WordPress is Software
WordPress is a free software application designed to function as a web site. It provides a web page layout that defines how your web pages look. It also provides the functionality to navigate from one page to another. Navigation can be in the form of links or a navigation bar. Lastly, WordPress provides an administration panel so you can add, modify or delete information on your website. The administration panel also allows you to install WordPress updates, add plugins or themes to your site, change default settings and other technical aspects of your web site. You can get it free here: WordPress.
WordPress Plugins
WordPress is open source software which means the code is available for modification. Plugins are programs which are added to the WordPress software to provide a specific function. When added to a WordPress site, the plugin remains separate from the WordPress code and works with it to provide that function. Plugins are designed to provide many different functions. You might add a plugin to make it easier to add videos or a custom contact form. There are plugins available for many specific functions. Free WordPress plugins are available here: WordPress Plugins.
WordPress Themes
WordPress comes with two page layouts. Page layouts are called themes by WordPress people. These themes determine where text, images, videos and other elements are displayed on a page. Themes can be free or cost money. Free themes are available on WordPress.org and many other sites. Themes that cost money are called premium themes. There are many premium themes available. People pay money for premium themes because they may look nicer, may be professionally coded, may have more features or may provide better technical support.
You Need to Select a WordPress Theme
If you’re in the process of setting up your first web site and want to use WordPress, you’ve made a good choice. The most important thing you need to do is to select a theme. You can find themes using the links at the end of this article or do a search on your favorite search site. Just search for WordPress themes, free WordPress themes or premium WordPress themes.
WordPress was originally designed as blogging software. As a result, many early templates were designed around the needs of bloggers. WordPress has gained widespread acceptance so there are many types of themes available today. If you want to set up a blog site you’ll find so many options it will boggle your mind. If you want to set up a web site for a business you’ll probably have a different look in mind. The wide acceptance of WordPress has encouraged theme designers to create many themes around a business look. People searching for business type themes will be impressed as well.
Can I Have a Custom Theme?
You may want your site to look like no other. Who doesn’t? If you want a custom theme you can have it. But it will cost you money. If you want a custom theme do a search for custom WordPress themes. You’ll find many companies that can create one for you. Or if you like the do-it-yourself approach, you can contract for a custom theme on Elance.com or Guru.com.
Don’t forget that any theme can be modified. Even though you’re using a theme that others use, it can be made to look unique. Also, some premium themes come with features that allow you to make design changes by selection options in their administration panel.
How Do I Select a WordPress Theme?
What type of theme depends on your customer or who you expect to visit your site. If you want to blog, visitors will expect to see written posts, audio links, photos and videos about your blog topic. Blog themes are designed to emphasize the most current posts to a site. They typically have a number of current posts visible on the home page. Older posts are accessed by using links like the navigation bar.
Businesses on the other hand may want to have their products or services emphasized on the home page. This information wouldn’t change daily as it would on a blog site. Businesses would want to select a theme that has more flexibility in using pages than a blog theme might allow.
No matter what your intent with your site, color, fonts, graphics and animation all affect a visitor’s interest in your site. You have very little time to get a visitors attention. Using the wrong colors for example can drive visitors away. For example, what colors come to mind when you think of a funeral home and a video game retailer. They’re both businesses, but if the funeral home used lime green and orange as their primary colors you’d probably go to another funeral home site. Lime green and orange could be great colors to use on a video game retailer site.
When selecting a theme, focus on your customer or visitor – how old are they, what feeling or emotion do we want to elicit when they visit, are they mostly males or females, what’s their income bracket & what level of education have they achieved. Last but not least, what do they want to do when visiting your site? Understanding your visitor will guide you in selecting an appropriate theme.
How Do I Get Help to Set Up a Site?
If you’re not technically inclined, there are many people who are willing to help you install and configure your site. Non-profits can even have their site set up for free by the WordPress.org people. For the rest of us, there are two options. Figure it out as we go or pay someone to help.
If you want the challenge, learning how to do a basic WordPress install and adding a theme isn’t that difficult. Most web hosting companies have an automatic install program for WordPress. So installation can be relatively easy. After that, you’ll want to spend some time on WordPress.org or any of a number of other sites providing information on how to add pages, posts, install plugins, update WordPress, add images and many other topics. If you have some time you can do it.
If you don’t want to learn or don’t have the time, there are many people who will help you for a fee. You can search on a search engine like Google for WordPress help, WordPress installation help, paid WordPress help or maybe WordPress paid support. You should find many people available to help you.
You can also post your job on sites like Elance.com or Guru.com. If you use a site like Elance.com, be as specific as possible with your job requirements. Provide the theme name you’ve chosen or specify that you want the contractor to recommend one. Also, provide any other information like the number of pages or categories you want and any special features. You’ll get a better match between your expectations and the bid price.
