by Anastazsia Hall | Dec 1, 2021 | Uncategorized
WordPress is one of the most popular website platforms out there, accounting for approximately 64.1% of all websites on the internet. That’s a lot of websites! But, that also means there are a lot of websites that aren’t being maintained quite as often as they should be. While WordPress is an incredible and powerful platform, it does need some manual maintenance from you to keep it operating as it should.
So, what do you need to do to keep your WordPress site in tip-top shape? Follow these 6 top tips:
6 Tips for Keeping Your WordPress Site in Tip-Top Shape
- Clean Your Database Monthly
Cleaning your database can be daunting, especially if you are worried that you might accidentally delete something you shouldn’t. However, having lots of things on your website that you don’t really need (such as data from unused plugins) will slow it down, and site speed is more important than ever. Rather than trying to this on your own, try using a performance plugin such as WP Rocket or WP Optimize to do it for you.
One of the biggest benefits of using WordPress is the ease of using plugins, but it’s incredibly easy to download and install numerous plugins that all do the same thing until you find one you like, and then leave the rest sitting there. This takes up “room” that can, again, slow your site down, so go through your plugins once a month and clear out the old plugins that no longer work for you.
3. Update Your Plugins & Theme
Once a month, take a look at your plugins and your theme to check for updates. These updates keep everything working as it should and may even give you new features, so it’s well worth putting on your to-do list each month.
A lot of what you’re doing here is to improve site speed, so it’s well worth checking how your site is performing. You can simply google “site speed check” for a few options, but Google’s own “Google Test My Site” is one of the best.
Broken links can effect your SEO (search engine optimization) rankings in more ways than one. Not only do search engines not recommend links that lead nowhere, but if your visitors are landing on pages that constantly 404 (aren’t there), they’ll quickly leave your site.
Check for broken links on your site and either remove them or set up a redirect to another page. Again, you can find a bunch of free tools for this, but Dead Link Checker is a good once to use. If you need to set up redirects, WP Beginner has a great guide here.
- Make Sure Your Site is Protected
Cyberattacks and malware are becoming more sophisticated with time, and so you need to do what you can to make sure your site is protected. Wordfence is one of the best tools available to do this – it protects your WordPress site from a massive range of attacks and keeps your site secure at all times.
We know this is a lot to keep a handle on, especially for busy small business owners. That’s why we offer full website maintenance services to keep your WordPress site healthy, lean, and secure! To find out more about our services, click here.
by Anastazsia Hall | Nov 1, 2021 | Uncategorized
Fonts are an essential part of branding; it’s how we identify companies without even seeing an image of their products. Think of the iconic red Coca-Cola logo or the Avant-Garde font used for Adidas’ marketing. Each brand’s font makes an immediate impression on the customer, so it’s important to be consistent when it comes to building your brand.
But it’s not just the logo font that matters. Everything form your headlines to your body copy font matters. It’s common for new businesses just to default to whatever their website theme is set to, or pick whatever font they feel like that day for their copy or advertisements, but this can be a big mistake.
Why? Read on to find out.
Why limit the number of fonts you use?
In general, using more than three types of fonts will dilute any brand and make any blog post or website home page look unpolished and disorganized. The reader might not realize why the website isn’t pleasing to look at, but it’ll likely be because the various fonts will have to fight for attention.
While it may be tempting to select four or five fonts to mix it up, limit yourself to one “main” font, one secondary font, and a body font.
You want to create a clean and uncomplicated look for your brand, free of clutter and visual confusion. It might feel a little restrained to limit your font use, but you can still create contrast using typefaces within the same font family. Instead of using various fonts, focus on creating variety in the weights and sizes you choose.
Knowing the various types of font families (categories) can help when it comes to choosing the right ones. Each font category has its own traits, so it’s important to understand these categories when selecting the fonts that suit your brand personality. Knowing a little about font psychology will also help you hone in on the right font for your unique needs.
Limiting your fonts to just 3, or less, will help your brand gain clarity, look professional, and will help you create brand consistency across all channels – every web page and advertisement will look on-brand.
How do you choose the best fonts for your brand?
Building a brand isn’t easy – it’s not just about whether it looks “good”, but it also needs to attract the right customers, convey your values, and set the tone for everything you do.
The ideal brand fonts should:
- Be legible in general and on every platform
- Be memorable and unique (no copying your favorite companies – you’ll just remind customers of the other company, even if they’re in a different vertical)
- Reflect your brand personality
- Come from a font family so you have similar weights to choose from
- Align with your industry or how you are different if your aim is to stand out
- Attract your ideal customers
Your logo or headline font will often be the most artistic, but it still needs to be easy to read. Avoid using any font that takes people a moment or two to decipher, as this can turn people away. Your body font should be easy to read, so avoid cursive fonts. Remember to take your time to find the right fonts for your brand. Once you’ve found three that work for you, you can stick with them for years—or even decades—to come!
Feel unsure?
If you’re looking for a helping hand when it comes to font choice, web design, and overall branding, Pixel Parfait is here to help. We offer each new customer a design consultation to discuss current branding and services they’re looking for so we can evaluate the client’s style. We can help guide you through the process of choosing your fonts and ensure you choose fonts that align perfectly with your brand.
Click here to learn more about our full range of services.
