1.
WordPress 102
Shanta R. Nathwani – WordCamp Toronto 2015

2.
Agenda
 Hosting
 Backup
 Theme selection
 Plugin selection
 More on hiring someone

3.
1. Hosting
 Shared hosting
GoDaddy
BlueHost*
 Managed hosting
WPEngine
Siteground*
* - I’m an affiliate

4.
2. Backup
 Most hosting companies will offer a backup system of some
kind
 Jetpack has one
 WordPress.com doesn't need one
 I recommend Backup Buddy by iThemes because of its
options, it's easy to use and to migrate, especially those in
the room hoping to do their own development business
 Another good solution (and free for the most part) is Updraft
Plus

5.
3. Contact Information
 Contact forms rather than publishing your email address
 Mailchimp signup form. Integrates with WordPress and
can be done as a widget

6.
4. Themes
 The “Look and Feel”
of your website
 Might include some
functionality
 The “Front End” or
what people see
From Graph Paper Press

7.
5. Theme Selection
 Start with the repository
Can be accessed through your Dashboard >
Appearances > Themes
Directly at wordpress.org/themes
 If not, go outside and use the authors in the repository as
a start
 Do not Google “free WordPress themes”!
These could contain malicious code

8.
5. Theme selection (con’t)
 Where do I start?
Ask yourself, “What is the purpose of the website?”.
Many of the themes are categorized by purpose (i.e.,
photography/portfolio, business, blog, etc.)
Ask yourself, “What do I want it to look like? Do I want
a big header? Do I want columns? Main content with
sidebar?”. A good way to familiarize yourself with
these is to look in the repository.
 Make sure that the them you choose is mobile-
enabled/responsive!

9.
6. Plugins
 Plugins extend the
usefulness of your
website
 Some examples are
Backup Buddy and
Jetpack
 The “Back End” or what
people don’t see

10.
6. Plugin Selection
 Just like the themes, best to check the repository
(http://wordpress.org/plugins)
 Don’t overload your site. Choose your plugins carefully.
First, by function. What do you need it to do?
Is there a plugin that does multiple functions, such as
memberships AND payments? This is such a wide
area, you need to research it. It will depend on what
functionality you need.

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7. More About Hiring a Professional
 Educate yourself
Not only about the terminology, but also have an
idea of what you want. This saves everyone a good
amount of time and effort.
Expect to give a deposit of some sort, whether you’re
working with a student or a professional. Don’t expect
any of this for free.
This is not a cookie cutter process, nor is it an
overnight one.

12.
Extra Resources
 WordPress.com: This is where you can learn almost
everything I’ve just talked about! There is also one for
.ORG, but this will get you about 90% of the way there.
Skip the “Getting Started” part if you are using the .ORG
 WordPress.tv: Most of the talks given at WordCamps are
recorded and archived here. You can find my talks
there!
 Marc Benzakein did a great presentation called: “How
to Rock a WordCamp Even if You’re a n00b” at
WordCamp Toronto 2014. (PS. He’ll be here this
weekend too!)

13.
Questions?
Tweet Me:
@ShantaDotCa
Email:
shanta@shanta.ca
My Web Site:
http://shanta.ca