SECTION 1.0 CHOOSE WORDPRESS
There are a variety of considerations, requirements, and recommendations you should consider to determine whether or not WordPress offers the right solution for you or your organization. (It might be helpful to review Thinking about your new website (for individuals) or Thinking about your Organization’s new website as you consider the benefits of a WordPress website.)
This first Section of the tutorial includes four articles, summarized below:
Why WordPress?
WordPress isn’t just a “blog” anymore. It’s the best way for an individual or small organization to affordably create, maintain, and enhance their online presence and interact with their connections. Learn why in this article.
WordPress.com (free) vs. WordPress.org (self-hosted)
There are two different types of WordPress. Learn the difference between a free WordPress site that’s hosted at www.wordpress.com vs. the capabilities of a self-hosted site using your own domain name. This tutorial will focus on using WordPress on your own self-hosted site. However, if you decide you’re not quite ready for that and choose to create an account at www.wordpress.com, you can still benefit from this tutorial. Most of the user interface and administrative procedures are similar between the two types of WordPress, so you won’t be wasting your time here. Learn more.
Prepare for WordPress (requirements & recommendations)
The only two requirements to host your own WordPress site are to have your own domain name (obtained through a domain registrar) and a web hosting account (from a web host provider) that can support WordPress. Learn about domain registrars and web host providers, along with some recommendations that will help you prepare for your WordPress installation. Read the article.
Install WordPress
Each web host provider offers different procedures for how WordPress is installed. Installation with some providers is easier than with others, so ease of installation should factor into your selection of a host provider. Learn how some of the suggested host providers offer installation and support for WordPress in this article.
