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1. Introduction
WordPress is an influential personal publishing platform, and it comes with an excessive set of aspects planned to make your experience as a publisher on the internet as trouble-free, appealing, and interesting as possible. It is also a very versatile blog system. Through the use of the thousands of plugins, widgets, and themes which are available for it, you can create a website or blog which is ideal for either business or personal use. Audience interaction is also an important factor. With the use of the inbuilt commenting system, or the capability to install a plugin, as well as links to social media, you can enable your viewers to communicate back to you more easily.
WordPress is the most well-liked, easy to access, and powerful blogging and website content management system nowadays. It is utilized by millions of people all over the globe. It is an open-source system, which means it’s free to use. WordPress was formed in 2003 and since then it’s rapidly growing. Over the years, WordPress has rapidly grown from humble beginnings to the world’s foremost CMS.
1.1 What is WordPress?
WordPress is an open-source content management system employing PHP and MySQL. It is one of the easiest and most powerful blogging and website content management systems today. This system is largely associated with the blogging community but has been expanded outside blogging into CMS, web development, and other types of web systems. Powered by PHP and MySQL, WordPress was used by more than 22.0% of the top 10 million websites as of August 2013. WordPress is installed on a web server, which either is part of an Internet hosting service or is a network host itself; the first case may entirely or a network host may be an important commercial for a company who is not internet-based but would like to establish a web presence. An example of a web server would be the popular hosting package provided by 1and1. WordPress has many features ranging from plug-in architecture and a template system. The format tool allows for clean, web-friendly markup and XHTML. Should a user want to move away from the default URL scheme, there might be a chance to get 301 redirects from other CMS such as Movable Type and Google Blogger. The tag system is one of the features that still is trying to be emulated by other CMS systems with WP less wasteful in terms of CPU and memory made it easy for users to see their own and others’ related posts. And with built-in XML-RPC services, it is also possible for users to post on their websites using many different clients. ExistencePlugin is the newest feature that can compare a file’s data and time with the source file and will replace it with a certain piece of HTML or JS can revolutionize web standards and PHP. Version 5.2.4 and later is required for installation of this system.
1.2 Why use WordPress for building a website?
WordPress is an excellent piece of software. It entirely functions as a CMS (content management system) and blogs network. What that means is it can be used to organize a website’s written content easily, letting you control different types of posts – called post types – including the commonly known post format. Because the software is so simple to configure and the learning curve is so low, this is great for a blogger who may want to have their own website but does not have a large budget on hiring a web developer. Several web hosting companies these days have caught onto the WordPress trend and have started to offer specifically configured web hosting to cater for WordPress users. This type of hosting is perfect for a blogger, and it’s clear that a good reason to use WordPress is that it aligns well with the current market trend for virtual real estate. Due to its user-friendly backend design and functionality, it is possible to get an effective and impressive website up and running using WordPress with minimal investment, all within a short time frame; and that’s very important for a small business who has not much to spare on a big website and wants to see results fast. The money and time saved is a bonus. Plus, development is scalable, which means that your website can grow in complexity as your business does.
2. Getting Started
WordPress does not require a computer software for creating, publishing, and modification of web content easily. It’s based on PHP and MySQL. In order to work with WordPress, no installation needed in local pc. WordPress hosting service provider will provide the tools and MySQL database to create on the web. If you buying own hosting you need to download the WordPress software from WordPress.org Download Section. Download the WordPress zip file and Extract it. Few hosting service provider support quick installation button to automate installation but many of the hosting provider supports manual installation. Upload the WordPress files to the desired location on your web server. If you want to integrate WordPress into the root of your domain (e.g. [Link], move or upload all contents of the wordpress directory (but be sure to include the root php and htaccess files) into the root directory of your web server. If you want to have your WordPress installation in its own subdirectory on your web site (e.g. [Link], create the blog directory on your server and upload the contents of the wordpress directory to the directory via ftp. Now create a MySQL database and user for WordPress Primary step for the beginner is using hosting provider’s control panel. To provide access to the newly created database, MySQL the database is connected to MySQL user. It’s not a good idea to use the ‘root’ access, so it’s recommended to create a separate user. Then click the ‘Blog’ to start installation. WordPress will show a web configuration page. Now you are ready to create your dynamic website.
