Building a Website with WordPress
Over the past week, I have written quite a bit about Building an Authority Websitebased on a topic you are actually interested in writing about! We also reviewed how we need to set and define our goals, as well discuss a few ways to reach those goals. This week, I want to talk about WordPress and more specifically, How to use WordPress to Build a Website!
What Exactly is WordPress
Basically, WordPress is an open source publishing application built specifically to help non-technical people publish content to the Internet. It has been called a blog (web-log) creator, a CMS (Content Management System), and even a full website publisher! The bottom line is that with WordPress and it’s huge benefit of open source licensing, it has quickly become the platform of choice for website development! Unless you plan on creating a full e-commerce site, or some other custom web application, chances are pretty good that WordPress can be used instead!
What Makes it Different than Other Websites
In order to understand the difference, first you have to understand that a website is nothing more than a group of files just like on your own PC, which are written and linked together to provide a specific message on the Internet. For years, the primary way to develop a site was to create static html coded pages that displayed what you wrote on the web. A browser, like Internet Explorer or FireFox, reads the html code and displays it according to the way it was written. When you have a static html type of website, making changes often requires the knowledge of code and/or keeping a programmer nearby to make the changes for you. Those days are gone…
With WordPress and a simple understanding of how it works, you can create a website that is comparable, and likely better, than many of the older static sites on the Internet! The basic nature of wordpress creates a site that is easily updated and very search engine friendly!
How Hard is WordPress to Use?
This question is impossible to answer – but it’s safe to assume that if you can use a WYSIWYG (What you see – is what you get, pronounced wiz-ee-wig) editor to type an email, you can write your own website! Yes… it’s THAT easy!
The Week Ahead – Tune In!
For the remainder of this week, we are going to review much of the non-technical side of WordPress! We will discuss when to use a “Page” and when to use a “Category”. WordPress Plugins and SEO practices, all the way down to simple use of the different areas within the administration!
I am NOT going to get technical on you… simply because you don’t NEED to be technical in order to successfully Build a Website with WordPress!
Previously Published Articles You May Like to Read:
- Day 2 – Building a Website with WordPress
- Building WordPress Categories that Make Sense to Visitors!
- Checklist for Building Your Own Niche Website
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I have been doing my part to "Build the Internet" since 1994, when I built my first website! Since then, I have built hundreds of niche websites for myself and many others, focused on design, applications, ecommerce, search optimization and internet marketing.
Great topic Mark! I think many people just “assume” that everyone knows how to use WordPress, and it’s just not true.
Can’t wait to see how to truely utilize the power of WP!
This is great. I spent last weekend ttrying to learn how to make a website with WordPress. I’ve been checking out sites created with WordPress and really like the way they look and all the features. I have been making web pages for a long time using FrontPage so I have some knowledge of html. I kept hearing how easy it was set up and use WordPress. Well, the setup was easy. Changing basic features and writing comments was easy. But when it comes making it look like a site that I want, it was not so easy. I researched on the Internet trying to find instructions on how to add images, and format the page how I wanted, but nothing I came across told me exactly what to do. I tried using a template but maybe that was what was making it so hard. I’m looking forward to whatever you publish. I think all I need is a nudge in the right direction. Looking forward to reading your posts.
Excellent topic Mark !
I can’t wait to know what are your thought about WordPress and a brief walk through their feautures and goodies. maybe you can show us one of those easy to implement but smart tips of yours that makes a big difference.
For your non-tech followers like me.
Regards
There are MANY of us interested in this subject and looking forward to you sharing your WP knowledge. Can you tell us the ‘how’ as well as the ‘when’ also. Thanks!
@ All -
My plan is to start posting on this subject tomorrow! From the basics of installing wordpress, right up through uploading images and using them in posts… etc.
I am going to try and cover almost every topic that we will need to be aware if immediately, but not much of the technical stuff that will hold us back from the most important part, writing and delivering content.
Mark
Hi Mark,
If you can throw in video or two regarding the setup, that would be great.
Thanks,
Steve
I found your site a couple of weeks ago, and am just getting started with the BANS script. I am really looking forward to learning about wordpress integrating with BANS and for other applications. Awesome that you will be rolling out a series about it. Thanks for taking the time to explore the topic Mark. I will definitely be following along =)
-Cheers
Great, uploading images is always a hassle for me. I can’t wait to learn the correct way to do it.
Is it possible to use an image as an affiliate link. i.e., click on the picture to purchase the item?
WordPress is the best CMS, hands down. I’ve used it to quickly build everything from static sales pages, or dynamic multimedia driven blogs… The marketplace is so huge, full of free themes, plug ins and scripts that it’s no wonder WordPress is quickly becoming the most frequently used publishing platform today.
Thanks for this topic, Mark. So far, I fiddle around with WordPress and have learned how to set it up and grab a few plugins, but I have little direction in using it.
@Elijah: I wouldn’t call it the best CMS, its somekind of good software for blogs. SEO related WP is still not that good. I am using modX which is far one of the best, most flexible CMS out there. Not that easy as they pronounce it but hey, we are smart guys (somedays at least). You need to install a lot of plugins to make WP really SEO friendly and that is something I dislike…
WordPress has become my best friend. I don’t do a lot of modifying of themes, but just enough to make them look different.
I enjoy blogging so much more than just building static websites.
WP can be intimidating for newbies. I was afraid of it for years. I wish I learned how to use it 4 years ago! I would be much further along if I bucked up and just learned it from the start.
I love it now.
Thanks for everything Mark !!
Mark, I used to think it was Howard Stern, but now I know it is you who is………..The King of All Media! :-)
It would be impossible to put a price on all the information you have been providing to us. And believe me when I tell you, it is greatly appreciated!
I am looking forward to the WordPress tutorial. I, like many others, have been a bit afraid to take the leap into the WordPress pool, even though it sounds like the thing to do. The upcoming tutorial will probably ease my fears.
I’ve been experiencing a pretty hefty learning curve with my initial BANS site that was created to market Pinball Machines & Jukeboxes and, thanks to your site, I have taken a few steps forward. However, it appears WordPress may be the best alternative for my future sites.
One area you might address in future tutorials would deal with how to keep everything organized. I know I have accumulated a ton of info while starting my website, and I only have one site. Maybe you could expound on just how you manage to keep things organized. I can’t imagine how you do it all!
Thanks!
Brilliant, about time we had a simple concise how-to with WP, I for one get very bogged down with info overload on things to do with WP
Thanks
I’ve fallen in love with WP. I’ve been redesigning my bans sites into pure WP sites using phpbay pro plus some other nice plugins. I can be more creative with my WP sites and the flexibility is great. They are coming out quite nice and my first conversion is getting some very good traffic all ready.
Playing catch up here. I’ve missed the last few posts from about the last week or so (busy with “normal” job). I have set blogs up but, like many others, I’m not sure if I’m doing right. For instance I have had a tendency to go overboard with plugins.
Look forward to catching up. Hopefully I’ll learn some tips here to boost SEO rankings.
By the way I seem to have suffered the dreaded Google de-listing. I had been on the first page of Google for some for my main keyword phrase and appeared quite high up in others but have now disappeared totally. My daily visits have suffered as a consequence.
Baffling isn’t it.
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