How To Set Up and Use WordPress
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WordPress

WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) globally, powering over 40% of all websites on the internet. Its user-friendly interface, extensive customization options, and robust community support make it an ideal choice for beginners and professionals alike. Whether you want to create a personal blog, an e-commerce site, or a corporate portfolio.

What is a WordPress Website

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WordPress Resources

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of building a WordPress website from scratch, optimized for SEO, user experience, and performance. Drawing on years of expertise and insights from industry leaders, we’ll cover everything from choosing a domain to fine-tuning your site for search engines. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned developer, this article is your roadmap to crafting a one-of-a-kind website that bypasses the ordinary and ranks high on Google.

Why Choose WordPress for Your Website?

WordPress is more than just a blogging platform; it’s a powerful CMS that caters to websites of all types, from E-commerce online stores to personal portfolios. Here is why it is the ideal choice for almost type or size website:

• • Open-Source Freedom: WordPress is free to use, with a global community of developers constantly improving its functionality.
• • Endless Customization: With thousands of themes and plugins, you can tailor your site to match your brand’s vision without coding expertise.
• • SEO-Friendly: Built-in features and plugins make it easy to optimize your site for search engines.
• • Scalability: From a single-page site to a complex online store, WordPress grows with your business.
• • User-Friendly Interface: Its intuitive dashboard allows anyone to manage content, even without technical skills.

Choosing a Domain Name

Your domain name is more than just a web address, it’s the foundation of your online identity. A well-chosen domain should be as polished and professional as your website itself, making it easy for visitors to find, remember, and trust your brand. A memorable domain name reflects your brand and is easy to spell. For example, if you’re a photographer named Jane Doe, consider JaneDoePhotography.com. When you are going to buy a domain name for you or your business, take your time and select wisely. If you need to change your website name or URL, it can be very expensive, and you will lose any SEO placement or Goggle rankings.

Selecting a Hosting Provider

Reputable providers like RSH Web Services offer managed WordPress hosting with features like automatic backups, DDoS monitoring and protection, and cPanel for easy website management. Choose a plan that aligns with your traffic expectations and budget.

• • SSD Storage: For lightning-fast load times.
• • Free SSL Certificates: To secure your site with HTTPS.
• • One-Click WordPress Installation: Simplifies setup.
• • Free Domains: With All Hosting Accounts
• • Softaculous App Installer: automatic script installer with over 380+ scripts.

Install WordPress Automatically

Most hosting providers, offer one-click WordPress installation through tools like Softaculous.
Here’s a quick guide to installing WordPress:

• • Log into cPanel: Access your hosting account’s control panel.
• • Find Softaculous: Look for the WordPress icon under the “Softaculous Apps Installer” section.
• • Install WordPress.
• • Select your domain from the dropdown menu.
• • Choose a directory (leave blank for the main domain, e.g., yoursite.com, or specify a subfolder like yoursite.com/blog).
• • Enter an admin username and password for your WordPress dashboard.
• • Click “Install Now” and wait for the process to complete.
• • Log in to the WP dashboard: This is your command center for building and managing your site.

Manually installing WordPress

This guide offers step-by-step instructions for manually installing WordPress on your web space. This method is recommended for users who are unable to, or choose not to, utilize the 1-click installer provided with many of our hosting plans.

• 1. Downloading the latest version from the [official WordPress website].
• 2. Uploading the files to your server using an FTP client.
• 3. Creating a MySQL database and user.
• 4. Configuring the wp-config.php file with your database details.
• 5. Running the installation script by navigating to your domain.

Once installed, access your dashboard at "https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin" to begin customizing your site.

Choose and Customize a Theme

Your theme defines your website’s look and feel. WordPress offers thousands of free and premium themes, but choosing the right one is crucial for aesthetics and performance. As soon as you create a WordPress blog, you already have a theme active. This is either the default WordPress theme or a theme that you have chosen during the Setup Wizard.

To find free themes, the best place to search is the official WordPress.org theme directory
Another good option is Just Free Themes for a more curated approach
Or you can do a search on Google or Bing for free WordPress themes.

Free Themes: You can find free themes in the WordPress repository. Go to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Appearance > Themes and click Add New to browse available themes.

Premium Themes: For more advanced features and customization options, consider purchasing a premium theme from marketplaces like ThemeForest or Eegant Themes.

