Whether you’re a WordPress developer just getting started or an experienced professional, there are some key strategies and practices you can use to make your development process more efficient and enjoyable. Discover how to develop with WordPress in a faster, easier, and more streamlined way by following the best practices outlined here.
Utilize Version Control.
Version control is essential to effectively managing your WordPress development workflow. Using version control practices allows you to safely track changes between different versions of your development project and make it easy to roll back to previous versions if needed. This can alleviate the risk of making catastrophic changes to the project that can’t be easily fixed. Services like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket are all useful for efficiently managing different versions of your projects.
Leverage WordPress-specific Tools and Services.
The WordPress open-source software community is vast and offers a wide range of tools to speed up your development effort. Plugins, themes, frameworks, and services like Advanced Custom Fields allow developers to quickly create custom functionality without needing to write code from scratch. Additionally, platforms like Cloud ways provide ready-to-use cloud hosting environments that are optimized for WordPress websites. Leveraging these tools and services can save time while also enhancing the value of what you produce.
Make Use of “Staging” Environments.
Before publishing your WordPress website to the public, you should always test it in a staging environment. A staging environment is a highly realistic duplicate of your production (live) environment that allows developers to make changes, monitor results, and test new features without disrupting the live site. Many hosting providers offer staging environments as part of their services so take advantage of this opportunity and make sure your developments are safe and reliable before you offer them to your users.
Focus on Security and Performance Optimization.
It is critical that you take security and performance optimization into account when developing WordPress. You should always stay up to date with the latest security fixes and patches, and make sure to test the performance of your site regularly. Additionally, using a WordPress security plugin helps minimize any potential risk by scanning for malicious codes or bugs. You can also optimize the performance of your website by utilizing caching technologies such as Cloudflare, PageSpeed Insights, and WP Rocket to improve your site’s loading time.
Choose Quality over Quantity when Selecting Plugins & Themes.
Quality over quantity is essential when selecting themes and plugins. It’s much better to use fewer, reliable, well-coded plugins and themes than to have a lot of different ones that could have performance implications on your site’s loading speed. When selecting plugins and themes, always read the reviews and compare different options before making your final decision. Additionally, make sure to update your WordPress website and plugin versions regularly to take advantage of bug fixes, security patches, or other new features within the latest releases.
