WordPress has become the standard for putting up websites on the Internet. Small businesses, online entrepreneurs, and large corporations, such as Pepsi and CNN, have all come to the realization that this is the best content management system available. It’s also extremely simple to set up and navigate to do exactly what you need to build your business.
There is also a free version of WordPress, but the one I am referring to here in the one that is included with your hosting account. This means that you buy hosting, which is less than a hundred dollars for an unlimited number of domains, and then use the one-click installation that is part of your cPanel account.
WordPress is first installed with a default theme. My recommendation is to leave this theme the way it is until you have added some content. You’ll want to write at least ten posts before even thinking about changing the look and feel of the site. Too many new online entrepreneurs get caught up in the details and do not accomplish their goal of building a business. Remember that the theme is only a skin, and that it can be changed at any time without disturbing your content.
Many of us had the experience of having expensive websites created by people who held us hostage to their service. We sometimes had to wait for days or weeks to have the webmaster make a small change for us. Now those days are gone forever, because this platform allows us to make our own changes at any time.
Creating graphics is not my strong suit, so I will have someone who is talented in that area create a header graphic that I can upload to my site. That way I have a professionally designed site that I can update and control completely.
Plugins are a huge part of what you will have access to when using the WordPress platform. Remember that less is more with this, so only upload a plugin that you will use. Many people have thirty or forty plugins on their sites, without even knowing what each one will do. Start with a few basic ones, like ones that help with SEO – search engine optimization – and with specific tasks, like adding audio or video to your site.
Widgets are the areas of your site where you can add links to other sites, images, and all kinds of additional information. I use text box widgets for most of what I add to the sidebars on my sites, but there are ones for RSS feeds and more. These are all easy to add using the drag and drop feature.
You can also make custom changes to your WordPress sites, but it’s best to leave that to someone who knows what they are doing. This platform is easy enough to navigate using just the features that come standard with it to begin with.
