I went to WordCamp NYC 2012 over the weekend. Based on the presentations I saw, here are my top 10 tips for new WordPress users who are using it for business.

1. Your content has to be good.

2. Use images. Adding an image results in a 94% reader increase. (Could that be true? One presenter used that stat.)

3. Choose a good web host, not just the cheapest one.

4. Pick a theme that fits your business goals. A basic business site, a portfolio site, a basic blog site, and an e-commerce site all have different theme and design needs.

5. Include a call to action on every page if you can. That means “Buy now!” or “Call us now!” or “Enter your name and email to get a discount” or similar.

6. Make sure your site is doing a good job of SEO by using a plugin such as Yoast.

7. Make it easy for your content to be shared on social media; there are lots of plugins that can do this.

8. Read lots of other blogs, and comment on them–and write about them on your site, with backlinks to those blogs.

9. Collect reader contact info, and manage it (and send emails to your contact list) using an email marketing service such as MailChimp.

10. Set up caching so that the site loads quickly for visitors.

More takeaways from WordCamp will be coming soon!