Tag Archive: first website

3 Reasons to Build Your WordPress Blog Today

Written on Jan 24, 2010 by Karilee in Entrepreneurship, Web Presence
0 Comments - Leave a comment!

Reason 1: Smart People Say So

Michael Martine of Remarkablogger was just interviewed on Patrick Allmond’s blog, StopDoingNothing (and that blog name is great advice!)

He was asked:

What is the best “do it” tip you have for a blogger that is starting today?

Michael replied:

Get your blog on self-hosted WordPress as fast as you can. Start an email list as fast as you can.

This is a man who knows his stuff when it comes to blogging – he’s done it for a decade. He’s also one of the folks behind Headway, the premium WordPress theme I use on this site. I heard about it through him, and I’m very happy with it. Oh, and he writes much better blog headlines than I do.

The advice above is really the best advice anyone considering creating a website or blog could possibly get. If you have a business, or are writing a book, or need a ‘personal image’ site to make sure you show up looking sharp when you get searched on Google, just do it.

Reason 2: A WordPress Blog is Good For Your Business

When you set up WordPress, you get a whole website, not just a blog. Many business sites, like this one, are entirely created with WordPress.

You’ll reach more prospective clients. It’s becoming increasing important to have a web presence, so your clients can find you, and so they find you credible.

You’ll make more money – IF you sell good products or services and keep learning how to communicate that well.

Reason 3: It’s Easier Than You Think

C’mon, everything you need to know to build your WordPress blog is here on this site. Free. It’s going to take you somewhere between 10 minutes and three hours, depending on your level of technical knowledge (plus a few breaks while the hosting catches up to you).

Bonus Reasons:

You’ll impress your friends.

You’ll meet and make new friends. There are some great people out here on the interwebz.

Your new site will start getting noticed by search engines. WordPress is designed well for that. You don’t want to be sitting there a year from now, wishing you’d started sooner. The sooner your site is up, the better.

You don’t have to do it all “right”. It’s okay to make some mistakes. They won’t hurt anything much. You can always delete the site and start over, or change the look, or decide to change your site’s focus. Just get started – the very process of taking action will help you get closer to your goals, even if you’re not quite sure what they are.

If you’re not sure what the site should be about, make it about you. Not a resume, but an introduction that will support you in your business and social life. When someone searches for your name on Google, have them read what you want them to read.

It’s Sunday. You’ve got the time. I’m starting to feel like a Nike ad, but … just do it. Go create your WordPress blog. I’ll help if you get stuck. Just post in the comments.

Have a blog already? Send your friends here!

And yes, Mike K., you inspired this post. Now go write your own!

Please Share:
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Ping.fm
  • LinkedIn
  • Technorati
  • Google Bookmarks
  • email
  • Print
  • Add to favorites
Tags: , , ,

Creating Your First Post in WordPress

Written on Jan 11, 2010 by Karilee in What-Why-How
0 Comments - Leave a comment!

So, your WordPress installation is all set up, and you’re excited about creating your first post. That’s great, let’s go through the process together, step by step, and develop good habits from the start.

The way you create your posts will impact your website’s visibility on the search engines later, so let’s learn to do it effectively.

The Step By Step Instructions

(see the picture below if you’re having trouble finding something)

  1. Take a moment to think about who you are writing for. Who is your audience? What do they care about?
  2. What do you plan to write about? List 2-3 points you want to discuss.
  3. Log into your WordPress dashboard and choose Posts, Add New.
  4. If there’s only one line of icons above the post window, hit the last icon, Show/Hide Kitchen Sink. Then you’ll have more buttons to play with.
  5. Choose a Category for your post. Just hit +Add New Category if you haven’t set up the one you want yet.
  6. Drag the bottom right corner of the posts window to make it bigger, if you like.
  7. Create a Post Title that clearly describes what you’re writing about. Having keywords in it is great, but not necessary. It’s more important to make it descriptive and interesting.
  8. Break up your post with subheadings. Highlight them and use the Format drop-down on the second line of posting icons to apply the Header 2 or Header 3 style. Using styles for headings will help search engines understand your site better later, and that makes for better page ranking.
  9. Check for sentences and paragraphs that are too long. Break ‘em up!
  10. Check spelling… little red dots under what you typed may mean you made a mistake. Fix those.
  11. Add Post Tags. These are usually 1-2 word descriptions of what you wrote about. You can change them or add more later, but put on at least a couple. We’re creating good habits here!
  12. Add at least one image. You can get it from Flickr, if it’s licensed correctly for your use, or use a picture or image you create yourself. Right above the icons at the top of your post window, you’ll see the words Upload/Insert followed by four buttons. The first button allows you to Add An Image. Be sure to give the creator of the image credit.
  13. Tweak the look… add any bold or italic or colors needed, but don’t get carried away.
  14. Hit Save Draft if you want to put the post up later, or Publish to put it live on your website right now!

