If you are a web developer or a designer, then you know than even WordPress, in all its simplicity, requires some maintenance and further development. It is easy to launch a site, but much harder to keep it working properly over a longer period of time. In order to save time, developers use “shortcuts” (plugins), which save them a lot of time when developing a site.
Plugins are tools, which are designed to do a certain task for you, and all you need to do is to set them up (install & activate). For example, if you decide to move your content to another location, you’ll need to change the URL, as the old URL will be rendered as invalid. With the help of a simple redirect plugin, you can fix broken links and keep your content intact.
There are various plugins, and each of them is specially designed for a specific purpose. Plugins are useful, as you don’t need any coding or additional knowledge to use them. In this article, we will go through a list of useful tips & plugins that will make your WordPress development much easier.
WordPress Development: Resetting WordPress and Why?
Even though WordPress is simple and doesn’t require much time and effort, it can be frustrating or annoying to develop or maintain, but only if you don’t know what you’re doing or don’t have the right set of tools. Anyone can start a blog, but once you start adding more and more features and content, the site can get clogged up real fast, and thus require some maintenance.
Reasons for Resetting WordPress
- Rebuilding or repurposing the site
- Restoring a backup
- Cleaning the installation and or (leftover) content
Plugins used for Resetting WordPress are very useful for web owners, as they do it much quicker, saving you some valuable time that can be invested elsewhere.
This plugin can be used for various testing and/or debugging purposes, or simply, if you want to restore a backup. Resetting your WordPress site can improve security and increase its performance.
WP Reset – The Most Advanced WordPress Reset Tool
WP Reset is one of the highest-rated WordPress plugins, and it has more than 100,000 installations. The plugin is well-maintained, meaning you’ll get all the updates when they go live. This powerful plugin is compatible with WordPress version 4 or higher. Are you worried about the price? Have no worries as the plugin is free to use!
WP Reset’s specialty is quickly resetting your WordPress site’s database to its default values. You can get rid of unnecessary stuff, such as added themes, logos, backgrounds, etc. It has multiple fail-safe mechanisms, which make the plugin safe to use, keeping your files intact.
Furthermore, it is useful for testing and debugging purposes. For example, developers can try out different designs and easily revert undesired changes by quickly resetting the site with the plugin’s help, while saving valuable time.
WP Reset has the WPC Webhooks plugin integrated, which securely connects WP to 3rd party systems.
WP-CLI is also supported, but by default, you have to confirm the commands. Simply use “–yes” to skip the confirmation part. Before resetting your page, it is advised to back up your delicate files.
Officially Supported WP-CLI Commands:
“wp reset reset”
“wp reset version”
“wp reset delete”
“wp reset snapshots”
The most useful feature is that you can take database snapshots, and revert the settings to the desired snapshot if needed. Developers can save a lot of time by using this feature, as they don’t need to manually reactivate plugins and/or themes, because WP Reset reconfigures the environment to their desired settings.
You can create a list of WordPress themes and plugins, and when you select the list, the installation will start shortly after.
What is Redirecting & What Does It Do?
Redirects purpose is to send visitors and search engines to a new working URL, instead of the originally requested (non-working) URL, saving you time and effort, as you do not have to type in the new URL yourself.
The site’s content is stored in its database. Often, redirects are necessary, as content can expire or get removed.
If you have backlinks leading to external sites, these links can “disappear” at any time, as they aren’t stored in your database. Backlinks can “disappear” due to the server being down, or perhaps the content has been transferred to another location.
Once this happens, it is crucial to redirect your links to preserve your SEO & SER. By redirecting your content, your users will be able to access it, and you can say goodbye to 404 errors. Redirecting improves your SEO, SER & increases traffic numbers, while making sure your site’s content is safe.
Reasons for Redirecting:
- Changing the domain
- Changing the site name
- Changing URLs (backlinks)
- Merging two or more articles
- Maintaining pages
WP 301 Redirects
This WordPress plugin will manage your redirects with ease, while also improving SEO, SER, and the overall site responsiveness.
