WordPress Bucket List: 30 Things to Do with WordPress

Top on my bucket list is visiting Philippines because a liter of wine goes for 195 pesos ($3 bucks) and, according to Matt, bats fly out of hotels in broad daylight. Next would be going up in a hot air balloon. What’s on your bucket list? Hope you have better items on yours than I have on mine. Also, have you watched The Bucket List featuring Morgan Freeman? You know it’s going to be good if Morgan is in it 🙂

Trepidation is the feeling you get when you remember one day you shall surely die. But we hope that day isn’t in the near future because here’s an encouraging list of 30 things you can do with WordPress before you kick the bucket. I assure you, there was no other way of getting around this so very taboo topic, but I’m glad we are over with that.

Now to the juicy part. Get out your bucket list (if you have one) and add a couple of these things you can do with good ole WordPress before your date with the grim reaper. Cheesy enough? Boy, it’s like walking on eggshells here with all this talk about – okay, I will stop. Let’s tango my friend, life’s too short.

1. Start a WordPress Blog

Perhaps you are not ready to create a WordPress site yet. How about a tiny blog to test the waters? You can write about any topic under the sun. A blog is a great way of breaking into the immersive world of WordPress. It is also amazing for showing off your skills – something like a portfolio. You can even start with a free blog at WordPress.com, and when time is ripe, cross over to self-hosted WordPress.

2. Create a WordPress Site

Real quick. If you don’t have a WordPress site, what are you waiting for? There has never been a better time to build a site using WordPress. It’s no longer just a blogging platform – WordPress id for business powers a huge number of sites including world renowned brands. A business without an online presence is missing out on a lot of opportunities.

3. Post Daily for a Month

Easier said than done, posting an article daily to your WordPress blog for a month is no easy task. All the same, it’s very much doable. You just need an editorial calendar and time to write. We all admire blogs with fresh content, so get writing and keep going after a month. This I am adding to my bucket list.

4. Create a Viral WordPress Post

You never know a post will go viral until it does. Going viral may mean different things for different people, but in the end it’s going to create new traffic sources for your website. Best is to concentrate on providing as much value as is humanly possible with your posts and readers will gladly share.

A WordPress-related post I wrote got about 4K Facebook shares, and that is as close to a viral post as I have ever gotten. I’m still working out the formula to virility (and might share the findings in a future post) because, honestly, I have no idea how that came to be.

5. Optimize Your WordPress Page Load Speeds

Slow loading websites stink. I am constantly obsessing over the speed of my sites because that sort of thing is great for user retention and Google search rankings. You need to do something about your load speeds as well because speedy sites rock. But don’t worry, this guide on how to speed up WordPress will give you plenty of tips on how to optimize your website.

6. Drive 1000 Visitors to a WordPress Site in 2 Weeks

We all dream of owning websites that attract a huge following. More targeted traffic means more opportunities for you. But how in the hell do you drive more readers to your WordPress site? Everything boils down to great content, WordPress SEO and the right kind of promotion.

7. Build an Email List with WordPress

Incredibly easy to hack, getting people to sign up to your email list should be top priority for your business. And thanks to email marketing plugins for WordPress and a horde of services at your disposal, you don’t even need to pay a coin to build a mailing list.

8. Reply to a Support Ticket in the WordPress Forums

The huge community behind WordPress is the platform’s greatest strength, and you too can be part of this. How? By simply offering help in the support forums. Every day, users post all manner of questions on the WordPress forums. Make life better for somebody out there and lend your expertise and experience.

9. Try out a WordPress BETA Version

Before any version of WordPress is released, a lot of work goes into the testing process. Of course, this ensures bugs are caught and removed long before the newer version lands. Best part is you need not be a hard-core WordPress developer to participate in testing BETA versions.

10. Contribute to WordPress Core

WordPress is an open source project that’s made possible by the contributions of developers all over the world. If your web development skills are anything to write home about, WordPress gives you the chance to change the world, one line of code at a time. WordPress needs each and every one of us, so don’t hold back – just use their guide for contributing to WordPress core.

11. Build a WordPress Site for Free

If you take and take some more without giving back, you’re simply being selfish. If you build websites for clients, you are probably making enough money already, so why not give back? Build a free WordPress site for a friend, a charity or your local church/mosque/etc. It won’t kill, I promise. In fact, it will work in your favor.

12. Fundraise using WordPress

Many bloggers have done this many times before. WordPress users are an enthusiastic lot, and you won’t bleed to raise some money and crowdfund for causes you care about. In light of this, I would love to get more books to kids in Africa because the illiteracy rate here is through the roof. Can you donate a book or two? Perhaps we can work out something.

13. Create a WordPress Course

Remember that thing we mentioned about starting a blog? If you blog for a while in any field, you gain a lot of knowledge and become an expert in your area. Many bloggers go on to become authority figures in their niches, and then they create a WordPress course or an eBook. Give it away free or charge – it doesn’t matter.

14. Join a WordPress Community

What better way to learn more about the platform than hanging out with like-minded individuals? There are a million and one WordPress communities all over the web where you can learn about the latest happenings, connect with other WordPress users and simply be awesome – just checkout the WordPress meetup page to see what’s close to you.

