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The Perfect Website#

Reminder:

Zero budget beginner: There are free options, you can bootstrap it! There are several options:

  • free WordPress account - forced ads, no plugins, no control, forced environment
  • free website builders and 3rd party platforms - like this one

Even if you're "advanced" with tech... Stick to the basics. Go with a simple solution that just works!

Expert & great with tech: Keep it simple. (I've been down many rabbit holes... In the end, the simplest option always wins - because it gets the job done and doesn't break quickly.)

WordPress Quickstart Guide#

  • best option: managed WordPress hosting (like Siteground)
  • keep it simple / manageable
  • keep it lean (reduce plugins and customizations to the bare minimum...)
  • remove everything you don't use (files, themes, plugins, use "sane defaults" and safe settings where possible)
  • keep your software (incl SaaS like your wordpress hosting) updated

The Perfect WordPress Setup#

WordPress Themes#

This is our recommended WordPress theme: GeneratePress (highly recommended)

==> You can get the latest version of GeneratePress Premium for free inside the Secret Affiliate Insider.

WordPress Plugins#

Keep it simple & lean.

Any plugin that you don't need or use should be removed to simplify and streamline your maintenance.

NOT keeping your WordPress installation updated - and NOT updating all plugins frequently - is the #1 reason why so many websites get hacked every day.

So:

Remove any theme or plugin that you don't need.

These are all WordPress plugins we consider pretty important/necessary:

  1. Premium theme: GeneratePress Premium (access through SAI)
  2. Yoast SEO: SEO plugin. Seriously, don't overthink this. Alternatives: All-In-One-SEO, RankMath - but choose only one and stick to it!
  3. Elementor: Page builder, alternatives: Thrive Architect, InstaBuilder, OptimizePress - choose only 1!
  4. Kraken: Image Optimizer, there are many alternatives, you could also stay away from any plugins for this task and simply use free services like TinyPNG in order to optimize your image sizes
  5. Classic Editor (if you're using a page builder instead of the standard Gutenberg editor)
  6. PrettyLinks: Shorten and domain-redirect any external links, incl affiliate links. Highly recommended, very solid plugin!
  7. Contact Form 7: Contact us form.

One more time: Keep it simple.

And if you need any premium theme or plugin, just ask within the Secret Affiliate Insider.