Setting up your web hosting and installing wordpress

Transcription

1 Setting up your web hosting and installing wordpress Meet your new best friend: WordPress! If you've spent any time online in the past few years, you may have heard the term "WordPress" thrown around. But you may not know exactly what it is, which is completely understandable, because it's all a little confusing. In a nutshell, WordPress is a content management system that takes care of the behind-the-scenes technical stuff you need to run a website. The other thing it does is act as a simple interface that lets you update content on your site. WordPress offers a great way for non-technical people to establish an online presence, because it s incredibly easy to use. And the bonus is that it's free! Now, let's clear up a couple of things that you may be wondering about. The first slightly confusing thing about WordPress is that there are two versions of it: one is wordpress.com, which you can use to start a blog with an address of You can also purchase a domain ( and set it up so that it takes people to your wordpress.com blog, without them ever seeing the address of Sounds pretty good, right? Well, not really. Because there s a vastly superior version of WordPress out there that will let you have your own fancy domain AND allow you to totally customize the look and feel and functionality of your web presence. This bigger, better version of WordPress is called self-hosted WordPress, and that s what you ll learn how to set up in this guide. The second slightly confusing thing you may have heard about WordPress is that "it's just for blogs". Happily, that's just not true. (For example, the site for my web design company, Better Than Chocolate, runs on WordPress - and for quite a while, it was totally blogless). In fact, you can use WordPress to create any kind of website, and it's GREAT for making informational or "brochure" websites (which is the kind of site you ll likely need if you have a business). Of course, you can still add a blog to your site if you like. That's the beauty of WordPress: the way you configure things is totally up to you (and you ll be surprised at how easy it all is).

2 So without further ado, let's dive in! Step 1: Buying your domain and your web hosting space To create a WordPress-based site, all you need is 1) a domain (otherwise known as the address you type in when trying to visit a site, like and 2) a web hosting account with a company that offers one-click WordPress installation. I m going to walk you through the process from A to Z, because I know some of you may be at different stages in this whole web hosting and domain thing. So, let s look at a couple of other scenarios and how to handle them so that you can get set up properly with WordPress. The first thing to do is to pick the scenario that applies to you: Scenario 1: you don t have a web hosting account OR a domain. Scenario 2: you have a web hosting account but no domain. Scenario 3: you have a domain but no web hosting account. Scenario 4: you have both a web hosting account and a domain already, but you haven t got a functional site up and running. Scenario 5: you have a web hosting account, a domain, and a functional website, and you want to build a new site for yourself on that domain but you need the old site to stay up and active while you re working on the snazzy new one behind the scenes. Scenario 6: you have a site hosted with IIN, Wix, Weebly, or some other service that s not quite a web host, per se and you want to build a new site for yourself on that domain but you need the old site to stay up and active while you re working on the snazzy new one behind the scenes. Scroll down now to find the instructions for the scenario that applies to you (you can ignore the instructions for the other scenarios). Once you re done with the instructions for your scenario, you re ready to move on to Step 2: Installing WordPress. Scenario 1: if you don t have a web hosting account OR a domain... As mentioned above, you re going to need a web host that offers one-click installation of WordPress. There are lots of web hosts that do this, but I'm partial to Green Geeks ( I like them because they're environmentally conscious and windpowered (300% green, to be exact!), because you get a free domain when you sign up with them, and because they make everything super simple for a non-techie who's eager to get a site or blog online. The other great thing about Green Geeks is that I have set up an exclusive coupon code for you with them. If you click through the link below and sign up for an account

