The document provides 10 tips for WordPress success. It advises evaluating if WordPress is the right choice, learning about the roles of designers, developers and programmers, and understanding that the web is different than print. It also recommends keeping domain and hosting passwords accessible, ensuring hosting supports WordPress, being prepared to spend time learning or paying for updates, choosing a theme you like, avoiding custom coding unless needed, working with someone at your skill level, and understanding the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

1. 
Is WordPress Right For You?
Using WordPress for your business…as a “blog” or an entire website

2. 10 Tips For WordPress Success
 Evaluate whether WordPress is the right choice for you and/or
your business
 Familiarize yourself with the role of designers, developers and
programmers.
 Learn why “The web is not print.”
 Keep your domain registration and hosting passwords where
you can find them!
 Make sure that your website hosting supports WordPress

3. 10 Tips For WordPress Success
 Be prepared to spend 10-40 hours learning how to useWordPress or
paying someone else for your updates.
 Choose a theme that you are wild about and be prepared to live with
it.
 Avoid custom-coded sites unless you have very specific needs.
 Work with someone who is the right “fit” for your skill level
 Understand the difference between WordPress.com and
Wordpress.org.

4. Is WordPress the right choice?
 What is WordPress and is it the right choice for you and/or
your business?
 WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS) which is
different from an HTML website.
 Examples are: Drupal, Joomla, WordPress. They are created
using a different programming language than early websites.
 “Free” and “open source” is a relative term. Evaluate your
needs: Time vs. Money?
 Is WordPressa Website or a “Blog”? It is both!

5. Who Does What?
 Familiarize yourself with the role of
designers, developers and programmers.
1. Designers: Print-orientation, creative use of
type, develop logos, branding. It’s all about art.
2. Developer: Takes the graphic elements and makes
them work on the web.
3. Programmer: Mathematics, high skill level.

6. The Web Is Different!
 The web is not print.
 Have you done your 10,000 hours yet?
 15 years designing/developing 100 websites +
maintenance on another 25
 WordPress is based upon php programming
language and utilizes a database for storing content.

7. Where in the world are we?
• Keep your domain registration and hosting passwords where
you can find them!
• Domain registration: (example: https://www.gkg.net)
• Hosting services: (example: www.cruzio.com)
• How do I “Login” to WordPress? (http://santa-cruz-web-
design.com/wp-login.php)

8. Is your hosting WordPress-Friendly?
 Make sure that your domain hosting supports
WordPress.
1. Are they offering the latest version of WordPress?
2. Are they too big/too small?
3. Backups? What to they charge to “recover.”?

9. The “overnight” website is a Big Lie
 Be prepared to spend 10-40 hours learning how to
use WordPress or paying someone else for your
updates.
1. Are you a latent geek? Enjoy puzzles and have the
patience to figure things out? Does it give you joy?
2. Do you have a specific goal in mind? Fun? Making
money? Fun=Free Making $=$2,000-$5,000
investment.

10. Finding a theme…
 Choose a theme that you are wild about and be
prepared to live with it.
1. How many people are using your theme? (3 or
40,000)
2. What kind of documentation is available for your
theme?

11. Watch Out!
 Avoid custom-coded sites unless you have very
specific needs.
1. Avoid the question “Can you do this?”
2. Get some advice before spend $/commit to a
specific plan.

12. Be Prepared To Make a Commitment
 Work with someone who is the right “fit” for your
skill level or has lots of patience
 Work with someone who shares your visual
aesthetics
 Try to avoid criticizing what you don’t understand
 Websites take time to do correctly

13. Free vs. Paid Hosting
 What’s the difference between WordPress.com and
Wordpress.org?
 WordPress.com is free but you cannot “brand it”
without paying extra.
 It’s expensive to migrate a CMS website. It’s not
just files

14. Logging In + the Dashboard
 www.santa-cruz-
web-
design.com/wp-
login.php

15. Themes = fun but Frameworks Are Better
 Thousands of themes: Pretty but are they practical?
 Typically Frameworks like Thesis have optimized
CSS, HTML, PHP functions, and SEO
 Typically has code that’s written with WordPress
standards and best practices
 Ease of updating for future releases of WordPress

16. Developing sites with Thesis Framework
34,377 people are using Thesis:
Change background
colors, Columns (2, 3, 4, +)
Easily add new header photo
Change fonts
Examples:
Vacation Rental
Real Estate Advice Site
Musician
Health Professional
SCC Fair Foundation
Hand-Made Soap Ecommerce

17. E-Commerce Solutions
•Client Maintains
•Updates products

18. Collaboration: Dana MacKenzie
• Updated Their Hosting (multiple sites)
• Ability to add Images
• Add new articles
• Add news/publishing tour

19. Nonprofits: Strawberry Fields
Volunteers/staff can make updates
No maintenance costs
Living documents