9/5/2016 Create your own WordPress website John Tully ‐ DSM Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design All about me • My name is John Tully • Originally from the UK • Small Business, Sales & Marketing for over 20 years • DSM established 2009 • Boutique marketing company providing cost‐ effective, custom‐built (WP) websites for small and micro businesses Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 1 9/5/2016 All about you! Denise DeLeo Susan Symczak Stephanie Fritsch Kevan Wisniewski Dawn Maloney James Maloney Regina Shanklin Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design About C3 Workplace • BUSINESS SUPPORT AND RESOURCES • EDUCATION & EVENTS • OFFICE AND MEETING SPACE Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 2 9/5/2016 Agenda 3 week program Week 1: Background and initial setup Week 2: Inside your website Week 3: Making your website your own (customizing and content) Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design Agenda Week 1: Why do you want/need a website? Why WordPress? Hosting Installing WordPress Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 3 9/5/2016 Our focus tonight • Small Business and Organizations (non‐profits) • Teacher‐led (minimal hands‐on) • Follow the exact steps I take Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design Why do you want/need a website? Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 4 9/5/2016 Some numbers for you • Daily searches on Google Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design Some numbers for you • Daily searches on Google – 6 billion • Percentage for products and services –46% • Percentage for local services –20% • 1.2 billion searches for local services every day Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 5 9/5/2016 The Internet has: • Replaced directories (Yellow Pages, Thomas’s Register, etc) • Killed off printed newspapers • Allowed people to watch TV on their own schedule without ads Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design The Internet has also: • Removed the requirement to shop in a “brick & mortar” store • Replaced encyclopedias / company libraries • Facilitated almost instantaneous worldwide communication ( outsourcing) Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 6 9/5/2016 What about small business? They need a web presence because: – Their competitors have a web presence – They are “invisible” without it – Gen Y and Millenniums default to the web if you don’t have a professional looking website, they are going to dismiss you Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design The Hierarchy of Things 1. First comes your company, product or service. If you don’t have this set up STOP! 2. You need a website. No longer optional. A website is “yours”. 3. Everything else (Blogging, Social Media, E‐mail marketing) comes next! Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 7 9/5/2016 ? PR SM Web PR SM site Ads SM PPC Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design Have I convinced you about needing a website? Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 8 9/5/2016 Why WordPress? Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design Brief history of WP • Released 2003 ‐ Matt Mullenweg • Open source (General Public License) • Started as blogging platform • Morphed into full featured CMS Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 9 9/5/2016 WordPress.org & WordPress.com WordPress vs. WordPress Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design WordPress.org & WordPress.com • WordPress.com – Commercial site where you can host your blog for free (ad supported) – Many paid upgrades (own domain, additional space, no ads, etc) – Limitations on themes, plugins, access to files – Cannot be “monetized” with AdSense Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 10 9/5/2016 WordPress.org & WordPress.com • WordPress.org – Repository for downloadable software and support documentation – Needs external hosting – “No” Limitations – Simple user interface but very complex just “behind the curtain” Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design Current State of WordPress • Number of websites – ~25% of the top 10 million websites – 60 million blogs/websites worldwide • Financial – Automattic – (“Matt” Mullenweg) • WordPress.com, Akismet, VaultPress, WooCommerce • Forging ahead (REST API) Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 11 9/5/2016 Let’s talk about domains • A domain is “an address” on the web that points to a website or other content – www.google.com – www.facebook.com – www.dsm‐llc.com • Like a PO Box – its rented not purchased • Recurring costs (~$12/year) Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design Let’s talk about domains • Do you have your domain? • If yes, keep it in your pocket for now. • If no: – Pick a domain name (after checking if its available) – Find a domain registrar – Register your domain(s) Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 12 9/5/2016 Let’s talk about hosting • If a domain is like a PO Box, hosting is like renting a plot of land that the PO Box forwards mail to. • Your website is built on this rented plot of land • Rented – not purchased • Recurring cost (monthly, quarterly, yearly) • Required for a WordPress website Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design Let’s talk about hosting • Picking a hosting company is a BIG decision • Many, many choices out there • Suggestion: – Avoid the big / cheap guys – Crammed into one big server – Security issues • Ask a professional for advice Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 13 9/5/2016 Let’s talk about hosting • When deciding make sure there’s access to cPanel (or similar) dashboard for managing your website. Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design Back to WordPress Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 14 9/5/2016 Installing WordPress A choice One touch installation Step‐by‐step (2 major steps) Softaculous or similar Cons: Time Pros: Easy consuming, multiple Cons: Bloatware, not steps as secure Pros: Tighter code, no “extras”, more secure Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design Major components of WordPress • Core • Themes • Plugins Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 15 9/5/2016 Core Plugins Theme USER Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design WordPress Core Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 16 9/5/2016 WordPress Core • Just released 4.6 • Minor updates (x.x.1, x.x.2, etc., as needed) • Major updates (4.3, 4.4 etc., 2‐3/year) • Why bother – Things break – Security patches – Useful/cool updates Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design Major step #1 • Create database • Most modern websites use a piece of software called MySQL, an Open Source database • It is owned by a company but is made available for widespread, free use. Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 17 9/5/2016 Major step #2 • Installing WordPress • Download most recent version of WP from wordpress.org • Download a text editor – Notepad++ for Windows – Text Wrangler for Mac Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design Major step #2, more • Upload WordPress to hosting environment • Unzip files • Navigate to domain and follow instructions Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 18 9/5/2016 Our next step • Each of you will have your “own” WordPress installation to work on – My server – My domain – My hosting • At the end of the program you’ll be able to move to your domain and your hosting if you want to. Delta Strategic Marketing | Website Design 19.