Functionality First for WordPress Websites

Bluehost taps Michelle Tresemer to Discuss Optimizing WordPress Websites

When Blue Host (a web host powering over 2 million domains) selects experts to weigh in on how to optimize WordPress sites, it’s no surprise they start with Michelle Tresemer. Tresemer, co-founder of Foundations First™ marketing, is gaining wide recognition for her practical, first-do-no-harm approach to digital marketing. One of her specialties is helping small B2B companies develop strategy and leverage skill sets and tight budgets so they can reach their audiences. When it comes to websites, Tresemer says address functionality first.

Websites stress out owners of small companies. And for good reason. Your website conveys first impressions–and quickly. Whether right or wrong, visitors form an opinion on a website’s visual appeal in 500 milliseconds. Seriously. No pressure.

So how is a small company to cope? After all, your B2B business lacks the big-money resources for web design and advanced HTML magic. Even so, in Bluehost’s “Experts Weigh in on How to Optimize Your Small Business WordPress Website For Success,” Tresemer and others pair down what to focus on into 4 areas:

• Website Functionality First
• Creating an extension of your brand
• Using original imagery
• Choosing the right plugins for your needs

1. Website Functionality First

Before you ensure your website is on brand, visually original, and utilizes the right plugins, Tresemer tells Bluehost readers to focus first on website functionality.

Keep your WordPress website user-friendly.

Tresemer reminds readers that the “ultimate goal of your WordPress website is to make a sale.” Instead of getting caught up in eye-candy design, keep it user-friendly. Michelle adds “…the way to stand out is in performance and functionality.” It’s best to “start with a fast, functional website. Keep it simple with minimal bells and whistles.”

2. Your Website is an Extension of Your Brand

Your brand operates within an industry. If your B2B caters to the fashion industry, then design counts. If your brand seeks clients in the tourist industry, make sure it’s welcoming and visually interesting. That, of course, means you keep your website on brand by building it so your target audience will want to be there.

3. Invest in Original Visuals for Your Website

Stock photos scream inexperience. Don’t let your visuals look generic. Invest in original and custom photography. Sure, you’re using a template to create your website, but don’t advertise that fact with ho-hum pictures. Consider using real team members and/or clients for your photos. Bottom line: make your site more visually unique by making it more personal.

4. A Few Good Plugins Matter

Don’t overlook the importance of utilizing the right plugins to manage SEO, website performance, content management, and social media. David Alexander of Mazepress, reminds readers that security plugins like Wordfence are essential. Not only is security a concern of your customers, but a secure website can help you rank better in relevant searches.

Tackle SEO with a user-friendly plugin like Yoast.

And speaking of SEO, Tory Gray, CEO and Digital Market Strategist at The Gray Dot Company adds that plugins like Yoast can help you optimize your website’s SEO, performance, content management, and social media. “[Yoast is] like your own personal SEO coach that is there to help you follow SEO best practices. You can edit meta descriptions, write keyword-rich copy, add schema markup, and more to capture those elusive clicks to your website.”

Trying to dig your way out of scattered and unsure marketing? We can help.

As you work to optimize your small business WordPress website, less is more. That’s actually one of Foundations First’s mantras, for it underscores the need to focus around goals and keep things simple that should be simple. That’s certainly true of websites.

Less is more and keeping things simple are harder than it sounds on paper. But if you’re trying to dig your way out of scattered and unsure marketing practices, we can help. Like your website, your marketing should be clear, confident, and strategic. If you’re not there, we’d love to talk to you about how you can get a solid grasp on your marketing. We’re not here to sell you a website; we’re here to help you figure out what’s not working and fix it. So before you go out and have a new website designed at great expense, let’s talk!

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