Secure My Site
One important reason why WordPress is so popular is because it provides an effective system for website security. Unlike most other CMS’s, WordPress doesn’t just provide you with a platform to build your site; it also takes care of the security for you. This means that as a website owner, all you need to do is focus on building your site and attracting potential customers.
When it comes to security, there are three things you need to focus on:
Strong Passwords
If you use the same password for multiple websites or accounts, it is extremely easy for hackers to gain access to your personal data (e.g. email, credit card details, etc.).
To protect your site against unnecessary security breaches, you should always use a strong password that is between 8 and 63 characters long and includes numbers, lowercase letters, and uppercase letters.
You should also be sure to regularly change your passwords, particularly if you use the same password for multiple accounts. This will help ensure that your personal data is not compromised in the event that a hacker manages to get access to one of your accounts.
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
This is a security measure that requires you to enter a code (typically sent to your phone via text message or email) in addition to your password. It is often seen as a stronger and more reliable form of authentication than just using a password alone.
By requiring more steps, it is less likely that a hacker will be able to gain access to your account. It also means that if your phone is stolen or lost, the thief will have to break into several additional accounts in order to make any withdrawals or move money.
SSL / TLS
If you are selling products online, you should always use secure socket layer (SSL) or transport layer security (TLS) when creating your online stores. SSL and TLS are protocols that allow websites to communicate securely over the Internet and prevent hackers from gaining access to your personal data.
With TLS, all data transferred between a website and its visitors’ browsers is encrypted, ensuring that your personal information is not accessible to any third parties. In addition, websites using HTTPS are typically ranked higher by search engines than those that use HTTP, so it is often seen as a sign of prestige to have an HTTPS-verified site.
As mentioned previously, WordPress takes care of all the security for you, meaning that as a site owner, all you need to do is focus on building your site. This is why it is important to understand how WordPress works and what features it provides to help protect your site.
If you have any further questions about security or just want to learn more, feel free to contact me directly.