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5 Things You Didn’t Know WordPress Could Do

Martin Szigeti

Nov 7, 2024 | 3 min to read
Brent Rambo with his thumb up meme

WordPress is widely known as an accessible and versatile content management system, but its true potential often goes underutilized. Many people think of WordPress as a simple blogging platform, unaware of its robust capabilities that can support everything from high-traffic news sites to complex e-commerce platforms.

Here are 5 powerful features you might not know WordPress can do for you

Set Up a Staging and Production Environment

Truth be told, this is more of a hosting solution than a WordPress functionality, but many people don’t realize that even a WordPress site can be set up with a staging environment. Having both staging and production sites is essential for maintaining a reliable and efficient development workflow. On your staging site, you can experiment with design, test plugins, and try new features without affecting the live production site. This setup allows you to work confidently, knowing that changes can be thoroughly tested before going live, reducing the risk of disrupting your main site. This separation minimizes the chance of introducing errors to the live environment, improves collaboration between development and marketing teams, and helps maintain the website’s integrity and user satisfaction, all while allowing teams to innovate and iterate confidently.

Schedule Posts and Content in Advance

Beyond simply scheduling a post for later, you can also schedule updates to existing content. Want a banner to show up on a specific date or an old article to automatically update? With the right set of tools you can plan content refreshes and changes ahead of time, ideal for promotions, seasonal content, and campaigns.

Use Multisite to Manage Multiple Websites from One Dashboard

WordPress Multisite allows you to manage several websites from a single dashboard, which is perfect for organizations or individuals with multiple site properties. This feature is often overlooked but can be a massive time-saver. Each site can have its own users, themes, and plugins while still being controlled under one network.

Convert Your Site into a Membership Platform

WordPress makes it easy to offer gated content, subscription plans, or exclusive member-only content with the help of plugins like MemberPress or Restrict Content Pro. This is a great option for monetizing your site by offering premium articles, online courses, or community features to registered members.

Automate Workflows and Integrate with Other Platforms

The right set of integrations can help you connect WordPress to other applications and create automated workflows. For example, you can automatically share new posts on social media, sync contact forms with a CRM, or send post updates to team members on Slack. This allows you to streamline marketing, communications, and content management.

With the right setup and tools, WordPress can do much more than most people expect. Whether you’re looking to test updates in a staging environment, automate workflows, or manage multiple sites from one dashboard, WordPress offers the flexibility and power you need.

At 40Q, we specialize in harnessing these features to create dynamic, scalable, and user-friendly websites that put you in control. Ready to get more out of your WordPress site? Contact us to discover how we can help you take full advantage of these advanced WordPress capabilities.

Author

Martin Szigeti