This is part 3 of a 4-part series on setting up a self-hosted WordPress Website and/or Blog.

After installation, it’s time for the fun part of setting up a WordPress site. From settings to design, you have almost unlimited options for customizing your site. You should at least set up the basics and choose a simple theme before you start posting. Your site will look more professional and it’ll be easier to build upon if you start out on the right foot.

Changing Settings
WordPress InstallationYou can access your control panel or “Dashboard” by typing “http://yourdomain.com/wp-admin” and enter your login details. Be sure to enter the correct path or directory for your WordPress installation. You’ll see several tabs when you first log in. To get started, choose “Settings” from the far left column. Take the time to go through each of the sub-tabs and customize your settings.

  • WordPress.org recommends setting at least four basic settings if nothing else.
  • Under “Permalinks,” set the “Post name” option for better page URLs for SEO.
  • Under “Discussion,” choose how comments will appear.
  • Under “General,” enter a site title and tagline. These usually appear in the header and make your site/blog look more professional.
  • Under “General,” set your time zone.

While you should go through every settings tab as soon as possible, you can hold off on some settings after the above four are set.

Choosing a WordPress Theme
You can stay with the extremely basic WordPress theme that comes in every installation or choose one of your own. If you want your site to stand out from the competition and have a professional edge, you should install a different theme. WordPress offers thousands of free themes which work well for a basic site. Using a responsive theme with allow your site to display correctly on mobile devices such as cell phones and tablets.

If you want more features or something catered to your niche, many sites sell easy to install themes. Themeforest and Mojo Themes are just two that offer low-priced, highly professional WP themes. We have had great success using the Divi framework from Elegant Themes. The site you are on now was built with Divi..

No matter what theme you choose, pay careful attention to the installation instructions. Every theme works slightly different and will require you to customize settings such as colors, menus, widgets and layouts.

Customize With Plug-ins
Plug-ins add increased functionality to your WordPress site. From better SEO to social media integration tools, using plug-ins gives your site a more cutting edge appearance & greater functionality. WordPress offers over 25,000 free plug-ins. For even more variety, WP Hacks provides a constantly updated list of both free and premium plug-ins for you to choose from.

For a basic WordPress site, you likely won’t need any special plug-ins right away or at all.

After you have everything set up like you want, it’s finally time to start creating pages and posts.

If you find yourself stuck anywhere in the process, Art Schobey Interactive offers complete WordPress Design Services and WordPress training on-site in the Raleigh, NC metro area or anywhere in the USA or Canada over the phone.

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