Creating a WordPress account

There are a lot of instructions on this page- please read all the way through!

 

Creating an account

  • Go to wordpress.com
  • Click on ‘Get Started’
  • Click on the ‘start your website’ pink button
  • Your next page should look like the image below. Click on the ‘Skip setup and start with a blank website’ option
  • Next, it’ll ask for you to come with a domain name. Mine is LaneTechDiamond. It’ll ask you to enter a name or keywords that you want to use for your website name. You may use your name, something art related, or you can type in things you likePlease note, you will not be able to change this. MAKE SURE TO CLICK ON THE FREE OPTION
  • I love photography, elephants, sunflowers, and Ellen (obvy) so this is the option it gave me and entered it in the keyword section. Once you’ve decided on a name, select the free option
  • The next page will look like the image below. Make sure to select the free plan

MAKE SURE TO GO TO YOUR CPS EMAIL AND VERIFY YOUR ACCOUNT (super important you do this, you will not be able to publish anything without it being verified)

 

Dashboard

  • The dashboard in WordPress is the place where you can make a lot of your changes to your blog.
  • The easiest way to access all the options WordPress has to offer, is to access your dashboard by typing the name of your url and then /wp-admin
  • This might not sound the easiest at first, but you can bookmark your dashboard on your browser
  • For example, I would type photographyellenelephantssunflowers.wordpress.com/wp-admin to get to the dashboard on my site.
  • The dashboard looks like the image below

Pages

  • While in your dashboard, click on hover the mouse over ‘Pages’ (this is on the left) and select the ‘Add New’ option
  • If it prompts you to select a template, select the ‘Blank’ option
  • Title the page About
  • Type in a few things about yourself
  • Press the blue ‘Update’ or ‘Publish’ button on the right (keep in mind that you will not be able to publish your page until you confirm your email)
  • You can change/update your about info later
  • Click on the top left arrow to get back to the dashboard
  • By default, WordPress may have created a ‘Hello World’ page
  • Hover the mouse over the words ‘Hello World!’ and click on ‘Trash’ to delete the page
  • Click on the ‘Add New’ page button on the dashboard (make sure you are adding a new page and not a new post)
  • Title the page ‘Semester One’
  • Press the blue ‘Update’ or ‘Publish’ button on the right
  • To view your site, click where it says ‘My Sites’ on the top left

Customizing your site

Let’s move on to the fun part! You will be able to select a theme for your website.

  • Go to your dashboard
  • Click on ‘Appearance’ on the left and click on ‘Themes’…make sure to filter to the ‘free’ themes
  • Once you have found the theme you like, click on ‘Activate’…you can change your theme at any time
  • Make sure your About and Semester One pages are visible. If you have a ‘Contact’ page, you need to delete it. If your pages are not showing, it is because you have not confirmed your email OR it is because of the theme.
  • If you know you have confirmed your email, then you will need to add a widget.

Adding a Page Widget

  • If your pages aren’t showing on your blog, go to the Dashboard
  • Hover the mouse over Appearance and click on Widgets
  • Screen Shot 2014-09-01 at 1.23.50 PM
  • Find ‘Pages’ and drag it to the sidebar
  • Screen Shot 2014-09-01 at 1.24.08 PM
  • If the name of your pages are still not displaying, go back to the Dashboard and hover the mouse over Appearance again
  • Click on Menu
  • Select the pages you want to appear
  • Screen Shot 2014-09-01 at 1.24.49 PM
  •  Press ‘Save’

 

Creating a Static Front Page

A static front page keeps your website looking professional. You will need to set your About page as your homepage

  • Go to your dashboard and hover the mouse over Appearance and select Customize
  • Select Homepage Settings
  • Select the ‘A static page’ option…NOT the ‘Your latest posts’ option
  • Select About
  • Feel free to customize the rest of the site. The important thing is to make sure you create a static front page. You will not add any posts to the site- everything will be a page
  • Make sure to save it before exiting out