Install a WordPress Theme

After you have found a theme, WordPress makes it easy to add that theme to your website.

Hover over Appearance. Then select Themes. Click the Add New button.

If you want to use a free theme at WordPress.org, search for the theme by name and click Install
If you purchased a premium theme, click the Upload Theme button and upload the ZIP file you should have received when you purchased the theme. After installing your theme, make sure to click the Activate button to make it active on your site.

Customize Your WordPress Theme

Once you’ve chosen a theme, you can customize it to match your brand:

Logo and Favicon: Upload your logo and favicon via "Appearance" > "Customize" > "Site Identity."

Colors and Fonts: Adjust colors and fonts to match your brand guidelines.

Widgets and Menus: Add widgets to your sidebar or footer and create custom navigation menus.

To further customize your theme, you can use something called the WordPress Customizer. This interface lets you make certain tweaks to your theme without needing to know code.

You can access it by going to Appearance > Customize.

Depending on the theme that you chose, you may have a different set of options in the left sidebar. But in general, you can make changes by using the options on the left, see a real-time preview on the website preview on the right. Make your changes live by clicking Save > Publish.

WordPress Plugins

While themes are mostly about the layout and appearances. Plugins are more focused on helping you add functionality to your blog.

When you first create a WordPress blog, you pretty much only have the ability to write blog posts and create pages.

Plugins are what allow you to add more advanced functionality.

There are over 50,000 free and paid plugins available on the Internet today. Select your plugins on the basis of how important they are. Paid plugins are not necessarily the best.

How to install WordPress plugins

After you log into your WordPress site go to Plugin > Add New.

If you decide to use a free plugin, search for the plugin by name. Click on Install Now. If you purchased a premium plugin, click the Upload Plugin button and upload the ZIP file you should have received when you purchased the plugin.

Make sure to Activate the plugin after installing it
You can always manage your existing plugins by going to the Plugins: tab.

Must have WordPress plugins

While there are plenty of niche plugins that are only good for specific uses, there are some that all sites, including blogs, can benefit from. Here are some of our suggestions:.

• • Google Analytics for WordPress by MonsterInsights
• • WP Super Cache
• • Yoast SEO
• • Wordfence Security
• • Jetpack by WordPress.com
• • Social Media Share Buttons and Analytics
• • WPForms
• • Optimole
• • Best Plugins
• • Optimization Plugins
• • Category Plugins
• • Affiliate Plugins
• • eCommerce Plugins
• • Membership Plugins
• • Page Builder Plugins
• • Newsletter Plugins
• • Knowledge Base/Wiki Plugins
• • Images Plugins
• • Slider Plugins
• • Search Plugins
• • Multilingual Plugins

Create and Publish Content

Content is king in the world of WordPress. Here’s how to create and publish content:

To add a new Page, hover your cursor over the Pages menu option in the left-hand navigation menu and in the fly-out menu, click the Add New link.

Alternatively, click the Pages menu option and then click the Add New link underneath, or the Add New button at the top of the page.

Below are the details of the fields on the editor page of the Add New Page.

• Title: This is used to write the title of the article, which is later displayed on the browser bar
• Permalink: This shows the potential URL for the page below the title. The URL generates as per the given title
• WYSIWYG: It is a WYSIWYG Editor, which is similar to a word processor interface where you can edit the contents of the article
• Bold Button: Used to bold your font
• Italic: Used to italicize the font
• Word Strike: Strikes through the content
• Bullet List: Adds bullets to content
• Number List: Adds numbers to the list of the content
• Blockquote: Quotes the text
• Horizontal Line: Creates a horizontal line between sentences
• Left Align: Sets the content on the left side of the page
• Right Align: Sets the content to the right side of the page
• Justify: Justifies the content of the page
• Add Link: Adds a link to your content. When you click on this button, the following page gets displayed.

The following are the fields present in the Insert/edit link.