2.1 How do I install WordPress?
WordPress is an amazing platform, offering the user endless possibilities. It is very easy to use, both for someone who is very experienced on the internet, or for a novice who is taking their first steps. In fact, if you have experience with Microsoft Word, the process will be very similar. The beauty of WordPress is in its simplicity, as you don’t have to be an expert web designer or a computer whizz to create a fantastic looking website. This is why many people turn to WordPress because the learning curve is very gentle. Now content is managed in pages and posts, which are found on the left-hand side of the panel. From there you can edit as you wish. Getting back to the topic, installing WordPress is as easy as it sounds. You will first need to sign up for a web host, which will give you access to server space. This is so you can store your website files on the internet, which will mean your website will be available to the public. If you want your website to be taken seriously or it is for a business or organization, consider paying for your host. There are many affordable options. To get up and running, it is best to find a host that offers ‘One Click Install’, which will provide a service that auto installs WordPress onto your server. This can vary depending on different hosts. If this service is not available, it is also possible to install it manually, however, this might consume a little more of your time. Once WordPress has been installed, you will be provided with a login URL, a username, and an auto-generated password to access the admin panel. This is where the fun begins.
2.2 What are the essential plugins for a WordPress site?
WordPress SEO by Yoast – The most important factor for many sites is search engine optimization. In fact, more money is spent on SEO than developing a website in the first place. The problem with SEO is that it is difficult to know what you are doing on a basic level without an expert. This fantastic plugin creates a new panel underneath your posts which allows you to see how your post looks in search engine results along with setting meta descriptions and keywords. It also has other features like XML sitemap creation and editing of the robots.txt and .htaccess. This is definitely a must-have. The plugin can be found here.
WP-DBManager – This is something that a lot of users do not think about until it is too late. This plugin will schedule dates for database optimization, drop/empty tables, and run selected queries which will help to keep your site running at maximum efficiency. Most importantly, it will also back up your database on a schedule that you set. This is invaluable due to how often WP can go wrong. The plugin can be found here.
Essential plugins provide the functional backbone to a WordPress site and knowing which are important can be a minefield for beginners. There are currently over 19,000 plugins available, and so this number can be quite overwhelming. To start off, the essential plugins are:
2.3 How do I choose a WordPress theme?
An important aspect to consider is whether to choose a free theme or to buy a premium theme. Free themes are often very basic in both design and functionality. It is common for them to contain malicious code, which can make your site do strange things, get you hacked, or even disable your website. It is also common for a free theme to be a rip-off of a premium theme. This could lead to you getting a cease and desist letter for copyright infringement! Premium themes usually run from about $20 to $80 and offer extensive features and support without the risk of malware or legal threats. More expensive themes will range from $100 to $300, but these are usually for a developer’s license or a theme membership. With these, you get support, access to all of their themes, and regular updates.
Choosing a WordPress theme is all about determining how you want your site to look and feel. There are many things to consider before choosing a theme. What is the site about? Who is the site for? What do you want the site to do? These are the things you should consider before choosing a theme. Think of your site as a car. Is it a utility vehicle or a sports car? Is it a family van or a luxury car? Your theme should be an extension of your site and what you want it to be. Think about it in terms of color, layout, and specific features. A racing car has spoilers and a flashy paint job, while a luxury car has leather interior and wood finishes.
