The Wordpress Beginner presentation was presented by Bruce and Tiffany Marler at NamesCon 2015 to help Domain Name investors learn more about deploying engaging websites on their online properties to engage more customers.
LocalTek LLC
20 Years of Online Business Success
Domain Development
Business Websites
Search Engine Optimization
App Development/Mobile Marketing
Marketing Approach to Build Outs
Why WordPress?
WordPress powers 23% of the internet today.
Has developed in to a full CMS.
Thousands of Plug-ins, Widgets and Themes to allow
for complete customization.
Easy to operate even without coding skills.
Vast amount of Support, forums, YouTube Tutorials
Ready, Set, Go!
PHP Version 5.2.4 or greater
MySQL version 5.0 or greater
WordPress Installer such as
Fantastico, QuickInstall, or
Softaculous
Recommendations: HostGator,
BlueHost, Name.com,
DreamHost,
Installing WordPress
Log Into CPanel
Locate One Click Installer (QuickInstall, Softaculous etc)
Click WordPress
Fill in necessary fields, username, PW, your email address,
Leave the Installation Directory blank (will install on your
domain/wp-admin
Install
DONE!
Configure Settings
Permanlinks: Settings>Permanlinks>Postname
Ex: Localtek.website/postname
Reading: “Discourage search engines from indexing
this site” VERY IMPORTANT to keep this unchecked.
After theme is chosen this section will also be important
to tell it which pages to show where. (Main Page:
Home Page, blog Page: blog)
Standard Settings for any type of website.
Settings…
Delete “Hello World” Post
Delete “Sample Page” Page
Delete “Hello Dolly” Plug In
Depending on of you are building a blog or a business
website you may need to set more settings in the
discussion section.
Choosing a Theme
Mobile Responsive Design: In todays world of mobile first
this feature is key.
Good reviews, good documentation, good support not a
free theme.
THOUSANDS of options. Choose one that has the right fit
for the website persona. Be sure to keep in mind the
amount of content that will be on the site.
Recommended Sources: Elegant Themes and Theme Forest
What are Plugins?
Plugins extend the functionality of WordPress into anything
you can imagine. Think of Plugins like apps for your
smartphone.
Need a calendar? Plugin.
Need a table? Plugin.
Need SEO features? Plugin.
Need a catalog flip book, e-commerce, social media
integrations? Plugin, Plugin, Plugin….
Installing Plugins
Locate Plugins Tab in main
Dashboard
Click Add New
Activate
There are two ways to install. Either
upload from your computer or
Search Plugins directly from the WP
dashboard.
See ratings, screenshots, install
instructions etc..
Recommended Plugins
All In One SEO or SEO by Yoast
Gravity Forms (paid subscription) or Contact Form 7
Google XML Sitemaps
Broken Link Checker
SEO Smartlinks
W3 Total Cache
Firewall
Akismet
*This list will be on your checklist of to-dos
Post vs. Page
Post is content. Blog, News, Updates, etc…
Page is Content, About Us, Services, Contact Us
To Add a New Page: Main Dashboard>Post>Add New>Write
your content>Publish (or Save Draft)
To Add a New Post: Main Dashboard>Page> Add New> Write
your content>Publish (or Save Draft)
A few themes will pull in information from either a post or a page depending on how it is built and
your chosen settings. Just a heads up..
Navigation Menu
“I created pages but they aren’t showing up!” Don’t freak out!
Appearance>Menus>Type in Menu Name (Main)>Create Menu
Select from Most Recent, View All etc..
Drag and Drop Order, Indent for sub pages
Other Options: Links, to link off to another website etc.
Save Menu
Manage Locations>Primary Menu>Main Menu
Widgets…
Appearance>Widgets
Depending on your theme you will see your options(i.e. Footer
Widget 1, Footer Widget 2, Main Sidebar etc)
Easy! Drag and Drop the widget options to the location you
wish to place them.
**Content is not formatted the same as content in the posts and
pages, you can and will need to use HTML in the widgets.
**There are many plugins to enhance your capabilities in widget
sections also.
Media
Adding Media to a post or page is as simple
as adding attachments in an email.
Pre Upload your images, PDF’s, videos etc.:
Main Dashboard>Media>Add New>Select
from computer or drag and drop files in.
From within a Page/Post: Add
Media>choose Image from Media Library or
Choose from Computer.
Add Images directly to post, featured image
section or create a gallery.
Search Engine Optimization
Do NOT forget it!
Page Titles, Image Titles,
Post Titles
Meta Description needs
to be a compelling
excerpt.
Keywords…sans spam….