30-day roadmap · Day 26

Forms, SEO, and Performance

Principle: Invisible foundations that determine whether your site works Source: Making Websites Win (Blanks & Jesson) — page speed; Don't Make Me Think (Krug) — usability

Today's Task

Forms:

Set up your contact form in WS Form or Gravity Forms.
Set up email notifications (to you) and confirmation messages (to the submitter).
Test the form. Fill it in yourself. Does the confirmation feel right? Does the email arrive?
Add the form to your Contact page and as an embedded section on the homepage CTA.

SEO Basics:

Install and configure Yoast or Rank Math.
For each page, write a custom title tag (under 60 characters) and meta description (under 155 characters). Use your benefit-first language from Day 11.
Set your homepage as the static front page (Settings → Reading).
Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console (search.google.com/search-console).
Connect Google Analytics (or a privacy-friendly alternative like Plausible).

Performance:

Run your site through PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev). Target: 80+ mobile score.
Compress any images you've uploaded. Use ShortPixel or Imagify plugin.
Enable caching via your cache plugin (LiteSpeed Cache if on Hostinger).
Disable any plugins you're not actively using.

Output: Working forms, SEO configured, analytics connected, page speed above 80 on mobile.