Want to make your WordPress Website or Blog stand out from the crowd?

Then you’ll be delighted to know that you can achieve a different look and feel, simply by changing your WP theme to present a better picture!

Step Five : How to Change Your Default WordPress Theme

WordPress comes packed with a wide range of free themes and it really is very easy to change the default theme to an alternative free template, right within your dashboard area.

1. Go to ‘Appearance’ menu tab
2. select ‘themes’ menu
3. top right, select ‘install themes’
4. click on either featured/newest/recently updated (or look through each)
5. search for a theme you like
6. click preview to see a visual display (overlay preview window will open)
7. click install – to load/activate the theme into your themes choices

Action Step

Your new theme will need customising, as you did in Step Four. See Appearance, widgets, header, menus and background. Return to step 4 in the series to customise your WordPress website or blog as you wish.

Website Beginner Series and Further Reading

1. Where Have All The ‘Best’ Domain Names Gone?
2. Give Your Website or Blog A Home to Call its Own
3. Install WordPress in a Few Clicks of Your Mouse
4. Customise Your Default WordPress Web Design Layout
5. Present a Better Picture – Change Your WP Theme
6. What’s a WordPress Framework and How Do Child Themes Work? (pdf)
7. What Else You Need To Know – Primer Course

Prefer to Have it Done For You? – Book a ‘Chemistry Call’ with Diane

You’ve successfully installed WordPress and your default web design will look similar to this:-

Step Four : Customise Your Default WordPress Web Design

• From your WordPress Dashboard area, scroll down to the Appearance Menu Tab, open that.
• Underneath, click on Themes menu tab, and you’ll arrive at this page, shown below.

You’ll see the default theme is listed as your ‘Current Theme’.

Begin Customising Your Web Design Layout

• Click on Widgets to arrange your widget areas as you want them.

Return to Appearance Menu

When you are ready to customise your WordPress Web Design Theme further, simply return to the Appearance Menu to customise your :

• Menus
• Header
• Background
• Theme Options

… to your liking.

Top Tip : You’ll also see the menu for ‘Editor’ – Before you get carried away with the excitement of customising your blog or website theme, make sure you have a backup copy of your files.

Top Tip : You can ‘play’ with those files when you have become much more familiar with how everything works – but not before!!

In the next step, you’ll learn how to change the default WordPress theme.

Website Beginner Series and Further Reading

1. Where Have All The ‘Best’ Domain Names Gone?
2. Give Your Website or Blog A Home to Call its Own
3. Install WordPress in a Few Clicks of Your Mouse
4. Customise Your Default WordPress Web Design Layout
5. Present a Better Picture – Change Your WP Theme
6. What’s a WordPress Framework and How Do Child Themes Work? (pdf)
7. What Else You Need To Know – Primer Course

Prefer to Have it Done For You? – Book a ‘Chemistry Call’ with Diane

Perfect! You’ve got your Domain Name and Your Hosting Account set up. Now you’re ready to install WordPress to power your website or blog.

Step Three : Install WordPress to Power Your Website or Blog

WordPress can be installed onto your hosting server via your control panel with a quick installation tool to help make the process much easier and quicker for you.

To enable you to install WordPress you will need your:

• Domain Name and Hosting Package Purchased and Set Up
• Your Control Panel Login Details – see – Email from Website Hosting Company
• Then follow the steps shown in the appropriate video below.

How To Install WordPress Easily – With Softaculous

If you are installing WordPress on a different hosting server to that shown in Step Two, you may find this alternative installation tutorial helpful.

How To Install WordPress Easily – Using Fantastico

Action Steps

During installation of WordPress, do use a more secure admin username and password and remember to email yourself a copy of your WordPress Username and Password.

Top Tip : If your control panel uses a different WordPress quick installation tool, it may be similar to the ones shown in the above videos, just apply the same basic steps.

Top Tip : Alternatively, if you are comfortable doing so, follow the 5-Minute WordPress Install instructions.

In the next step, you’ll learn how to customise your default WordPress template.

Website Beginner Series and Further Reading

1. Where Have All The ‘Best’ Domain Names Gone?
2. Give Your Website or Blog A Home to Call its Own
3. Install WordPress in a Few Clicks of Your Mouse
4. Customise Your Default WordPress Web Design Layout
5. Present a Better Picture – Change Your WP Theme
6. What’s a WordPress Framework and How Do Child Themes Work? (pdf)
7. What Else You Need To Know – Primer Course

Prefer to Have it Done For You? – Book a ‘Chemistry Call’ with Diane

In step one you will have checked your short list of domain names for availability. Using the final Domain Name you have chosen for your blog or website, you can now progress to purchasing your website hosting to give it a home of its own!