The Numbers On The Picture Match The Steps Above

Add Post Screen In WordPress

Do NOTS For Creating Posts In WordPress

Avoid copying and pasting content from Microsoft Word or similar programs. If you must paste from Word, use the Paste from Word button with the “W” on it, on the second icon bar.

Of course, don’t take content from any site without permission. That’s not a reputation you want to build for your business.

Image Credit: Karilee Orchard

Please Share:
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Ping.fm
  • LinkedIn
  • Technorati
  • Google Bookmarks
  • email
  • Print
  • Add to favorites
Tags: , ,

WordPress Website Setup For Under $10

Written on Dec 24, 2009 by Karilee in What-Why-How, WordPress Setup
2 Comments - Leave a comment!

Today We’ll Create Your Business Website

By the end of this lesson, you’ll have your business website up and running. It won’t yet be the thing of beauty it will grow to be, but you’ll be well on your way there. You’ll soon be able to change the appearance of your site. You’ll be able to add posts or pages to create content that will attract your prospective clientele. Let’s get to it!

Step Zero:

As a prerequisite to this lesson, you should have purchased a domain name and Deluxe Hosting with GoDaddyGoDaddy. See our previous What-Why-How lessons for details. That’s where your “under $10″ costs were. These lessons are free.

Get Logged In To Your Hosting Account

You’ll need to be logged in at GoDaddyGoDaddy and in the Manage Account section of your Hosting, just as you were in our last lesson. If you didn’t complete that lesson, please do before continuing.

Here in the Hosting Control Panel, you’ll give the instructions to set up your WordPress software and the database it needs to run. I know it sounds complicated, but it’s quite straightforward. All you’ll need is a piece of paper to write down the passwords you’re going to set up. It’s important not to lose them!

12 Step Installation of Your WordPress Website

1) From inside your Hosting Control Center, choose the big Your Applications button. It looks like this:

Choose the Your Applications button

2) Once you’ve done that, you’ll choose Blogs from the list of applications on the left side of the screen:

Click on Blogs

3) And then, as you’ve guessed, just choose WordPress.

Choose WordPress

4) Once you’ve done that, you’ll need to be sure to press the Install Now button.

Click to Install WordPress Now

5) You’ll be asked which of your domains you want to install on. Just choose the radio button beside the domain name you want to use, and click Continue.

6) You’ll need to enter a Database Description. Something like DB for WordPress 2.9 on yournewcompany.com

Set up your WordPress Database

7) You’ll also need a Database Password. It’s case-sensitive. It must be 7-14 characters, with at least one lower case and upper case letter, and one number. Do not make it the same as the password for your GoDaddy account. WRITE DOWN your Database Password. Then hit Next.

8 ) In this step, you choose your install directory. Simply empty out any text in the box. It should be empty, because you will be installing WordPress in the root directory. This is true whether you will be using your blog or a page as your “Home” page. Make sure it looks like the following picture, then hit Next.

Choose the Install Directory for WordPress

9) Now you’ll be creating your Admin Name. This is the Userid you’ll use when logging in to your WordPress website. You’ll probably want to keep the Admin Name simple. WRITE IT DOWN.

Configure your WordPress install

10) You’ll also enter the Admin Password you want to use when logging into your WordPress website. Don’t use the same password you used for the database. Don’t use something that is a word in the dictionary, or easily guessed, like your pet’s name. WRITE IT DOWN.

11) Add your real Email address where requested. That’s where you’ll get email if you forget your password for logging in to your WordPress site.

12) Enter the name of the blog (site). You can change it later, when you log into your site’s WordPress installation. Hit Finish.

What To Do While Awaiting The Birth

At this point, you’ll just have to wait patiently for the WordPress installation to complete. You can log out of GoDaddy. It will probably take from twenty minutes to an hour for your site to be ready. While you’re waiting, please make sure you’ve recorded your Database Password, Admin Name, and Admin Password and stored them in a safe place.

You could also post a comment below, announcing the birth of your new site! Or bake cookies and send me some – anything with chocolate works.

When Your Site Is Ready

Go to your website – http://www.yournewcompany.com and see whether you see anything there. Refresh the page if needed until you see the blue WordPress default site display. When you do, you can log in.  Go to http://www.yournewcompany.com/wp-admin

Logon to your WordPress site

You should be prompted for a Username and Password. Those are the Admin Name and Admin Password you wrote down a few minutes ago.

Now you can begin to explore WordPress’ incredibly intuitive interface. Try creating and publishing a Post, to start.

I know your site isn’t quite as beautiful as you’d like yet, but we’ll be explaining how to find and install Themes very soon. Congratulations, you have a website that you built on your own!

Please Share:
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Ping.fm
  • LinkedIn
  • Technorati
  • Google Bookmarks
  • email
  • Print
  • Add to favorites
Tags: , ,
« Older Posts
Get Adobe Flash playerPlugin by wpburn.com wordpress themes