Let's Learn WordPress!
The Basics Workshop at Loveland CreatorSpace
Gordon Seirup
@coppergordon
gordon@copperleafcreative.com
What is WordPress?
- A Blogging platform
- A Content Management System
- A publishing platform
- Open-Source Software
- Most popular in the world*
- 25% of all websites
- 50-60% of all websites using a CMS
*Source: https://www.codeinwp.com/blog/wordpress-statistics/
.org
- Download source code
- Your own hosting
- Your own domain
- Infinitely customizable
- Plugins, Themes
- Maintenance: Updates, Security, Performance
- Great for custom sites
.com
- Hosted platform
- Free to sign up
- Premium add-ons
- Limited Themes
- No Plugins
- Great for blogging!
WordPress
Database:
- Content
- Settings
-
In rare cases:
- Code
Files:
- Code
- Media
-
In rare cases:
- Content
- Settings
What's under the hood?
3 Areas of Code & Functionality
- Core
- Plugins
- Themes
WordPress Core
- Download from wp.org
- Hosting 1-Click Install
- Updates every 3-4 mo's
- Do not hack core
-
Posts (Pages)
-
Media
-
Users
-
Comments
-
Menus
-
Widgets
-
Customizer
-
Plugin & Theme Installer
WordPress Plugins
- Custom
- Free vs. Premium
- Once vs. Subscription
- Updates
- Compatibility
- Security concerns
- Avoid Bloat
-
Extend functionality
-
Performance
-
Security
-
Backups
-
Features:
-
Forms
-
Sliders
-
SEO
-
Social
-
-
WordPress Themes
- Responsive
- Free vs. Premium
- Child Themes
- DIY 'Builder' themes
- Drag-and-drop
-
Avoid Bloat
- Unused features
- Functionality
-
Control layout & style
-
More Widget Areas
-
Header
-
Widgetized Home
-
Footer Widgets
-
Sidebars
-
Custom
-
-
Menu Positions
Posts
- Date-based
- Most recent first
- Categories
- Tags
Pages
- Static content
- Hierarchical (Parents)
Content
Both:
- Rich text editor
- Status
- Visibility
- Publish Date
- Featured Image
Custom Post Types
Media
- Photos
- Basic editing
- Video & Audio
- Locally hosted
- Auto-embed
- Files (doc, pdf, etc.)
Demo Site Logins:
http://lcsdemo.wpengine.com/wp-admin
user: demo
password: lovelandcreatorspacerocks
Let's do some stuff!
- Create a Post
- Add Media
- Create a Page
- Add Menu Item
Watch me do some stuff...
- Manage Widgets
- Install & Activate a Theme
- Install & Activate a Plugin
- Settings
Settings
-
General
- Site Title, Tagline, Timezone
- Writing
-
Reading
- Front Page (Posts/Widgets vs. Static Page)
- Search Engine Visibility
- Discussion (comments)
- Media
-
Permalinks
- set to Postname
Commodity
- Cheap
- Over-leveraged shared
- Security concerns
- "all in one" - domain, email, etc.
Managed
- Security
- Performance
- Updates
- WP Tools
- Modular
Hosting
(not WordPress.com)
Picking a Theme
- Ratings (and how many)
- Version number
- Support responsiveness
- Business/Payment model
-
Avoid Bloat
- Unused features
- Functionality
- Frameworks
-
Widget Areas
-
Menu Positions
-
Fonts & Spacing
-
Layout(s)
-
Page, Single, Archive
-
Sidebar(s)
-
-
Flexibility/Options
-
Customizer Capability
-
Responsive
Vetting Plugins
- Ratings (and how many)
- Version number
- Support responsiveness
- Screenshots
- Live Demos
- Free Trials / Guarantee
-
A Specific Purpose
- Business/Payment model
- One-time
- Subscription
- Freemium
- Avoid Bloat
Favorite Free Plugins
-
Akismet - Filters spam comments for review (be sure to license)
-
Ninja Forms - Forms
-
Shortcodes Ultimate - Create tabs, accordions, maps, etc
-
BlackStudio TinyMCE Visual Editor - Widget with visual editor
-
Easy FancyBox - Lightbox images on click
-
Menu Social Icons - Add social icons to menu
-
Simple Share Button Adder - Add social sharing to blog posts, etc
-
Simple Social Icons - Widget with social icons (link to your profiles)
-
TablePress - Create/import tables
-
WooCommerce - Complete basic e-commerce capabilities
-
WP Google Fonts - Lets you apply Google fonts
-
WP Google Maps - Insert a Google map with marker
-
WP Responsive Menu - Display a responsive menu on mobile sizes
-
Yoast SEO - Improve site's search engine readability
Favorite Premium Plugins
-
Easy Digital Downloads - for selling digital products
-
Gravity Forms - forms
-
GravityView - display Gravity Forms entries
-
Shortcodes Ultimate: Extra Shortcodes - freemium-model add-on
-
WooCommerce Extensions - shipping, payment methods, marketing, etc.
Gordon Seirup
@coppergordon
gordon@copperleafcreative.com
WordPress Basics - Full Workshop
By Gordon Seirup
WordPress Basics - Full Workshop
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