3 with Green Geeks, you can use coupon code WP25 to get $25 off a 1, 2, or 3-year web hosting package. Here s the special link to click if you want to use the coupon code: If you want to go with another web host, that's fine too - just be aware that you may have to buy your domain separately, and make sure that the hosting company offers one-click WordPress installation, to keep the process simple. Again, if you don t have a domain OR a web hosting account, I suggest you go with Green Geeks ( because you can get it all taken care of in one go (remember: they give you a free domain when you sign up for hosting with them). Scenario 2: if you have a web hosting account but no domain... First, call your web host s technical support line to check that your web hosting package includes one-click installation of WordPress. If it does, you re good to go. If it doesn t, you will either need to: - Cancel your account with that web host and open a new one with a web host that offers one-click installation of WordPress. My personal favorite is Green Geeks. You can use coupon code WP25 to get $25 off a 1, 2, or 3-year web hosting package if you click through this link to buy your package: or... - Undertake a manual installation of WordPress. Unless you re very techy, you ll probably find that installing WordPress manually is pretty confusing. But if you re feeling brave, the instructions on how to do it are at Once you ve got your web hosting sorted out, the next step is to purchase your domain. Most web hosts allow you to purchase domains through them, so you could call up their technical support or sales line and ask them to take care of the domain purchase for you. Or, if you d rather use an external service to purchase your domain, you can go with a service such as GoDaddy. I personally use them to buy all my domains, because if you use a coupon code (Google GoDaddy coupon code to find one), you can get them pretty cheaply. To buy a domain from GoDaddy, just go to their site, search for the domain you want, and follow the steps they take you through. They ll try to add a bunch of unnecessary stuff on to your domain, so I suggest saying no to all of it. The only extra I would recommend you purchase is the private registration. When you buy private registration for a domain, you are preventing people from being able to go to looking up your domain and accessing your name and address. Once your domain is purchased, the next thing you need to do is set the nameservers for your domain. You only need to do this if you bought your domain from a

4 company other than your web hosting company.to set your nameservers, start by finding out what the nameservers are for your web hosting account. Your best bet is to call your web host s technical support line to get this info from them. They will give you two nameserver addresses, which you should write down (I recommend ing them to yourself for safekeeping). Then you ll need to log into your GoDaddy account (or your account with whomever you bought your domain from), find the page where you can edit the nameservers for your domain, and paste in the ones you got from your web host. Save the page, and you should be good to go. *It s important to note that sometimes it takes up to 48 hours for nameserver changes to stick, so if you re buying a domain from anyone other than your web host, you should set the nameservers as quickly as you can so that you can move forward with working on your site. You might end up waiting up to 48 hours before you can access or edit your site, so this is key. Scenario 3: if you have a domain but no web hosting account... If this is you, the first thing to do is to sign up with a web host that offers one-click installation of WordPress. My personal favorite is Green Geeks. You can use coupon code WP25 to get $25 off a 1, 2, or 3-year web hosting package if you click through this link to buy your package: Green Geeks will give you a free domain with your account, but because you already have one, you can pick something else. Maybe a domain that you could use for a family website, or a future project you ve been daydreaming about? Or maybe just your full name with a.com on the end? Once you re all set up with your web hosting account, you ll need to get the nameservers for your web hosting account. To do this, call up your web host and ask them what your nameservers are. Make note of them (I recommend ing them to yourself for safekeeping), and then head on over to the site where you bought your domain. Then you ll need to log into your GoDaddy account (or your account with whomever you bought your domain from), find the page where you can edit the nameservers for your domain, and paste in the ones you got from your web host. Save the page, and you should be good to go. It s important to note that sometimes it takes up to 48 hours for nameserver changes to stick, so you should set the nameservers as quickly as you can so that you can move forward with working on your site. You might end up waiting up to 48 hours before you can access or edit your site, so this is key.

