New users to Cloudflare should consider implementing most, if not all, of the following steps.
ESSENTIAL STEPS
Step 1: allowlist Cloudflare’s IP addresses
Step 2: Review your Performance settings
Step 3: Review your Security settings
Step 4: Choose an SSL mode
OPTIONAL STEPS
Step 5: Preserve your visitors’ IP information
Step 6: Allow the IPs of the services you use to access your website
Step 7: Customize your Error Pages (paid plan only)
Step 8: Create a Page Rule for administering your website (essential for WordPress users!)
Step 9: Troubleshooting common issues
You can review a detailed walkthrough of each step in our Help Center.