WordPress is a content management system with some pretty impressive capabilities. Experienced users can create stunning websites with sweeping cinematic backgrounds, custom typography, and so much more. The best of the best can create sites worthy of creative awards. So much so that WordPress design studios cannot get enough opportunities to show off their work.
Here is the problem no one talks about: if you look under the hood of a flashy WordPress sports car, you might actually find major issues that are preventing the site from converting. And what is the point of having a website if it doesn’t convert visitors into paying customers?
Pure Visual Flair Is Costly
A big advantage WordPress brings to the table is the ability for non-technical users to still create visually stunning websites. Any San Diego or Miami business owner can put together a decent website, with no coding knowledge, in just a couple of hours. But when a business owner focuses exclusively on visual flair, he likely does not realize that doing so comes at a high cost.
The cost is not necessarily found in dollars and cents. It is found in the fact that the site is actually self-defeating. Check out these common problems undisciplined WordPress development is known for:
- Slow Load Speeds – Complex graphics and animations create drag on WordPress sites. Load speeds slow while load times increase. It chases people away and alienates Google.
- Broken Layouts – Visually complex WordPress themes tend not to work well on mobile devices. The layouts break because they were never designed to be viewed on a smaller mobile screen.
- Ignored Engineering – While some theme developers pay attention to what goes on under the hood, most do not. They ignore engineering to the extent that search algorithms can’t promptly make sense of the site’s content.
All these things, and more, can ultimately lead to a site that Google ranks extremely low or ignores altogether. Without Google on your side, your website has very little marketing value. Customers will not find your site because they never see it in search results.
Engineering WordPress for Marketing Success
We now get to the most important question of all: how can WordPress be engineered for marketing success? The answer comes from Pixsan, an SEO specialist in San Diego. Pixsan experts explain that designing a high-performance website requires a deliberate, conversion-first strategy built on three foundational pillars:
- Page Speed – Google Core Web Vitals demonstrate just how important speed is. Websites should never be bloated. They should never offer thousands of lines of unnecessary code. The best sites are lightweight, highly optimized, and capable of loading in under 2 seconds.
- Intuitive Navigation – Navigation means something to users, so it is important to Google. Sites should boast intuitive navigation that allows visitors to find information easily. Intuitive navigation is especially important on mobile devices.
- Search Intent – Site navigation should also be designed around search intent. It’s up to website owners to understand who their customers are and what they will search for. Navigation should help them find what they want. It should never fight visitors.
Another important thing to remember is that proper engineering should be integrated from day one. Building a pretty website and then trying to re-engineer it for marketing purposes weeks or months down the road has a tendency to create a chaotic mess that ultimately backfires.
Whether your business is located in San Diego, Miami, or anywhere else in the country, know this: visual appeal has very little value if a site’s under-the-hood mechanics are poorly engineered. As any San Diego SEO specialist would tell you, it is function first. Form follows.
