How to Launch your WordPress Blog (DIY)
A Blog is a simple and incredible tool to share your ideas with the world. This is a step by step guide to plan and launch your successful blog.
Step 1. Decide your domain name
A domain name is the address of the Blog. Choose a domain name which describes your blog. Example: http://bikeadvice.in/ is a Blog which gives information on the latest bike launches and bike reviews.
Step 2. Choose a Web Hosting
A hosting space is a place where your website files are stored on the internet. For Beginners, it is good to start with a simple Godaddy or a Bluehost hosting plans. You can also check other web hosting service providers.
Godaddy has a affordable plans for beginners, in which you can host one website and also create your email ids.
Bluehost is also one of the popular hosting provider which you can consider - http://www.bluehost.in/
Step 3. Install WordPress on domain name
In this guide we will see how to install WordPress Blog on Godaddy.
Associate your Domain name with Cpanel
Login to Godaddy, you will be redirected to Dashboard.
In the Dashboard select Web Hosting and click manage.
If you have newly bought the Hosting space, then follow the given instructions by Godaddy and associate the Cpanel with your domain name.
Access your cpanel
Go to Dashboard -> Web Hosting -> Click Manage, in All Hosting Accounts select your domain name and click Manage.
Now you are inside the Cpanel of your Hosting. Cpanel is the place where your files are stored.
Cpanel also provides One click installation of various Software Applications like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla to help you to get started with the latest technologies immediately.
Go to Web Applications section
In the Web Applications section, you will find the WordPress application.
Select the WordPress Blog.
Inside Installatron
Click the button Install this application to install the WordPress.
WordPress Installation
In the Domain, select your domain name.
In the Directory field remove the blog name which is already present, so that the website will be installed on the domain name and not on the separate directory named blog.
Example:
Your Website will be installed on http://yourdomainname.com/
Not on the separate blog folder, http://yourdomainname.com/ blog.
Settings section
In the settings section, save a copy of Administrator Username.
In the Administrator Password field, Click generate the password to get a unique password. Save a copy of Administrator password to login to dashboard.
Enter a valid email id in the Administrator Email field.
Enter your Website title and appropriate Website tagline.
Scroll Down to the bottom of the page
Click the install button.
Step 4. Setting up your blog
4.1 Access WordPress Dashboard
To access the WordPress dashboard, login to yourdomainname.com/wp-admin and enter the admin username and password.
In this step, you will be prompted to build your Blog with Godaddy’s Quick start wizard. Click No thanks, to quit the wizard.
4.2 Important WordPress Settings
Permalinks are the permanent URLs or address of your posts.
If your blog is about a Fashion and Lifestyle and you write on different topics like Beauty, Travel, Fashion, and Lifestyle, etc..
The different topics are called categories.
When you write a post on particular category, the address of the post should contain the category name and post name. Hence the reader can easily access your post through category.
Example: In Elanchoice blog, there is a post under productivity category named super-effective-ways-skyrocket-productivity. The address of the post is as follows.
https://elanchoice.com/productivity/super-effective-ways-skyrocket-productivity/
Change the permalink structure
Inside the dashboard left menu.
1. Hover on Settings
2. Click the Permalinks menu.
Select the custom structure and enter /%category%/%postname%/
Change the timezone of Blog
Go to General Settings and change the Timezone according to your country or select a city which matches your Timezone.
Here I have selected city named Kolkata.
4.3 Important Plugins Installation
A Plugin is a code which adds an extra feature to the website.
Features like adding social media buttons and increasing the website speed.
Go to Plugins -> Add new.
In the Search bar, search for Wordfence Plugin.
Once the Wordfence Security plugin is displayed, click Install now and then Activate it.
4.4 Child Theme Creation
The appearance of the website is changed by changing the theme.
Go to Appearence menu and click Themes to see the theme used for this blog.
The Theme applied to the blog is Twenty Seventeen. It is a latest and popular theme by WordPress.
Install One click child theme Plugin
Now install a plugin named One click child theme. This Plugin creates a copy of the Twenty Seventeen Theme. It retains the custom design changes you make to the blog, even when the Parent Theme gets updated.
Go to Plugins -> Add New and search for one click child theme and install it.
Create child theme
- Once the plugin is activated Go to Appearance -> Child Theme
- To create a child theme, name the child theme as twenty-seventeen-child
- Description as a Child theme of Twenty Seventeen Theme and
- Click create a child.
See the child theme
Go to Appearence menu, Click Themes to see the child theme created.
5. Publish your First Post
5.1 Add images to Blog
1. Click media menu
2. In the Media library, Click Add new
Upload image from your computer to blog
- Click Select files to upload to blog
- In the opened window, select the images to be used in blog and click open.
The image is added to the library as shown below.
5.2 Add new Post
1.Go to posts and Click Add New
2. Create new post
1. Give an attractive post title.
2. Write the content
3. Create a category to which the post belongs to
1. Click +Add New Category and type the Category name in the box.
2. Press the Add New Category button.
3. Add the featured image to the post by clicking set featured image.
5.3 Publish!
After the post is created click publish to save the post.
Click view post to see the post in your blog.
Congratulations! You have created your first post successfully.