5 Scenario 4: if you have both a web hosting account and a domain already, but you haven t got a functional site up and running... First, make sure that your web hosting package includes one-click installation of WordPress. If it does, you can skip straight to Step 2: Installing WordPress below. If it doesn t, you will either need to: a) cancel your account with that web host and open a new one with a web host that offers one-click installation of WordPress, such as Green Geeks (you can use coupon code WP25 to get $25 off a 1, 2, or 3-year web hosting package if you click through this link to buy your package: b) undertake a manual installation of WordPress. Unless you re very techy, you ll probably find that installing WordPress manually is pretty confusing. But if you re feeling brave, the instructions on how to do it are at OR Scenario 5: you have a web hosting account, a domain, and a functional website, and you want to build a new site for yourself on that domain but you need the old site to stay up and active while you re working on the snazzy new one behind the scenes. First, make sure that your web hosting package includes one-click installation of WordPress. If it doesn t, you will either need to: a) cancel your account with that web host and open a new one with a web host that offers one-click installation of WordPress, such as Green Geeks (you can use coupon code WP25 to get $25 off a 1, 2, or 3-year web hosting package if you click through this link to buy your package: b) undertake a manual installation of WordPress, making sure that you install WordPress into a directory and not onto your main domain. Unless you re very techy, you ll probably find that installing WordPress manually is pretty confusing. But if you re feeling brave, the instructions on how to do it are at OR

6 If your web hosting package DOES include one-click installation of WordPress, then you re ready to move ahead with things! It s time to install WordPress! Don't let the word "installing" scare you. Fantastico makes it incredibly easy to get set up with WordPress. Here are the steps to follow if you are NOT using GoDaddy as your web host (instructions to follow if you ARE using GoDaddy as your web host are further down in this document): Log in to your web host's client area or control panel (usually it's called "CPanel") using the username and password that your web host ed to you when you signed up with them. Find the "Fantastico" or "Fantastico Deluxe" icon and click it. Under "blogs" in the left-hand column, click the "WordPress" link. Click the "New Installation" link. A new page will load with some weird-looking text and boxes. Don't let them intimidate you. I promise this is easy. :) In the Install on domain box, make sure that the domain you want to create your new site on is selected. So, if you want to create a new website for your donut business, and your existing website for that business is located at yummydonuts.com, you will want to select yummydonuts.com from the dropdown menu. Very important: In the Install in directory box, enter newsite. This will install WordPress at so that you can start to design the new site there (unbeknownst to your visitors), while leaving up and running. Later on in this guide, I ll teach you how to flip the switch so that your snazzy new site is what comes up when someone goes to yummydonuts.com. And no, the words newsite will never appear in your domain name. It s kind of magical like that. Even more important: If you forget to put newsite in the box, you will overwrite your current site. This is why it s so important that you not skip this step! Under "Admin access data", choose a username and password for yourself. You'll use these to log in to your site when you want to add content and make changes. Be sure to pick a tricky password that is at least ten characters long (seriously!) and is a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols, and write it down for future reference. Under "Base configuration", enter the nickname you want to use for yourself on your site (for example, if your name is Sarah Smith, you'll probably want to choose "Sarah"). Enter the address you want to receive website-related notifications at. This needs to be a valid address (choose one that you check often). Enter the name you want to give to your website. The name should be an accurate representation of your project or business (e.g. "Sarah's Home-Baked Cookies"). Enter a site description that describes what your blog, project or business is all about, and that includes some keywords that people might use when searching for a blog or site like yours on the internet (e.g. "Melt-in-your-mouth cookies delivered right to your door across New Hampshire"). Click the "Install WordPress" button.

7 You'll be taken to a page that has will say something like the following: Install WordPress (2/3) The MySQL database and MySQL user xxxx_wrdp1 will be created and used for this installation. You chose to install in the directory of the domain yourdomain.com. The access URL will be: Click on Finish installation to continue. Click the "Finish installation" button, and you'll be taken to a confirmation page. Congrats you just installed WordPress! You can now skip down to the big Step 3 header in this document. If you are using GoDaddy as your web host, you ll need to follow a different set of instructions (instead of the bullet point instructions above). Before I give you the link to these instructions, it s important that you understand something: You will be ignoring what they tell you in step 10. Because while you do eventually want people to see your WordPress site when they go to you need to install WordPress into a directory for now, so that you can work on the new site while the old one remains online. So, when you get to step 10 in the GoDaddy instructions, make sure that you enter newsite as the directory. This will install WordPress at - and this is a good thing. At the end of the Girl s Guide to Web Design course, I ll tell you how to flip the switch so that your snazzy new site is the one that people see when they go to They won t see the words newsite in the domain name, either! Pretty cool, no? Alright so here s the link to the installing WordPress instructions you ll need to follow if your web host is GoDaddy: Remember to enter a directory name ( newsite ) in step 10, or you will overwrite your existing website! When you re done, you re ready to skip down to the big Step 3 header in this document so that you can keep working on your site. But before you do that, I want to make sure you have the info you ll need to flip the switch on your site later, once you re finished designing it and want your domain to point away from your old site design and towards the stunning new design you ve created. Here s how that works. Once you're done creating your new site (the one that will eventually replace the site you have up now), all you have to do to "flip the switch" is follow the instructions under the "Using a pre-existing subdirectory install" heading at

