The Ultimate Guide to Starting a WordPress Site

STEP ONE – GO TO BLUEHOST

By clicking the link below, you will open Bluehost in a new tab. From there, you can easily follow step-by-step through the rest of the guide. Next, you will want to click “get started now”.

STEP TWO – SELECT YOUR PLAN

Below you will see a screenshot of the different plans offered by Bluehost [taken at the time of writing].

Screenshot from Bluehost – showing the possible plans you can choose from [5.30.18].

At the time of writing the PRIME and PLUS options are the same price, I would recommend going with the PRIME plan for $5.45/mo. (A fantastic deal when other web platforms can charge up to $30/mo) The BASIC plan is fairly limited and I would recommend going with one of the unlimited plans.

STEP THREE – CHOOSE YOUR DOMAIN NAME

After selecting your plan you will see a screen that asks you to create your domain name. I personally recommend using the .com extension over any of the others, it makes sharing and searching for your website much easier. Making it easy-to-spell, easy-to-remember, and closely related to your business are best practices when selecting a domain name.

Using a tool like namecheckr.com will allow you to choose a domain name that you can also bring into your other online business platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, etc.)

Enter your desired domain name into Bluehost to continue. If you already have a domain name from a previous site or have purchased it separately, enter it on the right. (Screenshot below).

Screenshot from Bluehost – showing the domain name input screen [5.30.18].

STEP FOUR – CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT

First, simply fill out the “account information” section of the Bluehost form or use Google Single Sign-on to register your personal information.

Next, in the “package information” section, select the term length you desire for hosting (the 36-mo period is the sweet spot for pricing). You can uncheck the “Site Security – Find” option as we will implement plugins to harden site security. The recommended feature selection is shown below in a screenshot.

Screenshot from Bluehost – showing the domain name input screen [5.30.18].

Finally, in the “payment information” section, enter in your information and move to the next page. You’ll next need to create a password for your Bluehost account. This password will protect your entire site, make it very strong! Using letters, numbers, and symbols is best practice for password creation and remember, longer passwords are usually stronger.

**OPTIONAL**
If you need a tool to help keep your passwords organized, I use Dashlane. It keeps all my passwords safe and accessible with their mobile app. Dashlane will keep your passwords secure while giving you easy-to-use features like auto-fill so you never have to type your passwords again, and a powerful password generator to keep you and your online information safe!

CHANGING THE ADMIN USER

The first thing I recommend for all my clients is to create a new ADMIN user for themselves. But why? Don’t we automatically get one when we start? The answer is ‘yes’, but it’s not very secure. You will now login to your WordPress site by simply going to [*YOURDOMAIN.com*/wp-admin].

There are bad people out there that know this and may try to get into your account. To do so, they would need your USERNAME and PASSWORD. If you are still using the given USERNAME of “admin”, it makes your website and your online business that much more unsafe.

By simply creating a new ADMIN profile on your website, you enhance your overall website security. Below I will show you how to do this:

     #1) Go to the USERS tab in the left sidebar
     #2) Go to ADD NEW at the very top of the USERS page
     #3) Fill out the fields to reflect your information
     #4) Make sure the “Send the new user an email about their account.” box is checked
     #5) Set the ROLE to “Administrator”
     #6) Check your email that was used in the EMAIL field for new user details.
     #7) Follow the Link in the email to create a strong password
     #8) After creating your new account, delete the “admin” account and “Attribute all content to your new account” 

[You can also delete all content if this is the first thing you do in your new WordPress site, as all other content is generic and you will end up deleting it anyways].

After creating your new user profile, click on your username and review any of the personal user settings you need to change, making sure that the information presented here is accurate.

YOUR WORDPRESS SETTINGS

WordPress organizes your site settings on the left sidebar in the “SETTINGS” section. This section is broken into various sub-sections for your website. In this next bit, I will make several recommendations for setting changes and explain a few that I feel are important and valuable.

General

In the GENERAL sub-section, you will see basic settings for your website. First, make sure your Site Title and Tagline are accurate to reflect you and your brand. Next, make sure that your WordPress Address and Site Address are accurate to the domain you have selected in earlier steps. Input the main Email that will be used for site notifications (comments, updates, etc.).

The next two fields are for if you want to have a membership type website that requires readers to create a profile. On my sites, Membership is left unchecked, and the New User Default Role is left as Subscriber.

The next section defines Site Language, Timezone, Date Format, Time Format, and Week Starts On. Select the settings that best identify your online business and the readers of your content.

The last few sections include Site Cache Level (which I leave as default – Level 2), Bluehost Auto-updates (which are left on for me), and lastly the Bluehost Coming Soon Page (which I recommend leaving on until your site is ready to launch).

Writing

In the WRITING sub-section, you can change the settings related to content creation. First, you can change the Default Post Category and Post Format (This would be a good idea if you have a custom category that is meant as a catch-all to your content, also changing the Default Post Format would be helpful in unique and niche situations)

Reading

In the READING sub-section of the settings, we will see changes related to how your content is presented on your website. The first selection is Your Homepage displays; this will define the overall structure of your website. What do you want to show on the homepage? Would you like your blog-stream or a custom homepage? The decision will define your platform as either a BLOG (Your latest posts), or a WEBSITE with a BLOG (A static page). I usually recommend the latter option (for online business) due to the flexibility offered in a website format rather than a blog. If you decide to go with the Static Page setup, you will need to define your HOME and BLOG pages [more on pages later].