3. Customizing Your Site
How do I create and manage pages in WordPress? Creating and managing pages in WordPress is quite straightforward. To create a new page for your WordPress site, navigate to Pages > Add New. You will be presented with an editor that is similar to Microsoft Word or any other desktop word processor. It is there that you can add the content of your new page. Once you are done writing or have pasted the text from an existing document, you can publish the page. For more detailed information about creating and editing pages, see: Pages What are widgets and how do I use them? Widgets are a handy way to add content and features to your sidebar or any widgetized area of your site. You can access the widget page from the administration screen by going to Appearance > Widgets. It is here that you can drag and drop various widgets into the sidebar of your theme. Below is a screencast which demonstrates how to get to this widget area and how to use the available widgets that come with WordPress.
3.1 How do I create and manage pages in WordPress?
Creating a new page in WordPress is quite simple. To begin, you need to log in to the admin area and click on “Pages” on the left-hand side, then “Add New”. This will take you to the page editor where you can input the text and images that you want on the page. Once you have saved the page, it is live on your site. This might not be the place that you want the page to be found, especially if you have created a page that is a child to another page. For example, a page to be found on the about page, about your company, might not be best off being a standalone page. It would be best accessed through the about page. Static to the WordPress page is the “order” and “page to be found”. The default is 0, and it’s not specifically for controlling the position of the page on the front end of the site. This “order” is used for the attribute for the “Sort” method when listing Pages. To have a page displayed as a child page of another page, you need to change the “page to be found”. If the page to be found is “0”, then the page will be a top-level page. If you set the page to be found to the ID of a page, then this page will be the child of that page.
3.2 What are widgets and how do I use them?
A widget is a small block that performs a specific function. You can add these widgets in sidebars, also known as widget-ready areas, on your web page. WordPress has many default widgets, but if you are looking for more, you can simply search for them. They are very simple to use and understand. A few examples of widgets that are included with WordPress are an archive of your site’s posts, a calendar of your site’s posts, a list of your site’s pages, and a list of your most recent comments. These widgets are very easy to customize and move around. You can show or hide the widget by clicking on the arrow on the right side of the widget. Depending on the widget, there are often times when the widget will have an edit link so you can edit the information and then save the changes. This is the same as clicking on the title of the widget. At the bottom of all widgets, there is a delete button. Clicking this will remove the widget and its settings. Note that some widgets contain no settings to save, so once the widget is deleted, the settings are not retrievable.
3.3 How can I customize the appearance of my site?
Theme development is out of the scope of this beginner’s guide, but there are a few simple things you can do to customize the appearance of your site. Most themes come with a custom header feature that lets you change the banner at the top of your site. You can also often change the colors used in the theme by using the WordPress theme customizer or by using features built into the theme. Finally, many themes have a custom CSS box that lets you change the appearance of the theme without actually editing the theme files.
The appearance of a WordPress site is controlled by the theme used. WordPress has several built-in themes you can use and it is fairly simple to change between themes. If you want a high level of customization and more control over the website appearance, you will likely want to build your own custom theme. Theme development is complex, but there are many resources available on the web that can help you. A good starting point is the WordPress Codex. If you are interested in building a theme, consider installing the Theme Test Drive plugin, which lets you work on a new theme without changing the theme currently being used by visitors to your site.
3.4 What are the best practices for organizing content?
Now that you’ve created a web site, you need to think about organizing it. The primary way that people initially access information on the web is through search engine queries or by following links from another site. This means that you should organize your site so information can be found in as few clicks as possible. High level information should be linked directly from the front page, and lower level detail information should be organized so it is no more than 3-4 clicks away from the high level information. Use descriptive link text when linking to other information. And never create orphan pages, every page should be linked to from at least one other page on your site. It may be handy to draw out a concept map of your site. On a blank sheet of paper, write down all the primary sections of your site, and draw lines between sections that are related. Then do the same for each section until you have a full map of your site. This may also help you to determine a logical page hierarchy for your site. Which brings us to our final point, no matter what organization method you choose, make sure it is logical, and stick to it.
