Now that you’ve set up your WordPress site and chosen a theme, there are a few things you will need to do to make your website run more efficiently.  And this starts with adding some features using plugins. Plugins are small chunks of computer code that enhance the functionality of your WordPress-based website.  And don’t worry… you don’t need to be a computer programmer to understand how to do this.

Here is my list of plugins you absolutely need to have installed on your site:

• Akismet – handles spam comments so your blog doesn’t get overwhelmed
• All-In-One SEO Pack – adds features to make sure your blog shows up in the search engines
• WP-DB-Backup – backs up your blog so if there is a problem, you can recover

Here’s the video tutorial (or click the image on the right):

• The Right Plugins for Your WordPress Site

Next up… Settings, settings, and more settings:

1. Register your domain and set up hosting – done!
2. Set up your WordPress installation – done!
3. Pick a theme and apply it – done!
4. The right plugins for your website – done!
5. Settings, settings, and more settings
6. Organizing  your site – writing pages
7. Writing posts and adding images
8. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
9. Wrapping it all up

You may have noticed I removed a few items from the list – Getting a Google account, Creating a graphical header, and Setting up an email subscription list.  This is because these are much more advanced topics and I thought it would be difficult at this stage of the game.

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The next step in building your website is to pick a theme, which controls the look of your site.  And in WordPress, there are 1,000s of themes available for free, and some premium themes that don’t cost an arm and a leg.

• Pick a WordPress Theme Tutorial

Next up… The Right Plugins for Your Site:

1. Register your domain and set up hosting – done!
2. Set up your WordPress installation – done!
3. Pick a theme and apply it – done!
4. The right plugins for your website
5. Getting a Google account
6. Settings, settings, and more settings
7. Creating a graphical header
8. Setting up an email subscription system
9. Organizing  your site – writing pages
10. Writing posts and adding images
11. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
12. Wrapping it all up

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After creating yesteday’s video, I realized it would be a good idea to include a quick tour of the WordPress Dashboard in order to familiarize you with what you’re going to see when you log into the backend.  So, I created this quick video tour:

• WordPress Dashboard Tutorial

Next up… Selecting a theme:

1. Register your domain and set up hosting – done!
2. Set up your WordPress installation – done!
3. Pick a theme and apply it
4. The right plugins for your website
5. Getting a Google account
6. Settings, settings, and more settings
7. Creating a graphical header
8. Setting up an email subscription system
9. Organizing  your site – writing pages
10. Writing posts and adding images
11. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
12. Wrapping it all up

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The quilting website tutorial was derailed for a bit, but I’m getting it back on track right now!  Here’s Step 2 – Setting Up WordPress.

From this point on, I’m going to be using a sample site called www.QuiltingBlog.com.  You’ll be able to go and check it out as the site progresses.  At some point, I will post all the videos on that site as another reference.

PLEASE NOTE: The first minute or so of the video has a blank white screen with some activity going on at the top.  Don’t worry… the video is working, it is just the part where I’m logging into the control panel!

Here’s the link to the video:

• How to Set Up Your WordPress Blog

And here’s the updated list of tutorials:

1. Register your domain and set up hosting – done!
2. Set up your WordPress installation – done!
3. Pick a theme and apply it
4. The right plugins for your website
5. Getting a Google account
6. Settings, settings, and more settings
7. Creating a graphical header
8. Setting up an email subscription system
9. Organizing  your site – writing pages
10. Writing posts and adding images
11. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
12. Wrapping it all up

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3. Building Your Website – Picking a Theme The next step in building your website is to pick...

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I’m almost ready to start putting up the In A Good Way website (just waiting for some content and images), but I realized that the very first steps in getting your own website up and running were not covered – registering your domain, securing hosting, and changing nameservers.

So, I’ve put together three short videos on how I would handle this portion of the process.  I use www.GoDaddy.com to register all of my domains, and I use www.HostGator.com for my hosting.  In the video, I’ll show you how to find a domain name, and once you have registered, what  you need to do to have your hosting set up at Host Gator or GoDaddy.  There are other domain name registrars and hosting companies (including GoDaddy.com’s own hosting), but since I can’t show every option, I’ll show you what I use.  Then, I show you how to change the Nameservers so the Internet can find your site.

Here are links to all three videos:

• Domain Name Registration
• Choosing Your Hosting Provider
• Changing Your Nameservers

Here’s what I think will be the flow of tutorials for building your website:

1. Register your domain and set up hosting – done!
2. Set up your WordPress installation
3. Pick a theme and apply it
4. The right plugins for your website
5. Getting a Google account
6. Settings, settings, and more settings
7. Creating a graphical header
8. Setting up an email subscription system
9. Organizing  your site – writing pages
10. Writing posts and adding images
11. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
12. Wrapping it all up

Watch your email for notices of when new tutorials are available.  In addition, I’m going to be announcing a service to create your website for you at a very reasonable price.  The announcement is coming soon!

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