You can learn more about the Fancybox plugin at http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/fancybox-for-wordpress.

Getting Started with WordPress

Getting started with WordPress isn’t that difficult as long as you know the basics and concepts behind websites. When you’re done getting started with WordPress, adding content and more pages isn’t at all difficult. In order for you to get your website up and ready, you need to find a web hosting provider first. When it comes to getting started with WordPress you must pick out a host that is compatible with the WP software. You shouldn’t have to worry too much about hosts because most of the time web hosts support the software. The next thing to do is to register for a domain name. The domain name is the website address that you will use and starts with “www” and often ends with “.com”.

Getting Started with WordPress: Download

After finding a suitable host and securing your domain name, getting started with WordPress means it’s time for you to download the WP package. Closer to getting started with WordPress, download and extract the WP package from wordpress.org/download. For ease, after unzipping the package you can use a service known as ZipDeploy to instantly deploy WP to your own web server.

The second step to getting started with WordPress is to create the database and a user. Most of the time, your web host will have already set up your own WP database or they may provide you with an option for automated set-up. Make sure to ask your host about whether they have such feature. Manually setting up the database and user will employ some of the following techniques: cPanel, custom cPanel, phpMyAdmin, MySQL Client and Plesk.

Getting Started with WordPress: Setup & Installation

After you have set-up your database and user, the next step to getting started with WordPress is to configure the wp-config.php. WordPress can help you with this step but you can also do things manually as well. To do this, go the WP package that you have downloaded and then rename the wp-config-sample.php file to wp-config.php. Using a text editor, open this file and then key in your database information below the section that says: // ** MySQL settings. You can get this info from your web host, and then enter your secret key values under: * Authentication Unique Keys *.

The fourth step in getting started with WordPress is to upload the WordPress files. This is required because you need to be able to post information and content appropriately. Content could be published in the root directory of your site or also in a subdirectory. This feature is also determined by your web host. If you want to publish information in the root directory, upload the contents of the WordPress directory into the root directory of your site. On the other hand, rename the WordPress directory and then upload it to the location you want within the root directory if you want information to appear to the subdirectory.

Almost done with getting started with WordPress, the next step is to install the script. Go to yourdomain.com/wp-admin/install.php. if you decided to make use of your root directory, otherwise, go to yourdomain.com/blog/wp-admin/install.php if you made use of the subdirectory. Input your database information and then finish installing the script.

Now that you’re done with the technical stuff of getting started with WordPress, the next step is to pick out an appropriate theme for your website. WordPress will help you out by providing you with a number of custom themes but you can also scour the internet with more themes. For a really unique look, you can even commission a wordpress designer to design or customize a theme for you. To add plugins, make use of the built-in installer to install and activate plugins that will give you the ability to add feature-rich applications such as calendars, calculators, social media tools, and more. You can always make use of the built-in installer to search for plugins but you can also broaden your search with the help of internet.

If you need help getting started with WordPress, contact GoMeetPete.com for affordable WordPress training online.

Pete: Yes, there is a way to automatically tweet links of your new posts from your WordPress blog to your twitter account. You can do this with a plugin called “Twitter Tools”, which you can download at http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/twitter-tools.

Once you have gone through the plugin installation & setup process, you can select the option to “Post to Twitter” from within the “Add/Edit Posts” section. In addition, you will also have the ability to create tweets from the “Posts” section and directly from your website if you choose to embed the Twitter Tools widget into your theme’s sidebar.

Pete: To upload a WordPress theme, log in to your Dashboard and to go Appearance > Themes. Next, click the “Install” tab at the top of the page. Then, click the “Upload” text link, which is located directly below the “Manage Themes” tab. Click the “Choose File” button, find your theme zip file, and click the “Install Now” button.

Once the theme has been uploaded, click the “Activate” text link and you’re done!

Pete: Indeed, there are a lot of great free themes available. However, some of the better known premium wordpress theme providers offer exceptional support and lifetime free upgrades. For a lot of wordpress users, the help they receive from customer support and theme support forums is worth more than the price of the theme itself. As a WordPress designer, overall I’ve found premium themes to offer better designs, more features, and increased stability.
In addition, a lot of free themes contain hidden code that link to “suspicious” websites that will negatively impact your search engine rankings.
Whether you decide to use a free or premium theme, you should always find out as much about it as possible. Do the research, find reviews from other individuals that have used it, then make a decision that works best for you.

Pete: One of the best and most popular SEO plugins for WordPress is called “All-in-One SEO”, which you can find at http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack. The All-in-One SEO plugin allows you to control page titles and meta information (keywords & descriptions) for each page and post.

If you’re looking for something a little more robust, you can use another plugin called “SEO Ultimate”, which actually includes the All-in-One SEO plugin and a ton of other features such as a keyword research tool, competitor research tool, deep linking controls, and more. You can view more information and download the SEO ultimate plugin at http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/seo-ultimate.

Both of these SEO plugins are compatible with the latest version of WordPress.

Pete: What you’re seeing is normal. This is how the WordPress RSS feed is displayed when viewed in a web browser. In order to view it in a more organized format, your readers will need to copy the feed url (i.e. www.yoursite.com/?feed=rss) into an RSS reader such as FeedDemon (http://www.feeddemon.com) or Google Reader (http://www.google.com/reader).

Pete: Upgrading to the latest version of WordPress is easy and you can read the official update instructions from WordPress at http://codex.wordpress.org/Updating_WordPress. You can choose to do a manual or automatic update, with the automatic update being the quicker and easier option.

When upgrading, please keep in mind that your plugins may not be compatible with the latest version of WordPress and you may experience issues if you do not keep WordPress and the plugins compatible with one another.

Pete: WordPress is not just a great solution for blogging, but for shopping carts too! In only a few minutes, you can set up a PayPal shopping cart using a free WordPress plugin called “WP Simple Paypal Shopping Cart”, which you can view and download at http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wordpress-simple-paypal-shopping-cart. This plugin by far is the easiest PayPal shopping cart plugin to use. Enjoy!

Pete: This one is easy! Log in to your WordPress Dashboard and go to Settings > General and change the “Tagline” field. That’s it! Enjoy!