It is easy to use and even quicker to install. Manage redirections and/or fix 404 Errors, which are the two most overlooked SEO issues. Safely redirect backlinks after reposting content, or if the content expires, by redirecting your users to a new URL.
You can also use the plugin to redirect users to desired pages, posts, archives, or even other sites. By doing so, you will increase your traffic numbers and improve user experience. You can even redirect your whole site if you ever need to. If you want to improve SEO & SER, this is the safest way to relocate your web content. With the help of this WordPress plugin, users will be redirected to a new URL, making sure that your content is safe.
If you post empty content or leave broken links, your SEO, SER and traffic numbers will drop. This also affects how search engines and their algorithms see your site, which WP 301 Redirects can easily fix.
What Are Coming Soon Pages and What Is Their Use?
By creating a “Coming soon” page, you notify visitors of what you will post in that section. The informational design tells visitors what content they can find there after the launch, and the second part of the page can invite users to sign up for future updates. A proper “Coming Soon” hypes your visitors for future content and makes them come back to your site when it is up and running.
Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode Pages for WordPress
If you need a “Coming Soon” or a “Maintenance Mode” page, then look no further, as this plugin is perfect for such scenarios. It has many useful features and it won’t waste your valuable time, unlike some other complicated plugins out there. Coming Soon is easy to use and has themes, which fit your business.
Features
1 Million+ Free Images – high-quality images + Instagram filters
120+ Remarkable Themes – professional and fully customizable themes
Best-in-class SEO Setup – built-in tests help you rank higher in search results
Easy Access for Clients – Secret Access Link feature lets clients see their site while it is “under construction”.
SEO Snippet Preview – a real-time preview of how your site will show in search results
SEO Analysis – more than 20 tests on different aspects of SEO with actionable advice included
Google Analytics Tracking ID – see your site’s stats and track the site with Google Analytics
Themes
Preview and use themes from the plugin’s settings, without the need of any additional downloads – Complete list of themes
Design – Layout
Choose from 47 introductory animations
Design – Background
Choose from a static image background or an animated video background from more than 400,000 images, or upload your own content. If you want, you can set any background color instead of using images.
YouTube videos will be played, muted and looped upon adding them.
Design – Logo
Select logos from the Media Library, or use your own. You can easily change the logo size and customize it however you please.
User Switching
User Switching is a WordPress plugin that lets you swap between user accounts in WordPress with just a mouse click. This comes in handy for specific types of workflows, which require you to switch through multiple accounts, or when you are testing and/or debugging user privileges and roles. Easily switch back and forth between multiple user accounts.
Features
Switch user – switch to a desired user account from the Users screen
Switch back – switch back to your original account
Switch off – Log out of your account and keep the ability to switch back
Styleguide – Custom Fonts and Colors
Customize fonts and/or colors in WordPress themes directly through the Customizer. If you want to change your site’s appearance without any coding, this is the perfect solution. Choose from 45 Google Fonts and customize your site’s appearance.
It is a simple solution for changing fonts and colors of your site and it allows developers to add support for their themes as well. This plugin is open source, making it free to use.
Helpful Information
This WordPress plugin adds an element to the default admin bar which contains additional useful information about the currently viewed page. This being open-source software means that it is free for you to use.
Displayed Information:
Current post type
Current template file
All enqueued & registered scripts
All enqueued & registered styles
All included files
Conclusion
Nobody says that web development is easy, or that it can be done overnight. However, if you are running a reputable business, there is no place for rookie mistakes.
In order to properly run a business, web owners must know all the ins and outs of the said business, not to mention WordPress development. This means covering many, if not all, site aspects, such as SEO, SER & traffic numbers.
With the help of these plugins, you can easily develop and/or maintain your site yourself, and also save some money in the process. It is crucial for your business, that your site is in the correct order (optimized), as you don’t want to rank lower than your competition in search engines (Google, Bing, etc.).