8 The instructions may look a little daunting at first, but if you take it step by step, you should be fine. Essentially you're just copying and pasting some files into new locations via FTP and that sort of thing. This will make WordPress "clue in" that you want your new site to be what displays when someone goes to your domain. Ok...now it s on to the big Step 3 header further down in this document! Onwards and upwards! Scenario 6: you have a site hosted with IIN, Wix, Weebly, or some other service that s not quite a web host, per se and you want to build a new site for yourself on that domain but you need the old site to stay up and active while you re working on the snazzy new one behind the scenes. If this is you, the first thing to do is to sign up with a REAL web host that offers one-click installation of WordPress. My personal favorite is Green Geeks. You can use coupon code WP25 to get $25 off a 1, 2, or 3-year web hosting package if you click through this link to buy your package: You already have a domain name (which you want to use for the new site you re creating based on WordPress), but in order to leave your existing site up and running while you re working on the new one, you ll need to start by building the new site on a different domain. Luckily, Green Geeks gives you a free domain with your account. I d suggest picking a domain that you might want to use for something else in the future (like a fun project or potential business you re thinking of starting). Once you ve got your Green Geeks account set up, you can skip down the big Step 2 header in this document and install WordPress on it so that you can start creating your new site. But before you do that, let me give you a heads up on an additional step you will need to complete once you ve finished creating your new site (the one that will replace the site that s running on Weebly, or Wix, or the IIN network, or whatever pseudo-hosting service you were using before). In a nutshell, once your new WordPress site is looking exactly the way you want it, you will need to point the domain that you ve been using for all this time (which we ll call your primary domain ) away from your old site and towards your snazzy new WordPress site. You ll accomplish this by changing the nameservers for your primary domain. To do this, start by finding out what the nameservers are for your web hosting account. If you used Green Geeks, the nameservers for your web hosting account are NS1.GREENGEEKS.COM and NS2.GREENGEEKS.COM. If you didn t use Green Geeks

9 as your web host, your best bet is to call your web host s technical support line to get the nameservers from them. Once you have your nameserver info in hand, you ll need to log into your account with the company you bought the domain through (which might be IIN, or Weebly, or GoDaddy, for example), and find the page where you can edit the nameservers for your domain. Then you ll paste in the nameservers you got from your web host. Save the page, and you should be good to go. Within the next few hours, your primary domain should start directing to your gorgeous new WordPress site! *It s important to note that sometimes it takes up to 48 hours for nameserver changes to stick, so you may want to set the nameservers 48 hours before you plan to announce the launch of your new WordPress site to the world. It s possible that some people will still see the old site for the first 48 hours after you change the nameservers (although it doesn t usually take as long as that). Ok...now that you know what you ll need to do when your new site is complete, it s on to more stuff you can do RIGHT NOW. See Step 2 below! Step 2: Installing WordPress Alrighty! Now that you ve got your domain and web hosting situation sorted out, you re ready to install WordPress on your domain. Don't let the word "installing" scare you. Fantastico makes it incredibly easy to get set up with WordPress. Just follow the steps below to do it. Note: if you re using GoDaddy as your web host, then follow the instructions at instead of the ones below. Here are the steps to follow if you are NOT using GoDaddy as your web host: Log in to your web host's client area or control panel (usually it's called "CPanel") using the username and password that your web host ed to you when you signed up with them. Find the "Fantastico" or "Fantastico Deluxe" icon and click it. Under "blogs" in the left-hand column, click the "WordPress" link. Click the "New Installation" link. A new page will load with some weird-looking text and boxes. Don't let them intimidate you. I promise this is easy. :) Leave the first two boxes as-is. Under "Admin access data", choose a username and password for yourself. You'll use these to log in to your site when you want to add content and make changes. Be sure to pick a tricky password that is at least ten characters long (seriously!) and is a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols,

