Getting Started with Wordpress
When your new website is ready to go you will find an install screen at your new domain http://www.xxxxxx.co.uk
There are just a few steps to finalise the install, ie. which type of Wordpress, most people just need the single site version and then it will ask you to set up your username and password and then you are away.
To start setting up your website you will need to access the Wordpress Dashboard, you can always get to your dashboard by visiting http://www.xxxxxx.co.uk/wp-admin replacing the xxxxxs with your domain name.
The 4 main steps you now need to complete are:
- Choosing and installing a theme (the design of your website)
- Adding some content to the Pages or Posts (Pages for static traditional website pages and Posts if you want to use the website as a blogging platform)
- Add your pages to a menu
- Adding Plugins and Widgets for extra functionality
1. Choosing and using a Wordpress theme.
There are various sources of themes for your website many free and these are the best to get started with. Once you have more experience with Wordpressyou may want to use a paid for template that has extra features. Everything to get you started and a range of free Wordress templates are available here
2. Adding Content
Wordpress allows you to use static pages or posts to create your content. You can also upload images and other media.
Pages are all is explained here https://codex.wordpress.org/Pages
Posts are explained here https://codex.wordpress.org/Posts
3. Adding a menu
Once you have made some pages for your website you'll need a way to navigate to them. This guide will show you how to make a menu and add pages to it.
4. Understanding Plugins and Widgets
Wordpress Plugins allow you to extend the functionality of your website. Plugins from simple contact forms to full blown eccommerce are available for Wordpress and are mainly free and can be found at https://wordpress.org/plugins/ and are installed from your Wordpress dashboard
Widgets are items such as search bars, side menus and calendars. They can appear in sidebars and footers on your website depending on the template http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Widgets. You can also add a plain text Widget if you just want an image or a banner or text to appear in a certain position on a certain page.