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