Step Two : Domain Registration and Website Hosting

I’ve listed two website hosting plan options for you below, both being ideal for starter websites and blogs, having the added benefit of a control panel with the one click WordPress install tool.

• The Build Your Own Website Hosting Plan costs *£1.00 per month plus domain name costs, and may be all you need for a small ‘portfolio’ style website that does not require hundreds of pages of website content.

• This is another affordable website hosting plan and costs *£5.00 per month plus domain name costs, and will accommodate your plans for a larger website or blog with lots of ongoing content.

You are presented with the choice of :

1. purchasing your domain name together with your website hosting account
2. transferring an existing domain name, purchased elsewhere, to your new hosting account
3. purchasing website hosting alone (you’ll need to change your domain name servers)
4. Simply follow the steps presented to you on the hosting package website

Once you have completed this online process, the hosting supplier will send your account confirmation via email. You will also be provided with the access and login details you will need for reaching your website hosting control panel. (access url may be : http://www.yourdomainname.co.uk/cpanel)

Action Step

Purchase your Domain Name and your chosen website hosting plan together, or purchase your website hosting plan alone. Simply follow the steps presented to you on the hosting package website. Ask any hosting plan questions here.

Please note that domain names can take up to 48hours to be populated with the relevant technical (server) information, although it is often almost immediate!

* Pricing correct at time of writing, please check the website prior to purchase to confirm any price changes, hosting space or other plan inclusions. (This is not an affiliated product/service, but is one I use and can recommend!)

In the next step, you’ll learn how to install WordPress, quickly and easily.

Website Beginner Series and Further Reading

1. Where Have All The ‘Best’ Domain Names Gone?
2. Give Your Website or Blog A Home to Call its Own
3. Install WordPress in a Few Clicks of Your Mouse
4. Customise Your Default WordPress Web Design Layout
5. Present a Better Picture – Change Your WP Theme
6. What’s a WordPress Framework and How Do Child Themes Work? (pdf)
7. What Else You Need To Know – Primer Course

Prefer to Have it Done For You? – Book a ‘Chemistry Call’ with Diane

Are you a small business, coach or consultant, allowing a minimal budget and little or no technical knowledge stop you in your tracks when it comes to starting your own website or blog?

You don’t have to let these challenges overwhelm you! Just follow the steps in this series of tutorials and you’ll soon have your WordPress website or blog up and running, affordably.

Step One : Choose A Domain Name for Your Website or Blog

Finding the right Domain Name for your new website may not be quite as easy as you might first think. Virtually all the, what may be considered, ‘best’ domain names have already been taken, so you will need to add a dash of creativity to your thinking and searching to come up with a good domain name.

A little bit of keyword research can also help, as you may find a great keyword phrase that will make a good domain name to suit you and your business.

At this first step your focus is on actually finding the right ‘available’ domain name for your blog or website by :

• searching for a suitable Domain Name that is actually available
• noting ideas for modifying the domain name you prefer
• short-listing a number of available domain names to help you make a decision

Begin by Checking Domain Name “Availability”

Domain Name Tips

Domain names can be ‘Brand” names or based on ‘keywords’ that are likely to be searched for by your potential customers. Choose wisely and don’t rush in!

• Avoid using registered brand names/trademarks, or close variations.
• Avoid including numbers in your domain name : such as www.domainname4u.co.uk
• Shorter domain names are better than www.myfairlylongdomainnameandbranding.co.uk
• Avoid domain names that include a dash : such as www.mydomain-name.co.uk

Action Step

Check to see if your preferred domain Name is available. If not get creative and short list a few names that you feel would make a suitable second choice.

You can buy your domain name and hosting separately, from the same or different companies, see our Resources Page, or have a Domain Name included FREE as part of a Hosting Package, which you’ll cover in the next step!

Website Beginner Series and Further Reading

1. Where Have All The ‘Best’ Domain Names Gone?
2. Give Your Website or Blog A Home to Call its Own
3. Install WordPress in a Few Clicks of Your Mouse
4. Customise Your Default WordPress Web Design Layout
5. Present a Better Picture – Change Your WP Theme
6. What’s a WordPress Framework and How Do Child Themes Work? (pdf)
7. What Else You Need To Know – Primer Course

Prefer to Have it Done For You? – Book a ‘Chemistry Call’ with Diane