You have a new WordPress website. Now what?

Going through the development process is a lot of work. Once you are ready to go, you run through my Quick and Easy Website Review Checklist before launching.

Now, you’ve come out the other side and have a beautiful WordPress website for your business. You are proud of how everything looks and operates. But now what?

Hit The Ground Running

Once your WordPress website is live, the challenging work begins. Unfortunately, many underestimate the steps required for long-term success.

Nothing online happens overnight or by osmosis. This means you have to do what you have to do. You’ll need to learn, process, and do. Consistently. For the foreseeable future.

You worked hard to ensure your website is unique, but how many other sites rank for your keyphrases? Search to view your already-ranked competition, and acknowledge that they are already in those slots.

As a result, you have to hit the ground running.

Tips for Your New WordPress Website

Here are the things to double-check or get in place to ensure your website is humming.

Secure Your Website

You must have security measures in place, including 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication). The last thing you want is to have your website hacked or compromised if you haven’t already installed Wordfence.

Without a robust security protocol in place, you are asking for trouble.

Get Your Email Setup

When you set up your new website, in Settings > General, you should have changed your Administration Email Address to use your website’s domain name, for example, em**********@*********te.com.

Using your website domain email address is more secure and reliable than using a 3rd-party email address. Doing so will also help ensure you receive all WordPress system emails and receive them.

For example, set up an email website@ for that purpose. This way, any emails you receive to website@ you know were sent by your website.

You also want to create templates for quick responses and ensure you have the folders to keep your email communications organized. So here are some Business Email Organization Tips.

Do not underestimate the impact of using proper email etiquette in your business communications on setting you apart from perceived competitors in a positive way.

Many think these are the same. Unfortunately, they aren’t, because they require two different permissions from the people who sign up.

Newsletter sign-ups indicate that the subscriber permits you to email them at any time. However, it is always best to be clear about that. Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly? Newsletter subscribers also assume that your email will include things you can commercially gain from.

RSS is baked into WordPress and is easy to set up. My RSS sign-up is in the right sidebar.

RSS subscriptions allow folks to get an automated email update when you add a new post to your WordPress website. That’s it—that’s all they are signing up for. They can’t be added to your newsletter or any other list. Don’t be a spammer.

Check Your Rankings for Your Keyphrases

How do you know where you rank (if at all) for your targeted keyphrases? Unfortunately, searching for yourself is not the best approach. Google customizes search results based on your history and location. (It is better to use a private/incognito window.)

What about folks who don’t know you exist? That’s why it is essential to check the keyphrases you are targeting and how you are being found at least once a month, so you can stay on top of any up or down movement and adjust accordingly.

When I tracked my website, I used SEMrush to track my keywords, conduct competitive research, and gain additional business intelligence.

COMMENTARY: With AI results now appearing at the top of Google, can we realistically rely on free/organic rankings at all? Probably not.

Get Google Analytics Setup

Setting up GA is pretty straightforward. Once you set up your account, paste the provided tracking code snippet into your theme.

I use Kadence and added that snippet in Appearance > Customize > Custom Scripts. Most themes include an area for GA code, too. The sooner you get that in place, the sooner you accumulate data.

Create Your Editorial Calendar

Most site owners rarely consider having an editorial calendar. However, whether you are using a plugin or an off-site calendar, having one in place can help keep you on track.

For example, in your Editorial Calendar, you can note holiday post ideas (and sales if you are doing eCommerce), when to post them, and when to update or remove them afterward. Whenever you get an idea for website content, put it on your calendar.

I recommend adding content regularly, once a week, to enhance your SEO efforts and demonstrate to customers that you are knowledgeable. Think of it as building a repository for everything about your business and showing what it’s like to do business with you.

You can also jot down the topics to post about in the future, whether based on new business intelligence, customer inquiries, or current events. Again, having a plan to create valuable and profound content is crucial.

Most importantly, regularly adding quality content will help build your experience, expertise, authority, and trust (E-E-A-T) factors with site visitors and search engines.

Check Your Site Performance

Many online tools can give you a window into your website’s performance metrics. Select one you are comfortable with, then regularly inspect various areas of your site.

Google requires your website to load in 2 seconds flat. So, do your best to meet that challenge.

Review Customer Inquiries

At the end of each month, go to your inquiries folder in your email program and review all the queries you received. Do you notice that the same questions are being asked? If so, create a post on that topic and add those questions to your FAQ.

You do have an FAQ, don’t you? If not, why not?

Your website inquiries are a goldmine of information. They can guide you on what your customers need to know and how you can improve your site.

From an SEO perspective, you’ll also gain insight into the terms and phrases your customers use that you may not have considered optimizing for.

Bookmark Competitor Websites

Business intelligence is crucial for ensuring that your site stays current with trends and remains relevant. Create a bookmark folder to file the sites you consider the best in your space.

Watch those sites; see what they do. Do you see something you can do better or differently?

Set Your Website “To Do” Calendar

I use Google Calendar to plan my workdays. Then, I set reminders that remain visible until I check them as done and move on to the next day.

Every morning, I check my calendar for the day. Then, before I leave the office, I look at it to see what will happen the next day. On Fridays, I review the week ahead. On the first of each month, I review the upcoming month.

Use your calendar to schedule all the necessary and critical tasks noted in this article. Then follow through.

Work Your Website

Your beautiful new WordPress website will forever be a work in progress. Your mission is to gain exposure, attract new subscribers, explore new opportunities, and stay up to date with technology.

Forget passive and think proactive.

At your service,