If you want a professional website for your business or blog then self-hosted WordPress is the best option. It is easier than you might imagine and this guide helps you every step of the way.
Course cost: $5/£5. You don’t have to pay, but it enables more courses to be created. Thanks!
If you can afford the cost then pay an expert to build it for you. It will cost hundreds and possibly thousands depending on what you want, but it’ll be brilliant and there is little effort on your part. That’s the easy way to get started online.
However, this is not an option for many people and if finances are tight, you must build the website yourself. Fortunately, WordPress makes this as easy as possible – with a bit off effort and with the help of an online course or two.
This guide assumes you have read getting started with WordPress and you know the basics of WordPress, even if only from a free wordpress.com site. You should be able to create posts and pages, and insert text and images.
This guide continues on from that and looks at more advanced WordPress topics. It also shows the things you need to know to make money, such as advertising and affiliates.
Course contents in detail
1 11 essential points when choosing web hosting
- Free vs paid web hosting
- Get a domain name
- Storage space and bandwidth
- Backup and security
- Shared vs cloud vs dedicated hosting
2 Set up a WordPress website in easy steps
- Pick a hosting plan
- Choose a domain
- Contact details and payment
- Create a password and sign in
- Install self-hosted WordPress and log in
3 Essential WordPress plugins to install on day 1
- How to find and install plugins
- Increase security and protect from hackers
- Stop comment spam – keep your site clean
- Install a plugin to make money from adverts
4 SEO plugins – optimise your site for search
- Why SEO is important – get your site noticed
- Yoast for SEO
- All-In-One SEO
5: Install Google Analytics
- Why you need it to make money
- How to set it up
- How to use Google Analytics to optimise your site
6 Make money with Google AdSense
- This was a single article, but it has been expanded into a full course with much more information: Get started with Google AdSense. Check it out.
7 Make money from affiliates
- What are affiliates?
- What does affiliate marketing look like?
- How do I earn money from affiliate marketing?
- Who is responsible for the goods?
- Direct affiliates vs affiliate networks
- Requirements to join affiliate network schemes
- How do you get paid?
- Popular affiliates and affiliate networks
- Beware of the rules
8 Back up your WordPress website
- Why you need to back up your site
- What does your web host provide?
- Manual website backup methods
- Best WordPress plugins for backing up
9 2 free tools to monitor your website
- Why you need to monitor your website
- Uptime Robot website monitoring
- How to set up website monitoring
- Check the website monitoring logs
- Site24x7 website monitoring
10 Check your site on all devices
- Install Blisk browser
- Use Blisk to view your site on mobile devices
11 Access your site with FTP to fix faults
- Do you have FTP access?
- What is FTP for?
- Best FTP programs
- Step-by-step guide to using FTP
Go to: Members home page
