10 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Developing a Drupal Website

Drupal is one of the most flexible and powerful content management systems available today. However, its versatility also means that developers can run into challenges if they're not careful. Whether you're building your first Drupal site or managing an enterprise-level project, avoiding common mistakes can save you time and effort. Here are 10 common mistakes to avoid when developing a Drupal website.

1. Skipping the Planning Phase

One of the biggest errors a developer makes is diving into the act of development without proper planning. Without an understanding of the various types of content, and user roles and taxonomy, you may soon find yourself redoing everything.

Solution: Write out an extremely thorough plan, along with wireframes and a sitemap, before writing the first line of code.

2. Using Too Many Modules

It can be tempting to install every module you think you'll need. However, too many modules can slow down your site, cause compatibility issues, and make it harder to maintain.

Solution: Only install modules that are necessary, well-maintained, and actively supported. Always check reviews and ensure modules are compatible with your Drupal version.

3. Lack of Configuration Management

Manually configuring your site for each environment (development, staging, production) is time-consuming and error-prone. Failing to use Drupal’s configuration management system often leads to inconsistencies.

Solution: Use Drupal's configuration management system to export and synchronize settings between environments. Use tools like Drush and Git to manage your configurations.

4. Modifying Core or Contributed Code

The most serious mistake you can make is directly modifying the Drupal core or contributed module code. It breaks the ability to update your site, creates security vulnerabilities, and makes maintenance difficult.

Solution: Use custom modules, themes, or hooks to extend functionality without touching the core code.

5. Poor Performance Optimization

A slow-loading site frustrates users and affects your search engine rankings. Ignoring performance optimization can result in high bounce rates and poor user experience.

Solution:

• Enable caching (Drupal core's caching, Redis, or Memcached).
• Use image optimization tools.
• Enable JavaScript and CSS aggregation.
• Use a CDN for faster asset delivery.

6. Failing to Keep Core and Modules Updated

Outdated core and modules can expose your website to security threats and bugs. This is a very serious mistake, which can result in data breaches and functionality problems.

Solution: Regularly check for updates and apply them using Composer. Subscribe to the Drupal Security Team alerts for the latest security updates.

7. Failure to Observe SEO Best Practices

Developers often focus on the technical side and overlook search engine optimization (SEO). This can limit your website’s visibility in search results.

Solution: Use SEO-friendly modules like Pathauto, Metatag, and XML Sitemap. Ensure URLs are clean and content is well-structured with appropriate headings.

8. Overlooking Mobile Responsiveness

With mobile traffic dominating the web, not optimizing your Drupal site for mobile devices is a major oversight. Users expect a seamless experience across devices.

Solution: Use responsive themes, leverage the layout builder feature in Drupal, and test the site on a variety of devices while in development.

9. Mismanaging User Roles and Permissions

Badly configured user roles and permissions could open security risks and undue complexity. Providing too many permissions to roles like "authenticated users" compromises your website.

Solution: Make only necessary roles and assign permissions very carefully. Use tools such as Permissions by Role to track and manage permission.

10. Failure to Test

Many coders miss proper testing or only try testing on a specific type of device or browser. This would create bugs or inconsistency, that irks people who try the website.

Solution: Test your site with varying browsers, different devices, and sizes. This would also provide for automatic tests via tools such as BrowserStack or Selenium.

Conclusion: Avert These Common Errors for a Smoother Development Experience

With these common mistakes out of the way, building a secure, fast, and scalable site in Drupal should be a lot easier. The right planning and optimization for performance along with following best practices guarantee the success of a project.

Do you need assistance with your Drupal project? Let our team help you plan, develop, and maintain your Drupal website for success. Contact us today to schedule a consultation!