[This is part of the Common WordPress Mistakes series to help bloggers, churches, ministries and nonprofits avoid common mistakes when creating a new website using the WordPress CMS.]
I hope this series of common WordPress mistakes has been a help to you!
If you’ve followed along and have more questions or there are some common WordPress mistakes that I may have missed—please let me know in the comments and I’ll be sure to cover more.
Today, we’re going to look at contact forms and premium themes:
Common WordPress Mistakes
I am sure you have a contact page on your website, and if you don’t, you should add one!
Not Using a Contact Form
If you’re putting your full email address or using the ol’ mailto: HTML action—you’re doing it wrong.
When you drop your naked email address into the wild like that, it’s just asking for a good deal of spam. Bots will pick it up and before you know it, you’ll be hit by all kinds of junk. Moreover, it isn’t such a bad idea to have a minimal barrier between your email and the Internet world of strangers.
The best option for your website is a contact form!
Here are two ways I recommend going about it:
- Use the contact form functionality included with the WordPress plugin Jetpack.
- Install the Contact Form 7 plugin.
- Purchase Gravity Forms to setup a more advanced contact form (requesting specific info, donating via Paypal or signing up for an email newsletter).
Adding one of these contact forms to your contact page will not only reduce spam, but will come across far more professional.
Not Checking the Support Policy for Premium Themes
So you’ve decided to venture out into the world of premium WordPress themes and throw down some money on one. One thing you should always do when considering investing in a premium theme, is to fully understand their support and upgrade policies before making your purchase. Keep in mind, if you’re spending $10 on a theme, you can’t expect as much. However, I’ve seen some themes in the range of $39-79 that offer no support whatsoever!
What’s your favorite premium WordPress theme?
Jason D says
I love these guys themes: http://www.elegantthemes.com/
Eric Dye says
Yeah, there’s a number of their designs that I like. 🙂