Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata Jnr.
WordPress is currently the world's most popular and in fact the most used content management system on the Internet. It has gone beyond being just software for blogging to being used for all sorts of web related assets.
According to venturebeat.com, WordPress powers at least 19 per cent of the Web. You will appreciate how huge WordPress really is when you analyse this statement against the fact that there are over a billion websites.
Why WordPress?
WordPress comes in two variants. The first option comes as WordPress.com and the second is WordPress.org. The former is hosted on your behalf by Automattic Inc while you are expected to host the latter. My focus today is on the self-hosted option only.
One major reason WordPress has done exceptionally well is because it is an open source software. This means that you are free to use, modify according to requirements and of course distribute as pleased.
The WordPress community is made up of a growing number of highly passionate professionals made up of hard-core developers, user interface experts, graphic designers, social media experts etc bound by a common goal to keep improving the most popular content management system in the history of the Internet.
So what is actually the cost of using WordPress?
The reality is that WordPress is totally free to use. However, you need to spend some money to buy a domain name as well as hosting. The only other time you might need to spend money is when deciding what theme to choose.
There are literally hundreds of thousands of themes to choose from and in the midst of this confusion I recommend that you go for a premium theme over free ones except of course you can't afford one. Then you can start with the free one and plan to upgrade later.
Setting up WordPress
Just because WordPress is free does not mean you should not take it serious. I say this because it is often said that people don't value free things. I'd like to share a few steps that you can take during the process of setting up your own WordPress platform.
WordPress can be set up by anyone. This means you don't have to be an IT expert to understand how the software works. However, note that some higher level of tweaking might be required to make it a more professional website. Let's get started.
Planning is essential for the success of any venture, so it is important to start by drawing up a plan for your blog. What niche/industry would you like to cover? What audience do you wish to target? Would your blog be for pleasure, business or a cause?
Remember that the more competitive your niche is, the more the level of work required to become relevant in that niche. In 2009 when I started blogging, I started with a plan which has helped me stay focused.
What name will you like your website to be called? It could be your organisation's name or your full name or initials or a name that you coined out of the blues; this is really a matter of choice. A domain name is like the piece of land that a house will be built on. So without one you cannot host your website.
Your host is more or less like a landlord, who rents out a portion of his house for profit. In other words, when you pay a hosting company, you are taking a small space within their infrastructure which becomes your own based on the agreement.
Believe it or not, your host has a lot to do with your success online. So when selecting a host, there are a number of things you should look out for. Do they have modern infrastructure, good experience, right policies and great support? Avoid hosts who are so unfriendly to Nigerians.
In the past, you would need to download WordPress from http://WordPress.org/download/ and then go through some pretty technical steps such as creating a database for wordpress on your server, adding your secret key password before uploading to your server but things have changed with the introduction of auto-installers.
You do not have to bother about all these technical stuff today; all you need is a hosting company that allows you to use auto-installers such as Softaculous – a free service that should come with your hosting service.
To tell you the truth, I am still faced with the confusion of the right theme to choose for a particular project as there are literally millions to choose from. Since there is really no completely 'new' design, I recommend that you select a theme that is close to one or two sites that you really love. This will save you a lot of heartache.
Plugins are really what make WordPress interesting and truly outstanding. With the right kind of plugins you can achieve just about anything with your site. Remember, you will be confronted with the need to install all types of plugins. If you ask me, I'd say don't be bothered. Just focus on a few essential plugins.
These are the basic steps to getting started with WordPress. There are other steps required to make your blog world-class but these will surely help you move forward.
On a final note, WordPress is a great content management system that will make it extremely easy for you to manage your website and blog. I highly recommend it and I want you to remember that using WordPress means being part of a worldwide movement who constantly supply content in order to make the Internet more robust and interesting.
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Source: Establishing your web presence through WordPress
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