An Introduction To WordPress For The Non Technical

In introduction to wordpress for the non technical is a newbie friendly, non technical, step by step guide to using wordpress to build your online business

I will walk you through everything you need to know about wordpress  WITHOUT  being bogged down by all the technical jargon, so you can build your own online business with confidence.

Building Your Online Business Getting Started With WordPress 

Its very easy to get overwhelmed if yur just starting out to to keep things simple all you need to get started are two essential things 

1. A domain name 
2. A web hosting account 

Domain Names 

A domain name is often called a URL (Unique Reference Location) and is simply the address of your website. All websites live on servers and each website needs an address just as your house has a zip code or post code.

Web Hosting 

Web hosting is just a service that company’s provide that allows you to rent space on a server where your website will live. It does not really mater where you actually live, your physical location does not mater.

You can rent space on a server anywhere in the world, this is the beauty of building an online business it is location independent, as long as you have access to the internet you can view your website or any website where ever you are in the world 

 What Exactly Is WordPress.

WordPress is a CMS (Content Management System) in simple terms it does all the coding in the background for you, leaving you to concentrate on content. WordPress is simply a script that you install on your domain once you have your webhosting account set up 

It is simple to install and you can do it with literally one click of a button within your web hosting dashboard. Almost all webhosts offer wordpress as it is free to use and of course requires no coding on your part. 

WordPress At A Glance

WordPress can be installed onto your domain once you purchases a webhosting package and a domain name.

Within your webhosting package you will be given access to a dashboard called C Panel

C Panel 

C – Panel is your dashboard to access all the tools that will allow you to build a website as well as other functions associated with website building.

Within C Panel you will have access to a variety of tools and functions that will enable you to build your website, including email and access to the back end files.

It will also include access to your MSQL Data base which is installed automatically for you once you install WordPress.

Once WordPress is installed you will be given a URL which is the access URL for your WordPress website. In addition to this you will be allocated a username and password

Once you have your wordpress website installed on your domain you will be allocated a username and password and a link to the WP login screen 

Once you login you will be taken to your WordPress dashboard where you can create and manage all your content 

WordPress Dashboard 

Setting up your permalinks and getting Your Site Ready For Search Engines 

As you build content on your site you will be creating new URLS ( Unique Reference Location) for every post and page, these URLS are called PERMALINKS, (Permanent Links) The structure of these links is very important for search engines and will help you rank better in Google

In your dashboard click on general settings and then permalinks 

When you click on permalinks you will be taken to this window within your WordPress Dishoard 

Make sure your permalinks are set up exactly as they are in this window and click save settings, once this is complete you can leave this alone and when you publish pots or pages your URL structure will be formed in the most search engine friendly way and also they will be human readable.

Choosing  A WordPress Theme 

Free Themes – Using The Generate Press Blogging Theme 

To select a free theme click on appearance>>themes and there you can choose from the thousands of free theme available to you, if your new at this I would recommend starting with the free version of a theme called Generate Press.

Once you see the theme just click in the >>activate button and the theme will become active.

This theme is perfect for beginners and is very user friendly and simple to use, its ideal for blogging and creating content. Its clean and uncomplicated and if your new at this then I urge you to keep it simple until you gain more experience. 

To search for a theme go to the search box and type in Generate Press and it will search for and display the theme you have requested To use a theme simply click on it and then click activate and your new theme will be active on your website 

To be able to search and select any other theme you can simply click Add New and WordPress will display the most popular themes to choose from there re thousands of free themes for you to choose 

Once you click Add new you will see this window in your wordpress dashboard 

You can select from the thousands of free WordPress themes available to you 

Installing A Paid WordPress Theme 

If you purchases a paid theme your theme provider will give you access to a ZIP file and you will need to down load the ZIP file to your desk top. Once you have the ZIP file on your desk top you will need to upload the whole ZIP file from your wordpress dashboard 

Click on the upload button and search for the file on your desktop, once the file has been uploaded then click the active button within the theme and your theme will ne be active on your site 

Getting Started With WordPress Plugins 

To add a plugin click on plugins in your dashboard then chick the add new button at the top of your screen

From this window you can search and select plugins, once you select a plugin you will need to click>> install >>activate and your plugin will be live and active within your wordpress website

Essential Plugins To Get Started With WordPress

If your new at this you may not be aware of the importance of protecting  your website against two threats 

1. Spam 
2. Hackers 

For the first one you will need an anti spam plugin called Akismet, ensure you install this plugin and it will protect you against 99% of all spam. Without this protection your WordPress website will be flooded with pam 

The second is some kind if security plugin 

The Akismet Anti Spam Plugin 

Why You Need To Install A WordPress Security Plugin 

Once your wordpress site is live it is open to the entire internet, in the same way that you do not leave your front door open in your house when you go out, you do not want to leave your wordless website open to attacks and malware 

If your going to build an online business then your website will become a valuable asset so keeping it protected from malicious attacks and bots should be a priority.

I host my websites at wealthy affiliate and I get dedicated wordpress hosting which comes with built in spam and security protection at the server level so I do not need to use any plugins. However most webhosts do not provide this and you will need to ensure your wordpress installation is safe from external attacks

There are a number of free plugins that you can use to protect your wordpress instillation, just do a search from within your dashboard and you can choose one of the many free wordpress security plugins

You should now have the basic knowledge you need to get your WordPress website set up, there is a lot to learn about wordpress and I will be posting more in depth articles on WordPress going forward.

If you have any questions on WordPress or how to create an online business using a blog then don’t hesitate to ask them in the comments section below.