Getting Started With Your WordPress Installation

Keeping track of your setup information is an absolute must! Items like usernames, passwords, affiliate codes, login URLs, instructions, etc. should be stored in a single file for easy reference. Back this file up and keep multiple copies in safe locations!

Choose a domain name

A domain name is what readers use to find your site. Choosing a good domain name is of the utmost importance, as this name will stick with you for the lifetime of your blog. Do not take this step lightly! Give it some thought, sleep on it, talk it over with your friends and family. Ask yourself questions like, "What is my blog's purpose?" and How do I want to brand my blog?"

Most people prefer .com domains but .net domains, although not as popular, work just as well. Be sure the domain name registrar you choose, namely the company that will assist you with obtaining a domain name, is trustworthy, reliable, and complete with a track record of impeccable customer service. If you cherished this article and you also would like to be given more info pertaining to Wordpress Setup nicely visit our own website.

Get a web host

A web host is the company that hosts your wordpress setup  and blog posts. Every post you make resides on the web host's servers. Again, cost is an issue but you want to think about other factors such as the following:

Reliability - How reliable is my web host? Are there servers up 99% of the time?

Speed - How fast is their internet connection? Will my readers be bored to death waiting to view my posts because of poor connectivity

Backups - Does my host back up my files? Are they safe from data loss?

Reputation - Is my web host company stable? Are they a professional company or some dodgy fly-by-night operation?

A good web host is equally if not more important than the domain name registrar; if not more so because the web hosting company is the lifeline of your blog.

Point your domain to your web host

So you've picked out your domain name and web hosting company. Now you need to connect the two. This is actually easier than you may think. In fact, your domain name registrar and web hosting company will probably help you out with most of this. The better ones have online wizards or even live customer support to help you step-by-step through the entire process.

Finally get to the WordPress installation

As if we would never get to this point! Now that the pre-requisites are finished, it's time to installing WordPress. Every host is different. Some hosts have an administrative "control panel" like CPanel or Fantastico. Others may have some other custom in-house setup wizard. For the brave out there you can even try setting it up manually on your own. Just download the install package from the official WordPress site and install it on your server, desktop PC, or even a USB stick.

WordPress Dashboard

The WordPress Dashboard is like control central for all your blogging madness. You control everything about writing blogs and the look-and-feel of your blog site from here.

Choose WordPress Theme

No WordPress installation is complete without choosing an appropriate theme! Themes provide a customized look to your blog site that is leaps and bounds better than the vanilla out-of-the-box look provided with the base install. There are tons available, both free and commercial. Just look around.

The technically inclined (or anyone up for a serious challenge) may not have any problems putting in the time to get all this sorted. But if your ideal situation is to simply focus on your blogging subject, you may not wish to go this alone. In that case, don't take the unnecessary risk. Employ the services of a WordPress setup professional to insure your blog's success!