getting started with wordpress - in a word …...in this guide, we will walk you through getting...
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Getting Started with WordPress
To Do List for This Lesson:
• Sign up for Hosting
• Register Your Domain Name
• Obtain a Security Certificate (eCommerce)
• Start Thinking About Your Theme
In this guide, we will walk you through getting started with WordPress, the
absolute best blogging platform for anyone who wants to build a thriving
home business.
We’re using a self-hosted WordPress.org blog (versus WordPress.com)
because the self-hosted platform gives bloggers the most flexibility and
ease of use needed to increase their earning potential.
There is so much functionality already built into the platform, and if you
need something that doesn’t exist in your initial installation, you can find
plug-ins that handle most any function under the sun.
Gone are the days when you “had” to have a web designer to build a blog or
website. WordPress makes it easy to create a targeted, branded presence
online.
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There is a little prep work that needs to occur before you can install your
blog. In this lesson, we are going to use the terms ‘blog’, ‘website’ and ‘site’
interchangeably.
Two Items Are Needed to Install Your Blog
The two things you’ll need are your domain name and web hosting. If you
want to sell items on your site, you’ll also need a security certificate. We
will focus on setting up these three areas in this lesson. You’ll also receive
items to consider after your site is installed, so make sure to read
everything and follow the instructions for the best experience!
Save on Hosting and Domain Bundles
Click the image below to watch a quick video that walks you through
setting up and saving money on your domain, hosting and security
certificate! You’ll also be able to save on options like protection from
hacking, domain privacy protection and more.
Questions? Join our Facebook Group or Send an Email
Think about what you want to do with your blog and
which hosting plan will work best. For example, if you
want to sell products, you will need a security certificate,
also referred to as an SSL certificate.
As a rule of thumb, we have found that it’s easier to have
our hosting provider, domain name registrar, and our
security certificate with the same company.
The reason is that if you have any problems with your blog down the line,
technical support may be a challenge if you have your hosting, domain and
SSL certificate with different companies. Using one company simplifies
things tremendously for you and technical support.
Keep in mind that all of your services will expire, and will need to be
renewed. Once those services are near the expiry date, you will receive
reminders from your provider. If you have a different provider for each, it
may be easy to overlook one or more of your due dates.
Web Hosting - The first thing we’ll cover is setting up your hosting
provider. We use HostGator, (we’re affiliates for HostGator) and we like the
service we receive with them. For example, to save the most money
hosting should be paid on an annual (yearly) basis. You have the option to
pay your hosting on a monthly basis, but the cost is usually higher than if
you pay 6 – 12 months in advance.
Domain Name – You will also need to register your domain name before
you can install your WordPress site. The domain you sign up for during
this process will become the URL (uniform resource locator) of your site.
An easy way to remember it is that your domain name is the
‘www.yourdomainname.com’ part of your website.
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Your domain name is usually paid on an annual basis.
Select a domain name that's going to be easy for customers and the public
to remember (and type) to get to your website. If you’re thinking of
making your domain name something clever and catchy, make sure it’s
also something people can easily spell. You will receive traffic from people
who remember your business and attempt to “type out” the name of your
domain, so make sure it’s easy.
Make sure to write down at least three domain names you're interested in.
The domain you want may not be available. You’ll receive the pricing for
the various domain extensions.
Domain extensions vary in price based on popularity and availability.
Extensions like ‘*.host’ have one price and an extension like ‘*.biz’ will have
another price. Prices also change from year to year. So you may start out
with a low introductory price, and then the second year, the price
increases. Look at various domains and prices and see what appeals to you
most, based on your needs.
Consider too, that most web users (customers) are very familiar with the
‘*.com’ extension. When ‘.com’ is not available, you might consider ‘*.biz’
or ‘*.net’.
Domain Privacy Protection. This service protects your identity as a site
owner from individuals and companies who troll the web, looking for site
owners that they can spam with all kinds of offers.
You might consider domain privacy protection, but it's not mandatory. If
you want domain privacy protection, you can add that annual cost to your
total bill.
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Your domain name can help you rank for certain keywords. Consider how
your domain name relates to the actual content on your blog. There should
be a logical relationship between your domain name and the content the
person sees when they land on your site.
Here is a cheat sheet from Moz that breaks down the anatomy of a URL.
Use this sheet to learn URLs and how they can help/hurt search engine
rankings and optimization. Click on the image to see the full article and
cheat sheet.
Once you have your domain name registered and you've got your web
hosting set up, HostGator will send email confirmation to the address
provided when you signed up.
Elements You’ll Need to Sell Products
Security Certificates – SSL certificates are required if you
are planning to sell items your blog. Savvy shoppers and
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web browsers look for the lock on the address bar and if that lock does not
appear, they will not buy from your blog. This could be the difference
between having customers and not so don’t overlook this if you are selling
products. Your security certificate is paid on an annual basis.
Your security certificate will give potential customers an added layer of
security when they complete a form or enter their credit card information,
and it will also give them confidence that you've done what you need to do
to keep their credit card information safe.
