WordPress has been the standard-bearer in blogging software for some time but over the past year this open source content management system (CMS) has really come into it’s own as a viable tool to build full websites. This site, for example, is totally built using this free software and I am recommending it’s use increasingly for client work.
So I thought it was time for a series of posts on how to use WordPress as the basis for your website. The point of view I will take is from a winery viewpoint but the techniques covered could equally apply to any website project.
First off, you will need to download and uncompress the latest release of WordPress from their community website (it’s the .org and not the .com site). Verify that your web host meets the minimum requirements and set-up a MySQL database noting your username, password and internal hostname to add to your wp-config.php file. Next, sign on with your FTP tool of choice and upload all the WordPress files to the location chosen on your server… for a full website, this would be the root. Next, open wp-config-sample.php and add your database information, then save as wp-config.php and upload to your WordPress install.
So now comes the 5-minute install and configuration which is done via your web browser. Just hit your site URL and fill out the fields requested and then log into your new WordPress installation. Now the work really starts as the configuration and design takes a bit of time.
I start by changing the permalinks (under the “settings” menu) from the ugly and non-SEO friendly default to something more sensible. I use “custom” and just “/%postname%/” if doing a website (no quotes); “Month and name” if doing just a blog.
My next step is to make the home page a static page and not a blog. First create a page titled “Home” and put whatever content you want on that page. Make sure you turn off the comments and pings before publishing. Next, create another page called “Blog”, leave it blank and publish. Then, go to “Settings > Reading” and set the front page to “Static” and choose the “Home” page you set up before. For “Posts page” choose “Blog.”
Now you have a simple website but you will want to add additional pages, style the site with a theme and activate a bunch of plug-ins to add features. My next post in this series will take on the plug-in question.
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