• URL: Enter URL you want to link
• Link text: Insert text you want to enter into the link
• Open link in a new window/tab: Open your link page into the new tab or window. Check the box as required
• Link to existing account: Links to an existing content page by selecting the page from the given list. When you click on existing page then you get a link created in the URL section
• Remove Link: Deletes the particular link added for text or content
• Read more tag: Adds Read More tag to your page
• Toolbar toggle: Clicking on this you get another list of toolbar as shown in the following image
• Paragraph: Selects the headings as required for the text from the dropdown
• Underline: Underlines the sentences
• Justify: Justifies your content
• Text Color: Sets color for words or sentences
• Paste as Text: Pastes your text
• Clear Formatting: Deletes selected content
• Special character: Inserts special characters needed in your content
• Increase Indent: Increases the indent of the page
• Decrease Indent: Decreases the indent of the page
• Undo: Reverses the most recent editing command
• Redo: Opposite of undo, restores the most recent editing command.

Using Page Builders

Page builders in WordPress allow you to create stunning, customized layouts for your website without the need for coding knowledge. These intuitive, drag-and-drop tools simplify the design process, enabling you to build responsive pages with ease. Whether you're looking to create complex layouts or simple designs, page builders offer a flexible and efficient solution to bring your vision to life.

See our WordPress article on the most popular page builders

Customize by Hand With Code

To edit WordPress theme files directly for advanced customization, navigate to Appearance > Theme - File Editor in your WordPress dashboard. You can then select the theme and file you wish to edit, making changes directly in the code editor. Remember to save your changes.

• • Child Themes: Create a child theme to make customization's without losing them during theme updates.
• • Functions.php: Add custom functions to your theme by editing the "functions.php" file.
• • CSS: Customize the appearance of your site by adding custom CSS via "Appearance" > "Customize" > "Additional CSS.

Keep WordPress Core, Themes, and Plugins Updated

Keep your WordPress core, themes, and plugins updated to benefit from the latest features and security patches.

• • Security Patches: Regular updates include security patches that address vulnerabilities and bugs.
• • Automatic Updates: Enable automatic updates for minor releases and keep an eye on major updates to ensure compatibility with your site.
• • Delete Unused Plugins/Themes: Remove any themes or plugins that you are not using to reduce potential security risks.

Enhance Security

Implementing robust security measures is crucial for protecting your WordPress website from various threats, including malware, hacking attempts, and data breaches. Here are some effective strategies to enhance the security of your WordPress site:

• • Strong Passwords: Use strong, unique passwords for all accounts.
• • Two-Factor Authentication: Enable two-factor authentication for added security.
• • SSL Certificate: Install an SSL certificate to encrypt data transmitted between your website and users.

Use Security Plugins

• • Wordfence: A comprehensive security plugin that offers features like firewall protection, malware scanning, and login security.
• • All-In-One Security: Prevent spam and protect your website content, as well as your SEO rankings.
• • Sucuri Security: Offers website security, monitoring, and malware scanning, as well as post-hack security actions.

Backup Your Website

Backing up your website is a crucial step in maintaining its integrity and ensuring that you can recover from any unexpected issues, such as server crashes, hacking attempts, or accidental deletions.

Here are several methods to back up your website, each with its own advantages:

• • Automatic Backups: Use plugins like UpdraftPlus, BackWPup, and Duplicator to schedule automatic backups.

Manual Backup Using cPanel

• • Access cPanel: Log in to your cPanel account through your web hosting provider’s login page.
• • Navigate to File Manager: Within cPanel, locate and open the “File Manager” tool.
• • Select Website Files: Choose all the files associated with your website, including directories, images, scripts, and other essential components. You can select the public_html folder, which typically contains all your website’s files.
• • Download Files: Compress the selected files into a ZIP archive and download them to your local machine. This ensures you have a complete copy of your website’s files

Backup Using Softaculous

• • Access Softaculous: Log into your hosting control panel (e.g., cPanel) and locate the Softaculous Apps Installer.
• • Select Application: Navigate to the installed application (e.g., WordPress, Joomla) you want to back up.
• • Initiate Backup: Click the backup icon or option next to the application, then configure settings (e.g., include database, files, or both).
• • Choose Storage Location: Select where to save the backup (local server, FTP, or cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox, if supported).
• • Run Backup: Start the backup process and wait for completion; download or verify the backup file from the specified location.

Summary

Building a WordPress website can be a rewarding experience, and with the right tools and knowledge, you can create a professional and functional site.

From choosing a domain and hosting to customizing your theme and optimizing for SEO, each step brings you closer to a fully functional website that stands out in the digital landscape.

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Author Bio: James Vance

A writer and composer hailing from SouthShire, England. With a love for crafting compelling content...

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