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After every relaunch, the following aspects should definitely be checked:

• Redirect old pages to new pages (301 redirects) Helpful plugin: 301 Redirects
• Set up an SEO plugin and create/update the sitemap Helpful plugin: Yoast
• Fill in the meta description and meta title for all pages
• Check the SSL certificate (HTTPS) Helpful tool: Ionos SSL Certificate Checker
• Set up Google Analytics (or other tracking tools) Helpful plugin: Google Site Kit
• Test mobile-friendliness and browser compatibility Helpful tool: Browserstack (testing on all device and browser types)
• Test contact forms and checkouts
• Optimise page load time Test with Google PageSpeed Optimise with WP Rocket
• Add a favicon
• Enable backups Helpful plugin: UpdraftPlus https://wordpress.org/plugins/updraftplus/

The server cache stores data on the server in advance to improve the loading times of the website. Usually this cache is managed by a WordPress plugin and updates itself automatically when the website changes. If this does not happen, the cache has to be cleared manually. As an administrator you will find the corresponding option in the upper navigation bar, often under labels such as "Clear Cache", "Purge Cache" or "Flush Cache", or directly in the settings of the caching plugin.

Caution: two caching plugins do not bring a double effect, but block each other and significantly limit the website speed.

The selection of page-speed plugins is varied and expert opinions on them differ. Here are my recommendations:

Main recommendation: WP Rocket

Server caching: Activates automatically when the plugin is installed.

Lazy loading for images: Can be enabled manually in the settings.

JavaScript defer and deferred loading: Also activatable manually, but be careful, as in individual cases errors may occur.

Content Delivery Network (CDN): Can be set up after installing the plugin.

Other recommended measures:

• Image size optimisation with Imagify
• Make sure WordPress, themes and plugins are up to date
• Keep the PHP version up to date

These measures form the basic framework for better page performance and are among the so-called "low-hanging fruits" in page-speed optimisation.

If you want to select a WordPress plugin for commercial purposes, there are various criteria you should consider to ensure the plugin is reliable, secure and efficient.

Plugin recency: Check when the plugin was last updated. A plugin that is updated regularly shows that the developer is active and fixes any security vulnerabilities or bugs promptly. If the plugin has been updated within the last month, that is a very good sign.

Plugin support: Check how many support requests and how many replies there have been in the last month. Ideally both numbers are high.

Active installations: See on how many other WordPress websites the plugin is still installed. This number should be as high as possible.

Plugin developer: Take a look at who developed the plugin. A reputable company as the developer is often an indicator of higher quality and reliable support. Individuals can also develop excellent plugins, but a company often brings more reliability in the long run for consistent support and further development.

There are many ways to translate WordPress, but my favourite in most cases is the plugin WPML. Usually you can install it and set it up quickly, so that you already get 80% of the content translated yourself within a few minutes.

Advantages of WPML:

Clarity: WPML clearly shows which sub-pages have already been translated.

Separate design and translation: By using a translation table you can translate text blocks without having to change the design of the page.

Automatic translation: The plugin also offers the option for automatic translations.

To the WPML website

For more complex websites the CMS variant is best suited, while for simple websites the Basic variant is often sufficient.

There is a very large selection here. My current recommendation is, among others, Cookiebot. It is a simple and cost-effective option among the available cookie plugins.

Here is how you set it up yourself:

Registration: Visit the Cookiebot website and register for an account. The cheapest version is usually sufficient.

Installation: After registering, install the Cookiebot plugin on your WordPress website.

Account linking: Open the plugin in your WordPress dashboard and link your Cookiebot account to your website.

Banner customisation: Log in to your Cookiebot account and personalise the appearance of the cookie notice banner.

Cookie categorisation: Cookiebot scans your website and categorises the cookies found into "Necessary", "Marketing" and "Statistics", usually within 24 hours.

Privacy policy: Insert the shortcode [cookie_declaration] into your privacy policy to automatically list the detected cookies there.

Note: I do not guarantee that Cookiebot captures all cookies correctly or categorises them correctly. Its use should be reviewed by your data protection officer and is at your own risk.

Implementing Google's services has never been easier. Some time ago Google released the WordPress plugin Google Site Kit for this.

Simply install the plugin and link it with your Google accounts. With that the basic setup is already complete.

The security of your website is of the utmost importance. A clear recommendation for this is the WordPress plugin Wordfence. After installing the plugin, you create a free account on the website. Right after activation, Wordfence already sets up many relevant security measures that protect you broadly. The plugin also has numerous options to secure the website even further.

Every website, no matter how big or small, should have backups. Often the host makes its own backups, but you should not rely on that. A clear recommendation for a backup plugin is the WordPress plugin UpdraftPlus.

The advantages of UpdraftPlus:

Backups on your own server or in the cloud: You can back up your data to various cloud storage services such as Dropbox, Google Drive and Amazon S3.

Scheduled backups: Set up monthly, daily or hourly backups.

Easy restoration: In the event of a hack, server failure or human error, you can restore your WordPress website with just a few clicks.

Of course there are numerous backup alternatives.