by:

Maidesk.com.ng
Each lesson covers a different aspect of WordPress and contains sections to teach students what they need to
know. Step-by-step instructions, along with screenshots and demonstrations, make learning to use WordPress a
breeze. Video tutorials will also be added after successfully completing this study.

By the end of the course, all students should be able to successfully create their own customized website using the
information they've learned.

You should have a high school reading level and be competent in basic computer usage and terminology.
A Brief History about WordPress
WordPress started as a simple blogging platform in 2003, today, it powers well over 75 million websites worldwide!

On 27th May 2003, creators Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little launched WordPress as a development of its predecessor b2/cafelog. B2/cafelog was a blogging
platform which was written by Michel Valdrighi in PHP, for use with MySQL.

The adoption rate of WordPress rocketed in 2004 when version 1.2 was launched, featuring the ability for users to write their own plugins and share them with
the blogging community.

A new theme system was launched in 2005 with version 1.5, and later that year version 2.0 included a new user interface for the admin area, allowing users
more control over their sites and the ability to make changes more quickly.

In 2006 , the company founded by WordPress co-founder Mullenweg Automattic, applied to trademark WordPress and the WordPress logo.

Version 2.5 was launched in 2008 with a new user interface designed by web design agency Happy Cog, followed by a usability study that led to version 2.7,
which included a customizable UI.

In 2010, ownership of the WordPress trademark and logo was transferred from Automattic, the company founded by WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg, to
the WordPress Foundation. This meant that WordPress was no longer dependent on one company and ensured it would continue to grow.

2010 also saw the launch of version 3.0 – a major update which included custom post types, a new default theme and MultiSite.
Version 3.3, launched in 2011 made WordPress easier to use and more appealing to novices.

By 2013, WordPress was widely acknowledged as the world’s most popular content management system. A flurry of updates led to version 3.8, which brought
WordPress a new mobile responsive user interface and more default themes.

With millions of users, WordPress continues to evolve and with version 4.0 and above promising improved focus on the mobile experience, it’s popularity
shows no signs of slowing down.
WordPress Blogs VS Websites

Over a decade ago, most of the site development with WordPress was all blogs. This was because the original intent of
WordPress was blogging – more reason it’s called a Content Management System (CMS).

However today, WordPress has come to stay and it has become an integral part of web development. Statistically, 30% of the
entire websites hosted worldwide were developed using WordPress.

Little wonder it has become a go-to for most web designers or developers because it is undoubtedly simple to setup and easier to
navigate. Did I forget to add that it saves a whole a lot of time and energy? Yes, it does!
Major Difference between WordPress Blog and Website

The major difference between WordPress blogs and websites is that a blog is largely a part of the modern day WordPress site. In
other words, we can have a blog on a standard website.

While a blog is mainly a tool used to publish promotional contents, a website is regarded as the overall image of a brand because
it tells everything about a business or company. Hence, WordPress blog is almost always given the “latest post” attribute.

However, today’s blogs can be transformed into websites e.g. maidesk.com.ng, neilpatel.com, etc. See next lessons for clarity.
Introduction to WordPress Themes

As there is no life without oxygen, so is a WordPress site without a theme – free or premium.

WordPress themes are pre-built site templates already developed to work as framework or integrated into the WordPress engine.
It is important to say that themes are of two types: free and premium.

As the name implies, free themes are not purchased with credit cards – you can easily search and download them for free.

Most WordPress free themes are limited in terms of features. Hence, should you want more features from your theme; you will
have to purchase the premium version of it.

Examples of free themes are Sydney, Talon, Flash, Astrid, GreatMag, Parallax One, etc.
On the other hand, premium themes are purchased and because you already bought the license to use it from the developer or
author, you are free to use it in the development of your WordPress site.

In addition, using premium templates or themes allows you to have access to lots of features the templates have to offer plus you
can use highly advanced plugins (to be discussed later).

Examples of premium WordPress themes are Avada, BeTheme, The7, KLEO, Seriously, etc.
Categories of WordPress Themes

Based on choice and objectives, you can pick a suitable theme from the millions of free and premium templates on
the market.

You can find themes that will serve your purpose of business. Theme categories can fall under real estate,
agriculture, education, photography, online classes/e-learning, social network, forum, banking, health, religion,
hotel, restaurant, event planning, etc.
Markets for Themes

There are several marketplaces where you can make purchase of your themes or templates. Some of the notable ones include
Envato, Themeforest, Codecanyon, etc.

Specifically, if you want beautiful and powerful website templates, checkout Envato.com or themeforest.net.

Codecayon is a very good place for codes or scripts for setting up all kinds of portals.
Getting Started with WordPress

Whether you are a newbie, starting a carrier in digital advertising or just doing this as a side hustle, it is easy to build your website
with WordPress.