Discussion

The DISCUSSION sub-section relates to how your audience can interact with your content. Being a large section and the settings ultimately being preferences, I will present a few considerations that should guide your selection of preferences.

Media

The MEDIA sub-section is related to your digital content (how it is displayed on your website and also how it is organized in the WordPress system) This section is rather short and doesn’t require any changes unless you feel it is necessary.

Permalinks

The PERMALINKS sub-section is related to your URL structure of individual pages and posts on your website. My recommendation is to select Post Name for your structure, this will ensure better SEO and URL slug management. The other settings are for changing the wording of “categories” to something custom like “topics” or “projects”.

Privacy

The PRIVACY sub-section is a new one that came with the new changes in internet privacy (GDPR 2018). This subsection will help you create and define the Privacy Policy of your website.

FREE OR PREMIUM THEMES?

A question I get all the time is – “Is it necessary to use a PREMIUM (paid) theme?” The short answer is – absolutely NOT. I would recommend you start with a FREE theme. That way you get a feel for what you value in a WordPress theme. Yes, you will be frustrated at times by the limitations associated with FREE themes, but they are often spending money on tools that end up not meeting the specific and unique goals of your online business.

I am a huge fan of paid themes, they can often help you communicate precisely what you want to your readers. PREMIUM themes have unique features that can help you BUILD and GROW a better online presence on your website. But it is not NECESSARY, especially at the beginning.

WHERE DO I FIND THEMES?

WordPress has a fantastic selection of both FREE and PREMIUM themes. Simply go to the APPEARANCE and then THEMES on your WordPress DASHBOARD. This page will show your current library of WP themes. To get access to other themes click the link labeled WordPress.org Themes toward the top. This will take you to the WP theme marketplace where you can preview and install 1,000s of different themes. My favorite place to find themes to use is in the POPULAR tab on this page (where you can find 3,000+ great FREE WP themes).

When you find one that you like, simply INSTALL and then ACTIVATE the theme on your website. I recommend finding several themes that you like so that you can easily switch themes if you find one to be too limited for your business.

WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR IN A THEME?

When looking at themes, there are a few general considerations I make when choosing a theme for a WP site. The guiding questions I use when selecting are the following:

          Is this theme relatively easy to use?
          Is the theme mobile-responsive? (Will it work when used on a mobile device? Find out by shrinking the window to see your site change)
          Is the theme compatible for eCommerce? (Only if you plan to have a shop on your site)
          Does the theme allow me to use custom colors?
          Is the overall structure what I’m looking for?

All of these questions are “deal-breakers” because they cannot be easily overcome outside of the theme itself. I currently utilize the Mesmerize PRO theme for Build Your Stampin’ Site.

HOW DO I CUSTOMIZE MY THEME?

Answering this question in a general sense is quite difficult. This is why I offer a service to build-a-site for my clients. The reason for it being difficult is that every theme is different; the customizations, the functions, the design aspects (and so much more) are ALL DIFFERENT.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PAGE AND A POST?

The pages on your website are structural (they provide the shape of your site). These are semi-permanent pieces of content that can be accessed often by the MAIN MENU bar. Pages help contribute to the overall flow of your User Experience (UX) whereas posts, generally exist in the blog stream, are browsable, and have some type of Call To Action (CTA).

Initially, you will create a few pages that host important information that will likely not change too much over the course of your online business. You may come back and optimize the wording, or the goal of the page, but overall that content will ‘just be there’. Posts on the other hand, are more dynamic; they have a kind of life expectancy to them (and with that a sense of urgency). Your posts over time will get deeper and deeper into your blog stream.

WHAT PAGES SHOULD I HAVE ON MY WEBSITE?

In your BLOG page, you can post about whatever your heart desires. But when it comes to necessary PAGES, there are a few guidelines for that. If you are wanting your online business to reflect you, your life, and the things you do, it is highly advised to have an ABOUT ME page. This is often the most viewed page on a website, and rightfully so, people like to connect with other people. Don’t miss out on the opportunity you have to share about yourself and connect with your audience.

The next page I recommend having is a START HERE page. After you have created a bit of valuable content for your readers, you can curate that content in such a way that you tell a story or offer your services by providing your new visitors a “one-stop-shop” to your most valuable content, meeting your readers at whatever experience level they may be at.

The last page I recommend to all my clients is a type of CONTACT PAGE. Making yourself available to answer reader questions and to highlight their stories is HUGE. If you want a significant and lasting relationship with your readers, its vital that you give them a way to speak to you!

WHAT ROLE SHOULD MEDIA PLAY ON MY WEBSITE?

Your digital content (photos, videos, GIFs, etc.) is a crucial addition to your content on both PAGES and blog POSTS. Understanding why, when, and how to use media to emphasize your writing is a valuable skill. Generally, pages and posts with some type of eye-catching digital content get shared around the internet much more often than a post with only words.

This is the topic of my first ever Ultimate Guide – Blog Images. I would recommend reading this guide as well in order to understand both the “why” and the “how” of utilizing beautiful images on your website! You can read it below!