If you will want to sell products or request feedback, create landing pages
and opt in forms, you’ll need a security certificate. If you’re not ready to
sell products and services, or create opt-in forms, or surveys, you can wait
to install your security certificate. Once you have set up your products and
e-commerce functionality, or you can purchase and have it installed by
your hosting provider. A good thing to do might be to contact your
provider and ask how much lead time they need to install a security
certificate.
If you’re not ready to sell products and services, or create opt-in forms, or
surveys, you can wait to install your security certificate. Once you have set
up your products and e-commerce functionality, or you can purchase and
have your security certificate installed by your hosting provider. A good
thing to do might be to contact your provider and ask how much lead time
they need to install a security certificate. Then plan for adding it later if
you would like.
Please hold on to your confirmation emails! Once your domain and web
hosting have been set up, you will receive confirmation emails that contain
your log in information. Next, it’s time to install your site!
The emails you’ll receive will be your log in information that will be used
during installation to access your customer portal. The customer portal is
Questions? Join our Facebook Group or Send an Email
where you will install your blog. We will perform the installation in the
next lesson.
To install your WordPress site, download our free guide, Installing Your
WordPress Blog. You will receive step by step instructions and access to a
video that walks you through the installation process. Read the following
for things to consider after you’ve installed your blog.
The Look, Feel and Function of Your Site
Once your self-hosted WordPress blog has been
installed, the next steps will include choosing a theme,
choosing plug-ins, creating pages, widgets, menus and
writing your first blog post.
Free or Paid Theme - Your theme controls the look
and feel for your blog. Selecting a theme, whether paid or free, is a
personal decision. Many free themes offer a free and premium (paid)
version, so it’s a matter of upgrading as your blog grows. Take a look at a
few free WordPress themes.
Are You an Expert? Show That You Know Your Stuff!
If you're selling products or providing services that you want to be paid
for, a paid theme might be a better fit. The reason is that paid themes will
usually have more features, and security functions built in that will make
your site handle transactions better and look more professional.
Here is an article on WP Beginner that talks about the pros and cons of free
and paid themes.
The paid theme pictured below, the Authority Pro Theme created by
Copyblogger. This theme is built on the Genesis framework and has a lot of
Questions? Join our Facebook Group or Send an Email
functionality for anyone who wants to showcase their products and
expertise. This theme has great features for anyone who promotes
products and services. Take a look at Authority Pro for yourself.
We use Thrive Architect on our site, which is a paid theme. We are not
affiliates for Thrive Themes, but we are very happy with everything you
get for the price as well as the versatility and templates that come with this
theme.
Email Addresses - When you sign up with HostGator, you’ll have the
option to set up email addresses that will match your domain name. The
number of email addresses you’ll receive will vary by hosting provider. It’s
a common practice for blog owners to set up email addresses matching the
domain of the respective blog.
Think of the prefixes you want to use for company email addresses. Some
examples include one for sales inquiries, one for sales staff, and customer
service at a minimum. If you have staff, you’ll want to assign an email
address to staff members. So for example, for the sales department you
would use ‘sales@yourdomainname.com’.
Questions? Join our Facebook Group or Send an Email
Once you publicize your email addresses, you should assign someone to
monitor those addresses for inquiries each day. You can also set up
autoresponders for each one so that customers and prospects receive a
quick response telling them about next steps.
Maps - If you have a brick-and-mortar location, it’s a great idea to include a
map so that people will know how to find you.
Your Logo - If you have a logo, you will be able to upload it to your site. If
you don't have a logo, you can visit a site like Fiverr.com to have someone
create one for you. Your logo can be added later.
Color Scheme - Think about any company specific colors you want
associated with your blog. When selecting a theme, make sure that it will
support the use of those specific colors. Paid themes usually provide more
variety and selection when it comes to specific colors.
Pictures - You’ll need some pictures for the posts and pages that make up
your blog. A typical company website consists of a page designated for
home (main page), blog, contact, the page that describes your products and
services, and an ‘about’ page. We will walk you through setting up themes,
plug-ins and sidebar widgets and more in another lesson.
There are several image editing sites like Canva, BeFunky, and PicMonkey
that will allow you to use royalty free images, shapes, and text to create
images for your site.
How to Use Your Blog to Make Money Online
If you haven't done so yet, sign up for our free
Energized Blogging Mini Course. You’ll receive free step
by step guides, planning worksheets and videos, in one
information packed email lesson per day for 10 days.
Questions? Join our Facebook Group or Send an Email
In This Course You'll Learn To:
• Install your blog (a 10-minute process)
• Select and install themes and plug ins
• Set up pages, posts, widgets and menus
• Generate targeted traffic and qualified leads
• Improve the most commonly overlooked ways to build your business
• Start earning passive income
• Add additional sources of income
• and so much more!
Your Blog Can Generate Leads
for You on Auto-Pilot Every Day!
Don’t let your blog traffic slip through
your fingers. Learn the secret to
building a massive list today with this
affordable training course.
Get your free lead magnet guide on us,
and learn how this self-paced course
can help you get your business off to a
great start.
The training is self-paced, which means
you can go through it as quickly or as
slowly as you need to.
It’s taught by experts and professionals who have built thriving six and
seven figure online businesses.
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