Essential WordPress Settings After Installing a Fresh Theme (2025 Guide)

 

So, you’ve just installed a fresh WordPress theme — exciting! But before jumping into design mode, you need to take care of some essential settings. This ensures your website is SEO-friendly, user-ready, and optimized from the start.

Here’s a step-by-step checklist of what you should update:

1. Set Your Site Title and Tagline

Go to Settings → General and change the Site Title and Tagline to reflect your brand. This info appears in browser tabs and search engine results, so don’t leave it as “Just another WordPress site.”

2. Update the Permalink Structure

SEO starts with clean URLs. Head to Settings → Permalinks and choose “Post name”. This creates simple, readable links like yourdomain.com/sample-post.

3. Set a Static Homepage and Blog Page

If you want a custom homepage instead of showing recent posts, go to Settings → Reading. Set a static page for your homepage and assign another for blog posts.

4. Configure Timezone and Date Format

Under Settings → General, set your local timezone, date, and time format. This helps with scheduled posts and accurate publishing times.

5. Disable Comments (If Not Needed)

If your site doesn’t need comments (like a business or portfolio site), disable them under Settings → Discussion. It also helps reduce spam.

6. Install Essential Plugins

Here are some recommended plugins to install right away:

LiteSpeed Cache – For speed optimization

Rank Math – For on-page SEO

Wordfence – For website security

UpdraftPlus – For automatic backups

Final Thoughts:

A clean and well-configured website is just as important as great design. These simple steps save you from future headaches and ensure your WordPress site is built on a solid foundation.

Want help setting up or optimizing your site?

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