Transcript WordPress for Beginners

…for beginners
Class #1
Logistics
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•
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Tues 2/3-2/24, 7-9pm at UW: LOEW 115
WiFi (UW) user: event0161, pass: pj38_mb58_vy22
class website: http://jonpeck.net/
Rec. read: WordPress for Dummies (link on website)
• free eBook: Getting Started with WordPress
• Quick survey:
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Who works in IT? Other fields?
Programming experience?
Built a website before? Using what?
Ever used WordPress or another CMS?
Brought a laptop today? Tablet? (next time if can)
Purpose of the website(s) you want to build?
Disclaimers, etc
• I…
– am a programmer & a consultant; WP is one of the many
tools in my toolbox
– am not all-knowing or perfect; I’ll tell you what I know, and
tell you when I don’t know
– am available for consultation (cost varies), but my goal is to
make you able to run your own site
• You
– should ask me lots of questions!
– will get occasionally frustrated/lost; that’s normal, but tell
me if you do
– will get the most out of this course if you build a site while
we’re learning (even if you scrap it later)
Course Roadmap
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•
•
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•
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Internet Basics
•
Dashboard, Administration •
Posts vs Pages
•
Editing: rich- vs HTML;
•
Drafts/Visibility/Pubdate •
Navigation, Parents, Order
Media library (& links to)
Comments
Settings: title/tagline, etc •
– Permalinks
– Homepage / posts page
• Header & Background img
User management
Import/Export
Widgets
Themes: find, customize
Plugins
– SEO, videos, music/audio
– E-Commerce, PayPal
– shortcodes, inserting PHP
Other ways of posting
– Email
– bookmarklet (“press this”)
– iOS/Tablet apps
WordPress is a Content Management
System… but what can you do with it?
• “WordPress powers 23% of the internet” - w3techs
• http://www.washington.edu (yep, really!)
• http://classesandworkshops.com (class listings, calendar,
shopping cart & payments)
• http://solopracticeuniversity.com (online courses,
profession-based social networking)
• http://www.hmag.com (e-zine, event listings, advertising)
• http://zync.ca (corporate website w/ design showcase)
• http://www.clouds365.com (photo & video gallery)
more at
wordpress.org/showcase
Why WordPress? NOT JUST BLOGS!
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•
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Easy to add/edit content
Edit from anywhere via web browser
Lots of plugins (extensions) & themes (templates)
Easy to change look while retaining content
Very flexible and constantly improving
Why not WordPress?
• Complexity (but not as bad as you might think)
• Takes a little getting-used-to
• Potential hacking target (I’ll show how to guard)
Case Study
• Conversion from plain-old-HTML to WordPress
• Addition of SEO and other tools
• Immediate and dramatic improvements:
– twice as many visitors over last 6 months
– 8x increase in length-of-stay during first week,
settled down to 38% permanent improvement
– 40% decrease in bounce rate (visitors who leave)
in first week, settled down to 7.5% decrease
– the real benefit: 35% increase in gross income
Case Study
Internet Basics
• What is the Internet?
• What is a Webserver?
• IPs & Domain Names
173.194.33.2
1.2.3.4
jonpeck.com=69.89.7.252
same!
cutoncefilms.com=69.89.7.252
google.com=173.194.33.2
yahoo.com=98.138.253.109
}
69.89.7.252
98.138.253.109
5.6.7.8
• Hosting
– dedicated vs shared (VPS, cloud)
jonpeck.com
jonpeck.com
index.html
one.html
cutoncefilms.com
…..
…..
…..
69.89.7.252
two.html
art.gif
Static content
(text & files)
Dynamic content
VS
(code & databases)
-request
transient
pages
somewebsite.com
index.html
one.html
code (PHP)
two.html
art.gif
database (MySql)
-request
WordPress.org vs WordPress.com
• WordPress.org - provides software that you put on
your own server (aka “host”); slightly more complexity
but also more extensibility (plugins, etc)
• WordPress.com - uses a modified (crippled) version of
that same software, but running on their own servers:
you use their server
• Both are free, but…
– WordPress.org: you need server (usu. $4-20/month)
– WordPress.com: but $99/yr to remove ads, allow
custom domain, enable theme editing, etc
• For anything more than basic blogging, I’d
recommend WordPress.org
Web Hosting
– Once, it was hard to set up WP on your own server,
connect your domain name, etc
– But not there are a lot of hosting companies with
turnkey WP solutions: sign up, pick a domain name,
select WordPress as your app; they do all the setup!
– HOMEWORK: select a hosting provider and set up
your first website (or install it on your current host)!
• Unsure if you’ll stick around? Pick a month-tomonth plan or one with a refund policy
Getting your own Web Hosting:
info at http://jonpeck.net/hosting
OK: Dreamhost (infinite disk space, but slow/limited)
•$4-20/mo (*always if 501c3), free domain name
•97-day money-back guarantee
•sign up at http://bitly.com/hostdh2014
RECOMMENDED: SiteGround (very fast, 10GB is plenty)
•$4-30/mo, free domain name, free website transfer
•discounts with this link: http://bitly.com/hostme14
•30-day money-back guarantee
PREMIUM: WP Engine (even faster, fully managed)
•$30-250/mo, version control, staging area, service-level agreement
•Completely focused on WordPress hosting
•Some plugin restrictions (things that conflict w/ their own backups, etc)
•Check them out here: http://bitly.com/hostwpe2014
The Dashboard
The
administration
panel
(“dashboard”)
The “Screen
“admin
The Content
bar”
Options”
Thetells
left-Navigation
Pane
you
changes
has
what
info
which
site
provides
about
you
items
are
your
access
editing,
are
site’s
shown
to
status…
and
specific
on
who
thehow
you
features
current
many
are (rollover
screen
of
pages
WordPress.
of
you
your
thehave,
name
Dashboard.
etc.
to logout)
isits
usually
atproviding
http://[yourwebsite.com]/
wp-admin
A different
This Pane
“Help”
version
Each
changes
isone
context-specific,
of has
this
depending
bar
own
appears
sub-menu…
on
what
when
part
you
info
we’ll
ofare
the
about
get
visiting
left-Navigation
into
thethe
current
your
specifics
own
Dashboard
you
site
have
in(if
just
you
just
a
screen.
bit.
are
clicked
logged
on.in).
Homework:
• Get hosting and have them set up WordPress
• On your site:
– Turn off Comments (demo)
– Change your PermaLink style (demo)
– Add the plugin called “WordFence” (demo)
– Start looking at Themes (demo)
Course Roadmap
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Internet Basics
•
Dashboard, Administration •
Posts vs Pages
•
Editing: rich- vs HTML;
•
Drafts/Visibility/Pubdate •
Navigation, Parents, Order
Media library (& links to)
Comments
Settings: title/tagline, etc •
– Permalinks
– Homepage / posts page
• Header & Background img
User management
Import/Export
Widgets
Themes: find, customize
Plugins
– SEO, videos, music/audio
– E-Commerce, PayPal
– shortcodes, inserting PHP
Other ways of posting
– Email
– bookmarklet (“press this”)
– iOS/Tablet apps