WordPress is an amazing tool for creating your own website. It’s easy to use and there are tons of free resources online to help you get started, but it can be intimidating if you don’t know where to start. This guide will walk you through the steps needed in order to create a WordPress blog from scratch!
How To Get Started With WordPress
Step One: Getting WordPress Installed on Your Site – If you have a web host, it’s likely that they already have WP installed. Just simply connect your domain name to them and follow the setup instructions. You can also download WordPress for free from their website or purchase hosting elsewhere if you prefer. Once downloaded, upload the files via FTP (or whatever method your host uses) to your site root directory in order to complete installation.
Step Two: Setting Up A New Database – Creating an SQL database is easy! Just go into phpMyAdmin through either cPanel or another option provided by your host, create a new blank database with UTF-16 encoding, then click “Create table” in the top menu.
Step Three: Putting WordPress on Your Site – Now go to your site’s root directory in FTP, upload the contents of the unzipped WordPress folder into it and then open up a new file called wp-config.php in your favorite text editor (like Notepad) and enter your database details inside.
Step Four: Finish Installation Through The Web Interface – All you have to do now is login either through the link provided or by manually typing /wp-admin/install.php into their address bar once they are directed there automatically upon installation completion! Congratulations, you can begin using your self-hosted WordPress site!
How To Install A WordPress Theme
After you’ve successfully installed WordPress on your server, it’s time for you to choose a theme.
Step One: Choose A Theme – First things first, head over to the official WordPress themes directory or Declore.net. You’ll see tons of free options available! Just pick one that interests you and click on it.
Step Two: Upload The Files – To upload your chosen theme, just go into FTP again and look for /wp-content/themes/. This is where all of your downloadable themes are stored once they have been uploaded. All you have to do now is find the folder containing your downloaded theme file (usually in a zip or rear if), unzip it necessary, then enter through this same folder until you reach its contents which should be some files inside of another folder.
Now, all you have to do is drag the unzipped theme’s folder into /wp-content/themes/. The next time your site refreshes, it should be there! Is that really all? – Yes! You just need to click on ‘Appearance’ in the left menu bar and then select ‘Themes’. From here, you can activate your newly installed theme by clicking its thumbnail image (if not already active) or simply move over one of the other themes listed below it if they are available for activation.
And that’s it! You’ve installed your first WordPress theme.
But it’s not done yet! There are still some additional steps to go through in order for the look of your new blog to shine with everything you want it to have. For example, if you wish to change the content font or color, or background image. I’ll address this in the next article but for now, check out these photoshop actions which we will use to help with your site’s design.