10 and write it down for future reference. Under "Base configuration", enter the nickname you want to use for yourself on your site (for example, if your name is Sarah Smith, you'll probably want to choose "Sarah"). Enter the address you want to receive website-related notifications at. This needs to be a valid address (choose one that you check often). Enter the name you want to give to your website. The name should be an accurate representation of your project or business (e.g. "Sarah's Home-Baked Cookies"). Enter a site description that describes what your blog, project or business is all about, and that includes some keywords that people might use when searching for a blog or site like yours on the internet (e.g. "Melt-in-your-mouth cookies delivered right to your door across New Hampshire"). Click the "Install WordPress" button. You'll be taken to a page that has will say something like the following: Install WordPress (2/3) The MySQL database and MySQL user xxxx_wrdp1 will be created and used for this installation. You chose to install in the main directory of the domain yourdomain.com. The access URL will be: Click on Finish installation to continue. Click the "Finish installation" button, and you'll be taken to a confirmation page. Congrats you just installed WordPress! Step 3: Testing it all out Now it s time to try visiting and logging in to your new WordPress site. If you installed WordPress onto a top-level domain (like yummydonuts.com), go ahead and type your domain name into your browser's address bar. If you followed all the steps correctly, you should see a website that uses WordPress default theme, complete with your title and description somewhere near the top of the screen. Next, try logging into the site. Go to (replace yourdomain with your actual domain) and log in with the username and password you set up for yourself when you were installing WordPress. Once you re logged in, you ll have access to everything you need to create pages and posts and install a new theme to change the look of your site (more on this below).

11 If you installed WordPress into a directory (like yummydonuts.com/newsite), go ahead and type yourdomain.com/newsite (replace yourdomain with your actual domain) into your browser's address bar. If you followed all the steps correctly, you should see a website that uses WordPress default theme, complete with your title and description somewhere near the top of the screen. Next, try logging into the site. Go to (replace yourdomain with your actual domain) and log in with the username and password you set up for yourself when you were installing WordPress. Once you re logged in, you ll have access to everything you need to create pages and posts and install a new theme to change the look of your site (more on this below). Bonus points for a killer blog or site: install Thesis! In The Girl s Guide to Web Design ( I teach students how to create gorgeous WordPress blogs and sites based on the Thesis theme for WordPress. But the word theme is kind of a misnomer when it comes to Thesis. Thesis is more of a framework than a theme, because it can be customized to look like literally whatever you want in terms of layout and design (to see what I mean, check out my web design portfolio, which is chock full of Thesis sites, at If you re planning on enrolling in The Girl s Guide to Web Design, and you want to get a headstart on things, you can purchase Thesis (it costs $87) through the following link: I walk you through exactly how to install Thesis in chapter 1 of the course, but you can also follow the instructions that DIYThemes (the makers of Thesis) give you when you purchase it. Even if you don t plan on becoming a GG2WD student, Thesis is (in my opinion) still your absolute best bet for your WordPress blog or site. I think you ll agree so here s that link to the Thesis site again: Great success! If you ve come this far, it means you ve got an awesome blank canvas ready for you to turn into the site or blog of your dreams! This is no small feat and I m so

12 excited to see what you create! I d love it if you would come on over to our Facebook page at like us, and post on our wall letting me know how you feel right about now. Are you excited? Amazed that you did this all on your own? Super pumped to get going and turn your site or blog into something exquisite? I want to hear about it, so come hang out with us at and share your success with Chapter 0!