Building a WordPress website doesn't have to be hard, the more planning you do the easier it is. Before creating a WordPress website you should at least register a domain, find hosting and ensure WordPress is for you. This presentation walks through domain best practices, hosting information and why WordPress might be a good fit for your website.

1. First... Why
WordPress?
The Platform We Will Be Using
By Ross Johnson @3PointRoss
Thursday, April 5, 12

2. First, You Tell Me...
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
Thursday, April 5, 12

3. Have you ever...
Maintained,
Managed or
Modified a
Website?
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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4. Have you ever...
Worked with HTML
or CSS?
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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5. Have you ever...
Used WordPress on
WordPress.com?
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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6. Have you ever...
Used Self Hosted
WordPress?
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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7. Have you ever...
Used Adobe
Dreamweaver or
Contribute?
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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8. Have you ever...
Used FrontPage?
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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9. Have you ever...
Programmed in
Pascal, Fortran or
Assembly?
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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10. Why WordPress?
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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11. Lots of options
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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12. Drupal
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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13. Joomla
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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14. .NET Nuke
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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15. SilverStripe
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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16. Expression Engine
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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17. They all have their
pro’s and con’s.
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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18. WordPress’ Strongest
Attributes are...
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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19. Ease of Use
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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20. Versatility / Capability
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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21. WordPress Can Be Used to Create Many
Different Types of Sites, Including:
E-Commerce Sites Job Boards
Online Businesses Blogs
Cat Websites Company Websites
Online Forums Online Portfolios
Membership Websites Digital Sales Websites
Social Networks News Websites
Classified Websites Websites About Cheese
Online Directories Twitter Clone
Wiki’s
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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22. Huge Community!
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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23. Very Active Forum
Most questions are answered in minutes.
369,247 million posts in the support forum.
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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24. Lots of Enthusiasts
Almost 90,000 Blogs Discussing WordPress
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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25. Lots of Options
Almost 20,000 free plugins!
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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26. Lots of Designs
Thousands of templates! (paid and free)
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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27. The Most Popular
Platform... PERIOD
72,568,703 WordPress Run Websites
WordPress Powers 14.7% of the top 1,000,000 sites
1 in every 5 domains created in the US run WordPress
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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28. Trusted by Big Brands
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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29. It’s Free!!!
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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30. Not All Sunshine and
Rainbows
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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31. Any Open Source
Project Will Have
Security Issues
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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32. So you need to update
your plugins and
WordPress Installation
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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33. Using WordPress
is easy...
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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34. But complicated
functionality isn’t.
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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35. So you may
have to hire a
WordPress Expert.
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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36. Second... What
Domain should I obtain?
By Ross Johnson @3PointRoss
Thursday, April 5, 12

37. What is a Domain?
Also called a “web address” or URL
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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38. Picking the Right
Domain is Critical
It’s your online phone number
& digital address
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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39. Things to consider
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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40. The best domains
are long taken.
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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41. You will have to
make compromises.
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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42. With that in mind,
make sure your domain is:
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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43. Short & Memorable!
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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44. RossJohnsonSmellsMichiganCheeses.com
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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45. or RossLovesCheese.com
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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46. Get a .COM if
possible!
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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47. If you’re building a brand...
Consider getting
the .net and .org
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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48. Or you could get a .co
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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49. Double-click to edit
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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50. To find a good
name, be creative!
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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51. Try using a dash
(only one)
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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52. drmayonnaise.com
or
dr-mayonnaise.com
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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53. It doesn’t have to
be the name of your
company.
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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54. A memorable
phrase!
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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55. SearchWithSam.com
for Search Ad Marketing
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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56. Or Keywords!
(keywords in your domain are good for SEO)
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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57. Martin’s Recycled Shoes could be
UsedShoes4u.com
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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58. Google Keyword Tool
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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59. Add your location!
MeadowFeteMichigan.com
IngenexDetroit.com
37DesignsAnnArbor.com
AnnArborDogcare.com
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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60. Change Your Order
37designs.com
could be designsby37.com
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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61. Small Modifiers
My37designs.com
The37designs.com
37designsinc.com
37designsllc.com
Hi37designs.com
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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62. Register for 10 years
(It’s good for SEO)
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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63. Do You Need Privacy?
Probably not...
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
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64. Where to Register?
BlueHost - Free domain with hosting!
Hover.com - Easy, beautiful, $15 on avg
GoDaddy.com - Easy, not good for hosting. $9.99+
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
Thursday, April 5, 12

65. Questions?
Follow me on the Twitters @3PointRoss
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
Thursday, April 5, 12

66. Picking The Right
Hosting
Your Website’s Neighborhood
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67. What is a Website Host?
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68. Think of it this way...
Your Domain is Your Phone Number.
People dial it when they want to reach you.
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69. Your Website Host is your Address
This is where you actually are
when people call.
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70. Your Website Is Stored on a Computer
That is connected to the internet. When
people type in your domain,
it dials up that computer.
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71. Companies Charge You to
“House” Your Website.
These companies are Website Hosting Companies.
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72. WordPress is so
popular most hosts
support it just fine.
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73. When Selecting, Consider...
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74. No Windows Hosting!
Select Unix or Linux instead.
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75. Also look at:
•Technical support. 24/7? Phone?
•Space availability, get at least 1 gigabyte
•Bandwidth, find something with unlimited
•Freebies? (one click installs, e-mail, domains)
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76. Technical Requirements
•PHP 5.0
•MySQL
Or Look For WordPress
Optimized Hosting.
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77. Our Recommendations:
1. BlueHost
2. HostGator
3. DreamHost
4. MediaTemple
5. Laughing Squid
http://wordpress.org/hosting/
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78. Lyndsay’s Experience
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79. Things to save:
FTP INFORMATION
ftp server: ftp.yourdomain.com
ftp login: supersite
ftp password: ch33seisgood
CONTROL PANEL INFO
Access Address: www.bighost.com/clients
Login: supersite
Password: ch33seisgood
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80. DNS Servers
ns1.bighost.com
ns2.bighost.com
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81. Questions?
Follow me on the Twitters @3PointRoss
Why WordPress and Picking Domains
Thursday, April 5, 12