Introduction to WordPressJune 8, 2015

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What is WordPress (Wikipedia)Open source Content Management System

(CMS), often used as a blog publishing application, powered by PHP and MySQL.

It has many features including a plug-in architecture and a template system.

Used by more than 22.0% of the top 10 million websites as of August 2013

The most popular CMS in use on the Internet – 74.6 Million installations

Why WordpressVery popular which means that:

Huge selection of off-the-shelf solutions. Wordpeess functionality can be expanded or customized using plugins, which are add-on software modules. There are thousand of FREE plugin that can do anything you need.

Easy to outsource required changesDoes not vendor-lock you

Search Engine FriendlyYou are in control ( If you want to be )

WordPress.org vs. WordPress.comWe are going to talk about the Self Hosted

WordPress, ( also referred to as WordPress.org ) With WordPress.org, YOU host your own blog or website. WordPress.org is where you’ll find the free WordPress software that you can download and install on your own web server.

WordPress.com, on the other hand, takes care of all of the hosting for you. You don’t have to download software, pay for hosting, or manage a web server but there are several limitations

What can you do with WordPressBlogs: ://www.starwars.com/newBusiness websites:

http://www.sonymusic.com/Online Magazines:

www.vancouverlatino.com/Membership Sites: www.paleoplan.com/Online stores: https://soulstem.com/Government: JoinDelawareSchools.orgSalePages: http://wpinsider.org/fast-track-

your-business-website/

Setting Up your First WordPress website

AcquireDomain Name

Sign up for

HostingPoint

Domain to Server

InstallWordPres

s

Install Theme

Basic settings

Add Content:

Post, Pages, Pics,

Videos

Add Plugins

Add Widgets

Acquiring a domainThere are several provider – The most popular is GoDaddy

Picking a good domain nameIf possible Use keywords that you target market uses

Is it easy to say?Is it easy to remember?

HostingMinimum requirements to run a wordpress website are:PHP version 5.2.4 or greaterMySQL version 5.0 or greaterOur additional recommendations:-Apache mod_rwerite ( Linux hosting recommended )cPanel support – cPanel is a web hosting control panel that

provides a graphical interface and automation tools designed to simplify the process of hosting a web site. 

Server Location – If your business serves a community in a specific geographic location, it is recommended that you use a hosting service that has servers in your target location. This will help improve your SEO ranking in your area.

Disk space and bandwidth limitation – We recommend you choose a hosting plan that is unlimited. These plans are so common and affordable, there is no reason you will pick any other option.

Hosting Cont.BlueHost A US Based hosting provider that offers an

excellent web hosting service. Simple signup process. $5.95/month = $71.4/year

Site5 – My favorite. Great customer support. . $5.95/month = $71.4/year . They have servers in various cities around the world which allows local hosting. Additional cost of $1~$2/month

WpEngine – Fully Managed WordPress hosting - $290/year

Not recommend : GoDaddy hosting

Point the domain at your hostingSet up name

servers – The actual values are provided by the hosting company

The information should be entered into the domain registrant database.

cPanel – Provided by the hosting companyManage email

accountsConfigure domainsInstall and uninstall

WordPressManage files in a

user friendly environment

Configure Domain In cPanel

Your main domain is automatically definesIf you add more domain to your hosting

account, use AddOn domainSub domains allow you to define domains

such as members.wordpressinsider.org

Installing WordPressDifferent cPanels may use different software but the idea is the same

Use a unique administrator user name NOT admin

WordPress dashboardLogin through <site-url>/wp-admin

Essential SettingsSetting/General - Set time zone correctly

Setting/Permalinks –the permanent URL to your Individual postsIt is recommended to use custom structure :

/%category%/%postname%

Publishing contentIn WordPress, you can write either posts or

pages.Posts are typically regular blog entries, you

write a post. Posts automatically appear in reverse chronological order on your blog's home page.

Pages, on the other hand, are for content such as "About Me," "Contact Me," etc.

About Categories & TagsEach post must have at least one category Tags are similar to categories, but they are

generally used to describe your post in more detail. Using tags is optional

Plugins OverviewPlugins are

software add-ons that can enhance and modify the default behaviour of Wordpress.

Plugin are installed from with the WordPress Dashboard

Example - AddThis

What you can do with pluginsEasily integrate with email marketing system

such as MailChimpConvert your website to a membership siteSpeed up your siteEvent calendarsAdd contact formImplement eCommerce functionalitySocial Media sharing buttons

WidgetsWidget is a fancy word for tools or content

that you can add, arrange, and remove from the sidebar(s) or any other “widgetized area” of your WordPress website. 

Widgets make it easy to customize the content of your sidebar(s). 

In may WordPress themes Widgets are used to customize the home page

ThemesThere are hundreds of free themes you can

choose fromPremium themes cost anywhere between

$39~$300Premium theme providers:

Elegant themes – $39 per 1 year access for 50+ themes

WooThemes – From $70/3 themes and upDirectoryPress - $79 StudioPress - $99.5 for one theme/$400 for the

entire collection

Picking the right WordPress themeWill the theme lend itself to the desired branding?Will the new site have a lot of photos? Videos? How much “sidebar” content will there be? An

email opt-in box? Generally, can you visualize your content “fitting”

the theme?  Are there enough “widgetized” regions?Are there multiple page templates? Navigation structure

How many navigation bars are there?Are custom menus supported?

Free themesPretty simple Offer pretty minimal to none customization. Most of them are designed to be blogsSupport and quality are no guaranteed

A good place to start:The default WordPress theme , twenty twelveFree theme that are developed by WooThemes

Premium ThemesWide variety of layouts and purposesExcellent support & a helpful communityBetter qualityMore customization optionsMore functionality such as featured slider,

photo galleries, short codes.

Picking a themeThings to take in consideration. 

Will the theme lend itself to the desired branding?Are there enough “widgetized” regions?Will the new site have a lot of photos? Videos? How much “sidebar” content will there be? An email

opt-in box? Does the navigation need to be especially flexible?

Generally, can you visualize your content “fitting” the theme? 

Also consider:Code Quality Support

Questions ????

Thank YouConnect With Me:Email: Michelle@SpotOnDigitalMarketing.comLinkedInTwitterFacebookWebsite: SpotOnDigitalMarketing.com