Essential WordPress Tips for Editors

A thoughtfully designed WordPress site can do wonders for your editing services. It can beautifully reflect your organizational skills, attention to detail and eagerness to collaborate with clients. 

And the best part? 

You don’t need to be a tech whiz or have a hefty budget to enhance your online presence. Just concentrate on a few essential elements — such as a mobile-friendly theme, an easily browsable portfolio and fundamental SEO and security — and you’ll create a professional website that truly highlights your editorial expertise.

Why a reliable website matters

Imagine your website as a warm digital storefront! If it happens to be slow, clunky or missing important information, potential visitors might leave before discovering the amazing editing skills you have to offer. 

A user-friendly site that loads quickly and showcases your services clearly and intuitively can help convey the kind of precision and care you put into your editing work.

Choose a clean, mobile-responsive WordPress theme

Choosing a theme is like laying the very foundation of your site, so go for one that emphasizes speed and clarity.

Make sure to test your chosen theme across various devices, like phones, tablets and desktops. A design that works well on mobile not only keeps your visitors engaged for longer but also shows that you’re keeping up with the latest browsing trends.

Two popular themes that I’d recommend are Astra (lightweight and fast, with a variety of starter templates) and GeneratePress (known for its simplicity and minimal design).

Show off your portfolio and testimonials

Clients appreciate seeing solid proof of your editing skills! Whether it’s a published article, a before-and-after excerpt or a glowing testimonial from a satisfied author, sharing tangible examples really helps build trust. Consider creating a simple portfolio page or using a page builder plugin to showcase your samples in a way that’s easy to explore.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to past or current clients for a short testimonial — just one or two sentences are perfect! A heartfelt quote about how your edits positively impacted their project can be even more compelling than a lengthy, generic statement.

Use basic SEO to get found online

You don’t need to be an expert in search engine optimization (SEO) to enhance your search visibility rankings. 

Begin by picking two or three primary keywords or phrases (e.g., “freelance editor,” “manuscript editing” or “academic proofreading”) that accurately describe your services. Then include these keywords in your headings, page titles and meta descriptions — but keep it natural. 

You can use the Yoast SEO plugin to check for keyword usage and readability right inside your WordPress dashboard.

To take your SEO a step further, craft meta descriptions (the brief text that appears below your page title in search results) that showcase your unique strengths as an editor. This simple yet powerful detail can enhance click-through rates and attract more visitors to your page. 

Keep your website secure and up-to-date

There are numerous plugins that can help you ensure your site has a basic line of defence and a reliable backup plan.

UpdraftPlus schedules automatic backups of your site to cloud services like Google Drive or Dropbox. This is a must-have if you want peace of mind in case you need to restore your site to a previous version.

Wordfence helps protect your site against hackers, malware and other security threats. Regular scans let you catch vulnerabilities before they become major problems. Remember to enable email notifications! This way, you’ll be promptly alerted to any suspicious activity.

Try to keep your plugins to a minimum so your site runs smoothly. Maintenance doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Regularly updating plugins, along with your WordPress core and theme, not only helps patch any security gaps but also keeps everything running at its best compatibility.  

Final thoughts

Think of your website with the same level of attention that you would your editing projects. Creating a strong WordPress site is all about taking thoughtful steps — there’s no need to change everything at once! Start by picking a clean theme, sprinkle in a few helpful plugins and don’t forget to update your site regularly.

The outcome? A welcoming and professional home base that showcases your expertise, makes client inquiries easy and lets your editing services shine!

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The Editors’ Weekly is the official blog of Editors Canada. Contact us.