4. Managing and Maintaining Your Site
WordPress has revolutionized content management and site maintenance tasks. The traditional way of editing and managing websites has always been time-consuming and often very frustrating. As most tasks done on a daily basis would require navigating your way around the back end of the website and loading it up into a separate web page, often causing editing content to be a time-consuming process. However, now with WordPress, it has made this a thing of the past. It is a clean, simple, and sophisticated back-end interface which is relatively easy to use and is a real-time editor, making it quick to navigate your way around the website and manage the content. Another great thing about WordPress is that it is a self-contained system. That means you can edit your files from any computer as it is a web-based solution. All you would need is access to the internet to make your changes. This is done by logging into the website and then transferring you to the back-end interface and dashboard. This is the control room of your website which allows you to manage your content.
4.1 How do I backup and restore my WordPress site?
You can create a backup by using the Duplicator plugin, which creates a package that consists of all your WordPress files and an installer file. The package can then be used to restore a WordPress site. Backing up your site files is extremely simple and only requires you to download the files from your server. This can be done using an FTP client (such as Filezilla), or by use of your webhost control panel file management application. Backing up a database can be done in several ways, the easiest is by using the export function in PHPMyAdmin. Access PHPMyAdmin from your webhost control panel, select the WordPress database and click export. It is important that you keep a copy of your backup in a safe place, it’s even a good idea to keep multiple copies in different locations. Remember that your WordPress site is only as good as your last backup. Restoring a WordPress site is essentially the same process as moving a WordPress site, and if you have moved a WordPress site before, you should have no problems restoring your site. If your site was lost and you need to do a fresh WordPress install, you must first restore your WordPress files and secondly your database. If you are partially restoring a site (such as after a problem caused a loss of data), you will need to delete the database before uploading the backup and then select the backup to import the data. This is often useful to fix a problem in a particular WordPress installation without redoing an entire site.
4.2 What are the security measures I should take?
Ensure your computer is free of viruses and malware. If your computer is infected, keyloggers and other malware can capture your login details when you access your site. This can also be an issue if you use public computers.
Only use themes and plugins from reputable sources. Scrambled or poorly written themes and plugins are often the cause of various security vulnerabilities.
Use a strong password. I hear so many stories about people getting their sites hacked. Not using “admin” as your username in WordPress, a strong password, and a username can go a long way in deterring would-be hackers from gaining access to your site. This seems obvious, but you might be surprised how often it’s ignored.
While the WordPress software itself is very secure, it helps to take some extra precautions to protect your site. Keep your WordPress software up to date. If you own a self-hosted site, this is very easy to do and should solve most basic problems. If you’re unsure how to do this, it can be done with a single click through your dashboard. Always ensure your plugins are compatible with the latest version of WordPress. If you find your plugins are causing trouble after an upgrade, try searching the plugin and WordPress forums for a solution and always backup your site before making any changes.
4.3 How do I optimize my WordPress site for speed?
1. Delete all post revisions (you can use a plugin like this), and if you have no use for it, disable the WordPress feature that enables post revisions. 2. Delete all spam comments, deleted comments, and excessive comment drafts. 3. Optimize your database. I recommend using the WP-DBManager plugin. This plugin will allow you to set up automatic scheduled database optimizations, and you can also manually run an optimization. Don’t forget to backup your database before running an optimization.
Repeat after me: When trying to increase site speed, always start by making a copy of your site to work on, and if using a pre-made theme, always make sure you have a backup of the original theme.
Define the scope of your work. If you are trying to make it as fast as possible, you will have to make some tough decisions and maybe some aesthetic sacrifices. If your site is image heavy, with numerous plugins and packed with high-res media files, the chances are you can make some significant speed improvements.
Optimizing your site is one of the most confusing topics, primarily because the information available on the subject is often incorrect. This goes for both the execution of the optimization techniques and what will actually make a difference in your site’s speed. The following section is a practical ‘how to’ for optimizing your WordPress site. The compilation of the information here is what I have used to get this site to load in less than 2 seconds, and what you should use if you want to maximize your site’s speed.
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Top 7 Must-Have Plugins for Your New WordPress Site (webcasa.com)
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