15. Attend/Organize a WordCamp

Just the other day I was thinking about organizing a WordCamp in my home town seeing as many people don’t know about WordPress around here. Yeah, I know. But my people don’t even know (and won’t believe) you can make a living online. And as a country, we have only one WordCamp event per year.

Do people know about WordPress in your hometown? Perhaps this is how you change the lives of people close to you. If you aren’t bothered to organize a WordCamp, perhaps you can attend the next one in your town, city or country.

16. Get WordPress Swag

When you attend the next WordPress event in your region, get your hands on beautiful WordPress swag. Yes, don that WordPress branded t-shirt every day for a month if you must or get a WordPress tattoo (permanent or temporary). You can even make your own WP swag (hello sculptors and 3D printing fans), so the sky is the limit here.

17. Take a Selfie with Matt Mullenweg

Matt Mullenweg is the founder of WordPress. He travels a lot to attend WordCamps and summits around the world. Is he coming to a town near you? Attend the damn thing already and ask Matt to put on a smile for your camera. It might be the beginning of a great conversation as well.

18. Learn WordPress Development

Buy books, courses and read WordPress blogs. Learn something about WordPress each new day, and you will be surprised just how much knowledge you can amass in a short span. WordPress development skills in particular are incredibly valuable in this time and era.

19. Create a WordPress Theme

One area you can make your impact felt is WordPress themes. There are themes that sell like hotcakes, and since more people are taking to WordPress, there’s huge potential to create a business around themes. Even if you create a free WordPress theme that is awesome, it will open doors to a world of opportunities.

We share our own free WordPress themes here at WPExplorer, but you can also submit your freebies to WordPress.org as well as other freebie sites. Plus there are tons of great marketplaces for premium WordPress themes like Themeforest, Creative Market, Template Monster and more!

20. Create a WordPress Plugin

Creating a WordPress plugin is another way to build on your love for WordPress, provided you know your way around code. Plus there are many tutorials showing you exactly how to whip up amazing plugins like the pros. Need a feature for your WordPress site? Creating a plugin might just be your answer. Who knows, somebody else might find your creation useful.

21. Start a WordPress Theme or Plugin Shop

If you’re a developer creating themes and/or plugins you might want to sell them yourself. Why not open shop? It pays to know your way around WordPress themes and plugins, and with the help of a few key folks (or even a team if you choose) you can start your own marketplace like Pippin did with Easy Digital Downloads. Passion is everything in business.

22. Make Your First $1000

Whether be it WordPress blogging, web design, consulting, themes or something else, you can make $1000 bucks with WordPress without bending your back backwards. Many entrepreneurs make millions with WordPress, so just keep at it.

23. Win at WordPress SEO

If you already own a WordPress site or blog, wouldn’t you love to rank well for your SEO keywords? It’s exciting to see your content come up on the first page of Google. Plus it means more traffic for you, so it’s a win-win situation. It may seem like a challenge, this SEO business, but just get to work and day by day (with a bit of elbow grease) you can improve your WordPress SEO.

24. Review Your Favorite WordPress Theme

An area I would love to cover in the future, reviewing WordPress themes (and there are thousands on top of thousands) is a great way to give back to the community. Make it easy for beginners and seasoned users alike to find the best WordPress theme for their needs.

25. Guest Blog on a Major WordPress Publication

You shouldn’t guest blog purely for personal gain i.e. getting backlinks. Guest blogging is a great way of educating and reaching your audience wherever they are. Getting featured on a popular WordPress blog gives you the exposure you need. It strengthens your brand too and keep the leads coming, so don’t just concentrate on your blog.

26. Follow Famous WordPress Experts

To build up on the foregoing item about WordPress communities, you can stay ahead of the curve by following WordPress experts on social media. These guys usually share the latest news, tips and a great deal of advice that will come in handy any day.

27. Decorate Your Work Space with Your Favorite WordPress Theme

Which is your favorite WordPress theme? I have many favorites but that’s just me. I have a thing for a particular shade of the color red, so my work space has a ridiculous amount of red tones. My wife thinks I’m crazy, but I needed my work space to reflect my next WordPress-based site – which features copious amounts of red and gold hues.

Perhaps you can, even if it’s for a week, decorate your office to reflect your favorite WordPress theme – or better still – your WordPress site.

28. Make a WordPress Friend

I meet more people working with WordPress than I do offline. I know you’re probably thinking this dude has a non-existent social life. Well, I spend most of my time online writing, researching and tinkering with this and that. While I’m not exactly what you’d call a real nerd, I have made so many friends online thanks to WordPress. I have met some of them in person but it’s still a work in progress.

29. Become an Expert in WordPress

Be the guy or girl people go to whenever they are in need of a WordPress expert. All you have to do is dive in right this minute and do whatever with WordPress. By any means, keep learning more about whichever vertical you choose. Be it blogging, development, performance, migration – become an expert in one WordPress field. The rewards are amazing.

30. Share This WordPress Post!

Sharing is caring, so please don’t just read this post and leave as usual. Do something different at least this once and share this post with friends and family. You never know who needs to see this inspirational piece if I may say so myself. Perhaps we might make this a viral post and talk about it in that future post I mentioned earlier.

Final Remarks

Really, don’t leave without hitting that share button. It is the least you can do with WordPress 🙂 But this is just a list of 30 things to do with WordPress – there’s so much more! What other things do you do with WordPress?