WordPress Absolute Beginner’s Guide

Book description

More than 70 million websites and blogs run on WordPress: it's the world's #1 web development tool. Now, you can make the most of WordPress without becoming a technical expert. WordPress Absolute Beginner's Guide is the fastest way to get comfortable and productive with WordPress and its most powerful tools. Whether you're new to WordPress or not, this practical, approachable book will show you how to do exactly what you want, one incredibly clear and easy step at a time.

Leading WordPress instructor Tris Hussey provides step-by-step instructions for every task requiring more than one step. Screenshots and illustrations guide you through complex processes, so you'll never get lost or confused. You'll find friendly, patient, crystal-clear coverage that always respects your intelligence, and never patronizes you. Hussey covers all this, and much more:

  • Understanding the mechanics of a WordPress website

  • Installing WordPress yourself, along with the themes and plug-ins you want

  • Using WordPress.com if you don't want to run WordPress on your own equipment

  • Setting up your site right the first time, to avoid problems later

  • Tweaking themes to make your site look perfect

  • Integrating images and media

  • Making your site mobile-ready

  • Using basic search engine optimization techniques to get your site discovered

  • Troubleshooting, maintaining, and performance-tuning your site

  • Table of contents

    1. About This eBook
    2. Title Page
    3. Copyright Page
    4. Contents at a Glance
    5. Table of Contents
    6. About the Author
    7. Dedication
    8. Acknowledgments
    9. We Want to Hear from You!
    10. Reader Services
    11. Introduction
      1. Who This Book Is For
      2. How This Book Is Organized
      3. The Only Constant Is Change...and WordPress Updates
      4. A Note About Browsers and Such
      5. Conventions Used in This Book
    12. 1. How Websites Work
      1. All About Domain Names and DNS
      2. Choosing a Good Domain Name
      3. Choosing a Web Host
      4. Conclusion
    13. 2. What WordPress Is and How It Works
      1. What Is WordPress?
      2. How WordPress Works
      3. WordPress.org Versus WordPress.com
      4. Which WordPress Is Right for You?
      5. Conclusion
    14. 3. Installing WordPress
      1. Using One-Click or Easy Installs
      2. Installing WordPress Manually
      3. Quick Look at the WordPress Dashboard
      4. WordPress Directory Structure
      5. A Note About Users
      6. Conclusion
    15. 4. Installing WordPress Plugins
      1. Choosing WordPress Plugins
      2. Installing WordPress Plugins
      3. Plugin Tips
      4. Recommended Starter Plugins
      5. Commercial Plugins
      6. Conclusion
    16. 5. Installing WordPress Themes
      1. Choosing the Right WordPress Theme for Your Website
      2. Installing Themes on Your Blog
      3. Recommended Starter Themes
      4. Commercial/Premium Themes
      5. Advanced Tip: How Do I Find What Theme a Website Is Using?
      6. Conclusion
    17. 6. Setting Up Your WordPress Site Right the First Time
      1. Basic WordPress Settings
      2. Akismet
      3. Setting the Right User Roles
      4. Conclusion
    18. 7. Setting Up Your WordPress Site the Right Way: SEO, Social Media, and More
      1. Doing WordPress SEO the Right Way
      2. Using Social Media Sharing Tools
      3. Finding Out How Many People Visit Your Site
      4. Helping WordPress and Your Site Run Faster
      5. Backups and Security
      6. Conclusion
    19. 8. All About Jetpack Settings
      1. WordPress.com Stats
      2. Publicize and Sharing
      3. Subscriptions
      4. Likes
      5. Spelling and Grammar
      6. Contact Form
      7. WP.me Shortlinks
      8. Shortcodes
      9. Custom CSS
      10. Extra Sidebar Widgets
      11. Photon
      12. Conclusion
    20. 9. How WordPress Themes Work
      1. WordPress Themes Explained
      2. Working with WordPress Themes
      3. Theme Settings
      4. Default WordPress Themes Explained
      5. Conclusion
    21. 10. Tweaking, Tuning, and Customizing Your WordPress Site
      1. Using Custom Headers
      2. Using Custom Backgrounds
      3. Using WordPress Menus
      4. Using WordPress Widgets
      5. Conclusion
    22. 11. Using WordPress: Content
      1. Posts, Pages, Custom Post Types, and Post Formats Explained
      2. The Post and Page Editor Explained
      3. Writing and Posting Content
      4. More About Posts
      5. Taking Advantage of Pages
      6. Using Revisions
      7. Managing Posts and Pages
      8. Importing and Exporting Content
      9. Managing Comments
      10. Conclusion
    23. 12. Using WordPress: Images, Videos, and Other Media
      1. Managing Media
      2. Working with Images
      3. Video and Audio Files
      4. Other Files
      5. Conclusion
    24. 13. WordPress and Mobile Users
      1. Making Your WordPress Site Mobile Ready
      2. Writing, Posting, and Managing Your Site from a Mobile Device
      3. Conclusion
    25. 14. All About WordPress.com
      1. Creating a WordPress.com Account
      2. Creating More Sites on WordPress.com
      3. What’s the Same
      4. What’s Different
      5. Key Built-in Features
      6. Users and Making a Private Site
      7. Managing Blogs
      8. Premium Add-ons
      9. Conclusion
    26. 15. Maintaining WordPress Sites
      1. Updating WordPress
      2. Updating Plugins
      3. Updating Themes
      4. Managing Your WordPress Database
      5. Backing Up Your Site
      6. What About the Rest of the WordPress Files?
      7. Conclusion
    27. 16. Customizations Without (Much) Coding
      1. Easy WordPress Theme Customizations Without Much Coding
      2. Widget Locations
      3. Editing Your Theme’s Style with CSS
      4. Using Google Fonts
      5. Icon Menus with Font Awesome
      6. Custom Post Types
      7. Conclusion
    28. 17. Advanced WordPress Settings and Uses
      1. Using WordPress as a Website
      2. Making a Private WordPress Site
      3. WordPress for Communication and Collaboration with P2
      4. Setting Up Forums in WordPress
      5. Running WordPress on Your Computer
      6. Moving a WordPress Site
      7. Conclusion
    29. 18. Troubleshooting Common WordPress Problems
      1. Fixing Problem Plugins
      2. Untangling WordPress Theme Issues
      3. Fixing a Damaged Database
      4. When WordPress Doesn’t Work
      5. Help! I’ve Been Hacked!
      6. Conclusion
    30. Index

    Product information

    • Title: WordPress Absolute Beginner’s Guide
    • Author(s):
    • Release date: April 2014
    • Publisher(s): Que
    • ISBN: 9780133812244