To get started with WordPress, basically you will need a registered domain, a trusted hosting service and a theme (free or
premium).
Finding a Domain Name

Finding a domain name to register can be a very tasking and tricky exercise. This is because there is a very high possibility that your
desired domain name has already been registered by some person or business.

Hence, it is very essential that you research your domain name very well. Most of the times, you can have a list comprising different
names you can choose from. For instance, in my own case I can have suggestive names like lagosbiz.com, lagosbiz.com.ng, lagosbiz.ng,
lagosbizng.com, etc.

To make sure that your domain name is available, you can search for its availability on sites like 1and1.com, bluehost.com,
hostgator.com, web4africa.ng, etc.

Once you have confirmed that your domain name is available, the next step is to register it.

If you don’t already have an account with one of the above, you can create one with them to start the process.

For the sake of this course, we will use Bluehost. We highly recommend Bluehost because it’s reliable and their customer care is
topnotch!
Registering a Domain

Registering a domain is the first step in getting a website ready. You cannot have a website without having a domain registered.
You can register you domain with the above sites mentioned or any other one you know.

In domain registration, there is a term called ‘domain extension’ which means the detail after the name chosen for your domain
e.g. .com, .ng, .com.ng, .co.uk, .ru, etc. (Note that for domains with .com.ng, .ng extensions can be registered with local hosting
companies like web4africa.net, whogohost.com, etc.

Common to all the hosting companies, it is important you create an account with them if you don’t already have one. As said
earlier, we will use bluehost.com for explanation in this course.
Let’s get started:

Step 1: Visit bluehost.com, mouse-over ‘Hosting’ and click on ‘Domains’.

Step 2: Type in your domain name and select the extension of your choice in the drop-down.
Step 3: Complete the required information and enter your credit card details. Complete all the marked part of the
diagram below and hit ‘Submit’ when you are done:
You are all set. All you need to do at this point is follow instructions sent to your mail.
However, if you need a hosting to go with your domain, you can easily select that on that same page from the last
image. See below:
Choosing a Web Hosting Package

If you already have a domain, you can easily add a hosting package to your existing domain (the same thing
applies to Bluehost).

In this case, we will assume you are just starting out. So you will need both a domain and hosting.
Step 1: Visit bluehost.com and click on ‘Get Started’
Step 2: Select a plan for yourself. We recommend the ‘Plus’ plan.

Step 3: Run this step as in ‘Step 3’ in Registering a Domain section.

WordPress Features through your Hosting

Whatever hosting company you choose to use, be sure to know that it supports WordPress functionality. There are
tons of WordPress features or tools inside your hosting cPanel area.

For example, see Bluehost cPanel features as illustrated in the image below:
How to Install WordPress on Your Domain

Installing WordPress on your domain is a simple task although, it can be bit confusing and frustrating if you don’t have a good
hosting provider dashboard in place and also if you are a newbie.

Whatever category you belong, you can do it yourself if you continue reading this guide.

We recommend Bluehost because it is important to have a good and reliable hosting service in place. We often recommend
Bluehost to our readers not because they are one of the best, affordable or no downtime, but because you can easily navigate
your cPanel dashboard and get things done quickly.

Now, let’s assume you have set up your hosting account with Bluehost, the next steps are just a few. See below:
Step 1: Visit Bluehost.com and login into your customer account.
Step 2: Once logged in, click “Install WordPress” on the right in the list of icons.
Step 3: Complete the information requested as illustrated below (you can select domain in the
“Domain” drop-down and click next when done):
Step 4: In the next stage, you will supply the admin information as preferred and click “Next”:
Having completed these setups and installation, you may now visit the backend of your WordPress site
by copying the credentials you collected when installing WordPress e.g. www.yoursite.com/wp-admin.

The credentials are usually at the top of the page after you have completed the last stage.

You will also need your username and password that you supplied during setup.

Note: Your site will always be in “coming soon” status or mode. When you are ready to launch
or go public, you may.
Introduction to WordPress Themes

WordPress themes allow you to customize your site and swap out functions and features as you see fit. There are
tons of themes to choose from, both free and premium, that give you robust options.

All WordPress themes are made up of a few essential elements. They are:

HTML: The basic building block of all websites, HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language and uses elements
enclosed in tags (<tag>like this<tag>), most of the time to help web browsers identify how a web page should look.

PHP: A scripting language that runs server-side, PHP is used more often than not generate elements of a web
page. It is typically embedded within an HTML file.

CSS: This stands for Cascading Style Sheets and is a quick way to change the look and formatting of an entire
website just by modifying one file: style.css. So long as each of the files within a site call up the CSS file, those
pages will adopt the style elements identified there, from fonts, colors, tables, and so forth.

