8 Things to Consider Deleting After Your WordPress Install

If you are going to install WordPress, or have recently done so, there are a few things you might want to delete before moving ahead. Some are more important than others, but in any case, it’s always nice to start with a clean slate.

1. “Hello World” post. 

Some people choose to edit this post for their first post. My advice? It’s better to trash it and create your new post from scratch. You may also want to delete it permanently from the trash because it just takes up unnecessary space,

2. “Sample Page.” 

Again, like the “Hello World” post, delete.

3. Default “uncategorized” category. 

This isn’t so much deleting, as changing it to a more appropriate category name that fits with your content.

4. “Hello Dolly.”

A leftover from the early days of WordPress, this plugin inserts random lyrics from the song “Hello, Dolly” on your blog. Why do you need this? You don’t.  But if you are a diehard fan of this 1960s Broadway musical, well, maybe you want to keep it. It’s  your choice.

5. Akismet plugin. 

If your site isn’t a blog, and you have no comments, there is  no need to keep this anti-spam plugin  around. But if you are blogging, you may want to use it  (keep in mind that if your site is a commercial one, they will ask you to pay for it). Or you can  find a free anti-spamming plugin.

6. Links.

This is also known as the blog roll. By default, it lists a bunch of WordPress links that you probably won’t ever be using. You can delete them all by simply doing a bulk action delete with all of them checked.

7. Jetpack plugin.

This plugin comes with most installs. Several of the plugins that were previously for WordPress.com are now available for self-hosting, too. If you find them all useful, by all means, go for it. But often you will find you don’t need them all and there are better options out there to do the same thing.

8. Themes. 

By default, the Twenty Eleven theme will be installed. Whether you choose to use it or not, I would suggest that you keep it there as a backup, in case your theme of choice bombs out on you. But if any other themes besides this one are installed, and you are not using them, I would delete them.

One final note. Most popular hosts offer a one-click install of WordPress. But with that sometimes comes unwanted plugins and themes, so delete any you aren’t using. And watch right before you click that install button and make sure a bunch of boxes aren’t checked that will be installing unneeded themes and plugins.

So there you have them. 8 ways to declutter your WordPress experience.