How to Build a Database for Your WordPress Website
WordPress is among the most popular content management systems (CMS) in use today. It is a robust, open-source platform that is perfect for building websites. If you have a WordPress website, then you have access to a powerful database management tool called WordPress-SQLite. This tool can help you grow your business by allowing you to easily manage all of your website’s content, including posts, videos, and more across your entire content marketing strategy.
However, before you start building your WordPress database, there are a few things you should know.
The Importance Of Having A Secure WordPress Website
Any website that is accessible to the general public is considered to be a potential target for hackers and cybercriminals. If you are hosting your WordPress website on a shared hosting plan, then it is highly recommended that you invest in a premium SSL certificate to secure your site and encrypt your website’s traffic.
Why? Well, all traffic to your site will pass through a secure HTTPS connection which will also encrypt the personal data (such as credit card numbers) that you collect from your website’s visitors. So, in summary, https:// is the perfect way to keep the hackers away from your website and its content. As an extra measure of security, you should also look into locking down your WordPress website with a password. This way, even if a hacker gets access to your database, they will not be able to use it unless they know your password.
The Difference Between MySQL And SQLite
MySQL is a popular open-source database management tool developed by the MySQL group in 2008 that is currently supported by a worldwide community of developers and users. MySQL has been installed on over 16 million web servers globally and is often the choice of database for WordPress users due to its compatibility with the popular CMS. Despite all of this, not all websites need a database – some simple websites, for example, can be hosted exclusively off of a static website generator, such as Wix or SquareSpace.
SQLite is a powerful, open-source relational database management system (RDBMS) that was initially designed for iOS but has since found its way onto the desktop as well. A lot of people use SQLite because it is extremely lightweight and runs efficiently even on older devices. In addition, it is very easy to use and requires almost no training to get started (once you download it, that is).
Due to its lightweight nature and multi-platform compatibility, SQLite is often a better choice than MySQL for non-profit and personal websites as well as startups who are looking to save on hosting costs. When it comes to WordPress, SQLite is considered to be an ideal choice as it does not require the constant upgrade and maintenance that MySQL does. This is because WordPress is constantly being updated and improved upon, and due to its open-source nature, anyone can contribute to this endeavor.
What Platform Should You Host Your WordPress Website On?
If you are new to WordPress, then it is highly recommended that you host your website on a platform that is designed for running websites, such as Linux or Unix-based servers. In addition to this, the majority of web hosting providers now offer services that are dedicated to WordPress, so you will not have any trouble finding a provider that offers this option. Even better, many platforms allow you to install WordPress via their control panel, which means you can get up and running with minimal effort.
How Many Websites Should You Host?
The answer to this question depends on what you are striving for. Do you just want to have a simple blog that you update occasionally or are you looking to create a robust news website that you update on a regular basis?
For the purpose of this article, we will discuss the case for having multiple websites across different platforms. In 2020, Google’s Algorithms updated their rankings to favor multi-platform websites and those who own several websites. In addition to this, since the beginning of 2020, the search engine has increased the weighting of mobile-friendliness when calculating its algorithm.
Whether you intend on having a simple blog or a more robust website, having several platforms across which you can conduct business allows you to connect with potential customers or forum members on a broader scale. In this way, having several websites can help you attain maximum exposure and, as a result, grow your business.
The Database Name And Table Structure
As already mentioned, one of the things you need to do before you start building your WordPress database is to give it a suitable name. For the purpose of this article, we will use the blog name that you chose for your website (which, if you followed our previous articles, should be set to “publish” under the Settings tab).
Your database’s table name should reflect the content that you are storing in it. For example, if your blog primarily contains product reviews, then your table name should be something along the lines of “reviews”. In the same way, if your blog contains a section called “Resources”, then your table name should reflect this. In some cases, you may even decide to split your content into different tables if, for example, you have an “articles” table and a “resources” table – in this case, your articles table would contain the content that you publish on your blog, while the resources table would contain all of the content that you pull from third-party resources, such as guest posts and product reviews.
The WordPress Admin Login
As a WordPress user, you have the option of using either your email address or a unique username as your WordPress admin login. We will discuss what is the preferred option in the next section, but for now, let’s assume that you have chosen a username and not your email address. To access your WordPress dashboard, simply enter this login name in the space provided and click on the enter key.
Now that you are logged into your WordPress dashboard, you can start creating and editing content as you please. However, before you do, it is imperative that you take a few moments to configure your WordPress database so that it is at the same level of security as your other online accounts (such as your email account). To do this, click on the Tools button in the WordPress dashboard and select “Options” from the drop-down menu.
You will now be presented with several configuration options – let’s have a look at what each one does.
Admin SSL/TLS
This setting determines whether or not your WordPress database should be accessible via a secure connection (SSL/TLS) – not all web servers support this type of encryption, so you will need to check before you set this option.
When this option is set to Yes, then your admin area will be reachable only via a secure HTTPS connection – the safest and most recommended way to log in to your WordPress database.
Activate MySQL Full Text Search
This setting controls whether or not you want to enable MySQL’s full text search function – if you do not use this feature, then you will not be able to search for content within your database, which can significantly limit the utility of your database. Most people who use MySQL’s full text search function report that it is greatly improved their productivity – it allows them to find content easily and instantly as they type. So, if you use this feature, then set it to Yes.
Activate PHP MySQL Prepared Statements
This setting controls whether or not you want to enable PHP’s MySQL prepared statements feature – prepared statements are extremely helpful when interacting with a database, as they allow you to build queries (a series of instructions that tell the database how to search for content) efficiently and effectively. Without prepared statements, you will need to set up your queries one at a time, which can be both time-consuming and prone to errors.
Activate WordPress XML-RPC
WordPress XML-RPC (eXtensible Meta-Programming Tool for RESTful Protected Content) can be used to connect to your WordPress database remotely – this is very helpful if you want to update your WordPress database from another location, such as your desktop. Simply follow the on-screen instructions to set up a WordPress XML-RPC account with the corresponding API key and secret.
If you decide that this option is not for you, then leave it disabled. However, if you decide that this feature is helpful, then activate it and provide the corresponding API key and secret in the space provided.