Images: Usually JPEG or PNG files, images bring a WordPress site — well, any site, actually — to life. These
elements are used to power the structure of the site and ensure everything shows up where it’s supposed to.
Finding the Right Theme for your Website

Finding the right theme for your website is key – free or premium. However, it is important that you choose a
premium theme when finding the right theme for your business because you have guaranteed support, access to
good documentation and lifetime updates from the theme author or developer.

So when finding the right theme that fits for your trade, you should consider the following:

Modern Design: You need to choose a theme which is aesthetically pleasing and can be used for a long time
without requiring any major changes. Modern themes use good color combinations, awesome typography, clean
layout, beautiful images, etc.

Features: Be sure that the features of the theme you want to use are robust and allow plugin switching. In other
words, make sure your theme allows the use of plugins whenever you need them.

Security & Performance: Be sure to buy themes from trusted marketplaces like Themeforest, Codecanyon,
Themify, Elegant Themes, etc. In addition, checkout the testimonial page to see if the theme you are about to buy is
trusted by other buyers. See their ratings and comments before you purchase too.

Compatibility Check: If you are going to integrate e-commerce, language translations, BuddyPress or many other
plugins to your website, be sure that the theme is compatible. However, the good news is, most of the premium
themes out there are compatible.
Uploading and Activating your Theme

Uploading your WordPress theme or template is very simple. So, let’s say you have purchased your template or
have a free one downloaded, you can follow the steps here to upload and activate your theme:

Step 1: Login to your WordPress dashboard (e.g. yourwebsite.com/wp-admin)

Step 2: Navigate to the APPEARANCE tab on the left bar, mouse-over it and click on THEMES.
Uploading and Activating your Theme

Step 3: Click on the UPLOAD button as indicated below and follow the prompts on what next to do. Remember to
click on the ACTIVATE THEME after successfully uploading it. However, note that the zip file you downloaded after
purchasing your theme should be unzipped, inside it you will find the file to upload. Please see your theme
documentation for guide on how to do this.
Customizing your Theme
Having successfully uploaded your theme, it is important that you customize your theme to taste. Customizing your
theme is easier than you think and you can do it in real time. In real time because you can see the changes
immediately and also save easily. From APPEARANCE to CUSTOMIZE. Play around with the features available
until you fully have a grasp of it, and remember to always save to update your changes. See below
Installing Plugins using the Dashboard
Plugins are programming codes that add extra layers of functionality to your WordPress site. For instance, you may
need a plugin like “Contact Form 7” or “Ninja Forms” to create a contact form on your website page. Almost all
plugins are free, however, they are also available in premium.

Hence, plugins are so essential to WordPress sites because while your website appears beautifully, they help add
more functionality to it.

Most WordPress sites run daily on at least one or two plugins. As much as Plugins are integral in your site
development, overusing them may jam your website and cause you a headache. Hence, it is advisable to use them
minimally, only the ones you need and avoid using outdated plugins as they can harm your website heavily.

Some common plugins used on a day-to-day basis are contact form7, ninja forms, visual form builder, visual
composer, elementor, shotcodes, Yoast SEO, Google Analytics, Mailchimp, etc.

So installing and activating plugins via your WordPress admin dashboard shouldn’t be that difficult. To do this, follow
the steps here.
Step 1: Navigate and mouse-over on the PLUGINS tab on the left side of your admin dashboard. Click on ADD
NEW
Step 2: Here, you can manually upload plugin by clicking on UPLOAD PLUGIN if you already have one
downloaded on your local drive or just go ahead and search for one using the search box. Please see diagram:
Step 5: To check or edit your activated plugin, just go to PLUGINS tab to see all installed plugins or look for it on
the left tab on your dashboard. Please see diagram:
Step 5: To check or edit your activated plugin, just go to PLUGINS tab to see all installed plugins or look for it on
the left tab on your dashboard. Please see diagram:
Specific WordPress Plugins you can’t do without

There are different categories of plugins and their uses all vary. It is important that you know the plugins you will
require for your web development. Below are some plugins you can start with on your next website (Note that many
plugins may not work on free templates or themes):

Site Builder Plugins: If you want to create your website with ease and speed, get one of these drag and drop site
builders like Visual Composer, Beaver Builders, Elementor, Divi, etc.

Caching Plugins: These plugins reduce the load on your server and your website becomes faster. They aid high
ranking on search engines. Examples are W3 Total Cache, WP Cache, etc.

Form Builder & Subscribers’ Plugins: If you want to build fantastic forms for collecting customers’ details or
generate leads, you should get one of these on your website – Contact Form7, Ninja Forms, Visual Form Builder,
Mailchimp, OptinMonster, etc.

Web Analytics & SEO Plugins: Want to know how well your site is doing in terms of visitors, engagements and
search engine ranking? Then get plugins like Google Analytics, Insights, MonsterInsights, Yoast SEO, etc.

Other plugins you can also try out are Backup Buddy, Akismet, Quick and Easy FAQs, Buffer, Envira Gallery,
Sucuri, etc.