The Workbook for this session is available to free subscribers below.
Content of this session
- Make sure everyone understands hosting options (including using localhost)
- Theme selection: Free vs. Paid, regular Theme vs. Theme Framework
- Review basic WP configuration
- Review Posts, Pages and Links
- Review sidebars and widgets
- Creating content: the WP built-in Visual editor
- Installing a recommended plugin set
- Atahualpa theme configuration (basic)
- Creating content with Windows Live Writer
Content of Sessions 3 through 8
- Session 3: Atahualpa in depth; introduction to HTML and CSS; creating a banner in Paint.Net
- Sessions 4: Other themes and theme frameworks demonstrated: Thesis, iThemes Builder, Studio Press
- Session 5: Hard-core theme customization: writing CSS; using Firebug to copy the styling of another website; creating custom CSS classes; registering new widget areas using PHP code in the theme files
- Session 6: SEO and keyword research
- Session 7: Newsletters / shopping cart
- Session 8: Social Media
- Bonus sessions: Membership sites, and more…
Hosting options
- Build your website on the host that is the website’s ultimate destination (moving websites from one host to another can be tricky). Changing domain names generally not a problem.
- If you are just learning, use local server hosting (localhost) – it just takes 5 min. to setup
- If you are building a new version of an existing website, build it in a subdirectory ie. http://mycompany.com/new, and then move it to root directory when done (it’s not hard – talk to me)
Where you should be by the end of this session
- Decided on your hosting
- Starting to imagine your site’s layout (understand the elements of a WordPress site – banner, navigation, sidebars)
- Writing your content
- Starting to imagine your banner (if you want one) and research images (Google “Free stock photography” or check http://www.sxc.hu/ )
Theme Selection
- This is your most important initial decision
- Start with “WordPress most popular (free) themes” http:://wordpress.org/extend/themes/browse/popular/
- Look at Everyman Marketing themes directory for inspiration
- Consider Artisteer
- However, recommended Theme frameworks: Atahualpa (free), Thesis, iThemes Builder, and Studio Press themes (these come up again and again)
- Honorable mention (paid): WooThemes, and iThemes Flexx
- Honorable mention (free): WhiteHouse, Hybrid and Thematic (download from your dashboard — I like clean uncluttered look)
- Review my article Choosing the best WordPress theme for your business or corporate website
- Help yourself to the styling of WordPressAcademy.biz :) (write to me) or else look at Atahualpa showing off thread of BFA Forum (creators of Atahualpa) for inspiration
The Workbook for Sessions 1 and 2 is available to free subscribers below
The workbook is a step-by-step, WordPress Quick Start guide that goes into all the topics above in much more detail.
Simply sign-up to our list and confirm your email address.
The recording is available to paid subscribers
See the Member’s area
