Faster, accessible and secure WordPress

Date: 07/04/2020

Background image: Singapore super trees by Grant Associates,  Atelier One and Atelier Ten | Image source

✩ Intro

  • You are responsible – you still have some house keeping
  • fast, secure, accessible with a plan B
  • managed WP service – managed hosting
  • software as a service WordPress.com see webinars/wordpress-fundamentals

✩ Disaster planning

✩ Secure your site

Scripts

    • rubbish + random scripts on server – old version of sites – un-secured backups
    • unused plugins
    • plugins/themes not updated
    • careful of plugins that give file/upload permissions

Security plugins

 

✩ Backups and Migration

  • backup plan/system
  • data in 3 places > offsite
  • managing backup data:
    • same server – data
    • download
    • external – service / AWS/ Google/ Dropbox
  • backup approaches:
    • server performance
    • automated
    • daily
    • schedule
    • incremental
    • manual
  • migration
  • restore process
    • test
Recommended  

✩ Testing your site works as planned

Manually test user journey

special attention to important things:
  • donation > refund
  • signups
  • email forms
  • important links

Cross browser and device testing

  • custom vs default theme
  • browser stats
  • everyone in team check on mobile + desktop
  • don’t trust page editors
  • Cross browser and devise testing

 

✩ Accessibility testing

Why

 

Basic practice

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)No vision Vision impaired
  • size
  • contrast
  • spacing
  • obvious links
    • default underlined blue
    • visited underlined purple
    • image maps
  • is cool design causing issues?
Hand Co-ordination
  • navigate with opposite hand
  • drop downs – sub drop downs
  • link surface area
  • shortcuts – tab
More detail: Testing tools  

✩ Faster Faster Faster

Why

  • User
  • Increase user pathway goal success
  • Brand reputation
  • Slow internet
  • Mobile
  • Search rank

Main elements that affect speed

  • Website theme / code
  • Size of media
    • images
    • fonts
    • css
    • js
  • Number of files loading at once
  • Server process
    • software
    • scanning
    • backups
    • cron
    • updates
  • Hosting – webinars/basics-website-tech
  • Caching + CDN

Testing website and media

 

✩ Caching

What

Approaches

WordPress cache plugins

research from 12/3/20

CDN – Content Distribution Network

  • reduce server load + data
  • multiple download streams
  • youtube | jetpack
 

✩ What to do when things go wrong