This document provides an overview of WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.com offers free hosting and site building but limits customization, while WordPress.org allows full customization but requires self-hosting. Key differences include paid upgrades/plugins on .com vs. free open source on .org. The document outlines steps to set up a self-hosted WordPress site like purchasing a domain, signing up for web hosting, installing WordPress, and configuring basic settings and plugins. Common plugins and their uses are also described.

1. WordPress
The How To…
Sherif S. Morgan
Friday, January 25, 2013

2. Two Flavors
WordPress.com and WordPress.org

3. Open Source / NPO
Developer Community

4. WordPress.com
o Free* Site and Hosting
 Visit http://www.wordpress.com to sign up
o Maintained for users (i.e. no updates)
o Full of features (but cannot add/modify)
o But…
 Somewhat limited to what you control/customize
 upgrades

5. Your URL
o mywebsitename.wordpress.com
o For business, at the very least:
 domain mapping ($13/year)
 recommend purchasing domain separately
 e.g. from godaddy.com
 general recommendation (registrar and host)

6. The Second Flavor
.ORG
[ complete control = my choice ]

7. WordPress is a free and open source blogging tool
and a content management system (CMS) based on
PHP and MySQL. It has many features including a
plug-in architecture and a template system.
WordPress is used by over 16.7% of Alexa Internet’s
“top 1 million” websites and as of August 2011
manages 22% of all new websites.
Source: Wikipedia
http://wordpress.org/showcase/

8. Steps to Setup Self-hosted WordPress
1. Purchase domain name
2. Sign up for web hosting
3. Change nameservers for the domain
this points the new domain to the hosting
4. Login to hosting & install WordPress
 cPanel > Fantastico > Install WordPress
 a note about username and password

9. Login
Login (domain.com/wp-admin)
The WordPress Dashboard

10. Basic Setup
WP Dashboard > Settings > …
o General
title, tagline, timezone, etc.
o Permalinks
change to “Post name”

11. Appearance
WP Dashboard > Appearance
Themes
Widgets
Menus
Header
Background
Editor

12. Widgets
Add content to widget areas of your theme
WP Dashboard > Appearance > Widgets
o Text Widget
 add text
 html
 e.g. YouTube code, Email Autoresponder
o Some plugins will add “widget” options
 calendar, form, social media buttons, etc.

13. WordPress Plugins
add functionality to your WordPress site (e.g.
SEO options, image gallery, etc.)
Browse (http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/ or Google)
Install Plugins
 WordPress Dashboard > Plugins
 Upload zip file – or – FTP
Setting them up [where to find setup guide?]
own settings page, on a post/page, or a widget option

14. WordPress Most Popular Plugins
http://inspirationfeed.com/inspiration/infographics/30-most-
popular-wordpress-plugins-infographic/

15. My Favorite Plugins
 SEO  Sliders
 All in One SEO  WP Cycle
 Yoast  Easing Slider
 Google XML Sitemaps  Nivo Slider [$]
 Gravity Forms [$]  Social Media
 Socialize (sharing)
 AddThis (sharing)
 Social Media Widget

16. Working with Content
o Posts and Pages
 Visual vs. Text editors
 words, pictures, and links
o Media Uploader

17. The Codex
WordPress online manual, information, and documentation
http://codex.wordpress.org/

18. an overview of the two flavors of

19. .com vs .org
which is right for you?
http://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/
http://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/self-hosted-wordpress-org-vs-
free-wordpress-com-infograph
http://diythemes.com/thesis/rtfm/differences-wordpress-com-org/
http://remarkablogger.com/2009/11/19/wordpress-com-vs-wordpress-org-the-
definitive-overview-for-business/
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2012/03/04/wordpress-com-or-wordpress-
org-which-ones-right-for-you/

20. Dale Dillon and Michael Gray
SMART Team Master Mind Members
Sherif Morgan Deborah Munoz-Chacon
Aaron Eden Chris Hazen Molina
Steve Frantzis
Staff Pam Furlong
Danielle Lips
www.OnlineBizSMARTs.com