Hello Nairalanders,

WordPress FREE Training: Start Date Monday 22nd January 2018. Meet you then

I am Ben, a passionate WordPress user, a Web Designer, Developer and instructor. I have been using WordPress to build Websites and Blogs and I want to share my experience and skill of WordPress with members here in this Forum. My focus group are; new users of WordPress and those who have not even started, yea, beginners in Web design. It is going to be very simplified and explanatory tutorial, presented in step-by-step. So get ready!

In the tutorials, we shall focus on using WordPress to design Website and Blog. I am sure most people know about WordPress, but if you don’t or want to refresh your memory, the introduction to WordPress – the first topic - will take care of that.

WordPress is very easy to use. With it, you can create a Website, Blog, News Site, E-Commerce Site etc. It is worth knowing that Websites like; Punch, Vanguard, This Day and many other big news portals are built with WordPress. Also some leading Nigeria e-commerce sites like Slot are also built with WordPress.

The tutorial is free and will cover the following topics:
1. Introduction to WordPress
2. WordPress Themes
3. WordPress Plugin
4. Installing WordPress
5. The Admin tools
6. WordPress Website and WordPress Blog
7. Theme Customization
8. Creating Web Pages and Content
9. Creating Styles and Features with Plugins
10. WordPress Security Issues
11. Questions and Answers.

Beginning from the start date - Monday 22nd January 2018 – tutorials will be posted two or three times a week, and questions from readers will be answered. If you already have a WordPress Website or Blog, and needed some tweaking, I will be on hand to assist you.

See you on the 22nd

I'm ready. I want to start blogging and web design business, but I don't really know my left to right. I hope this lecture will give me the necessary skills and knowledge. Thanks

Get ready. I will be here with you on the 22nd.

First, let me apologize for posting this today (26th) instead of 22 as promised. My laptop’s screen was broken on the night of 21st, as such, I had to battle with replacement, which took some time to get replaced. My apologies please!

WordPress FREE Training For Websit and Blog - Webmasters – Nairaland. (Part 1 of 20). Topics to be covered:

1. Introduction to WordPress
2. WordPress Themes
3. WordPress Plugin
4. Installing a WordPress Theme

1. Introduction to WordPress

WordPress is a program that you can use to create full functional Websites and Blogs. It is an Open Source Web creation program in the category of Content Management System (CMS). WordPress is built mainly on PHP and MySQL as the core background programs.

WordPress, which identifying logo is W in a circle is reportedly the most popular Website management or Blogging system in use today, supporting more than 60 million Websites and countless Blog space. It came into existence on May 27th, 2003, founded by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little.

What you can use WordPress for: Just as you use Microsoft Word to type and edit letters and documents, use CorelDRAW and Photoshop to work on computer graphics, WordPress is used to to design Websites and Blogs. Unlike HTML, WordPress uses What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) interface for text and graphics, which makes it very easy for beginners to learn and use.

Download and installation: You don’t install WordPress in your computer as you would install Microsoft Office or CorelDRAW. Although with WAMP server, you can use WordPress offline, but for optimal use which allows you real-time access to official WordPress site for Plugins and update, you should download and installed in a Web server through your WordPress Account, and then begin the customization, which actually is the main Web design task.

Reasons to use WordPress: There are other Web design programs like Dreamweaver, HTML, PHP etc, but certain features make WordPress stand out. They are:


1. It can be used for either a Website, Blog or Online Store
WordPress is optimized for both Website and Blog. If you are a Blogger, Web designer or E-Commerce developer, you will find WordPress worth using. You can even add Blog section in your Website or E-Commerce store site.


2. It is highly customizable, which means you can easily change certain default settings
With the Theme system, you can customize your WordPress site to change many design elements like color, header, footer, logo etc. Added with some Plugin, you can add many features like; Online form, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Image Slider, Mega menu and many others features and styles.

3. WordPress is designed for both developers, experienced web designers and beginners
WordPress is for many people. Developers, Content Creators, Web designers, Bloggers and all use WordPress. The interesting thing is that you as a new user can begin with simple WordPress design, and then grow to become a Developer.

WordPress Themes
WordPress-powered Website or Blog can be likened to a car, where the ENGINE of the car is WordPress scrip, the BODY of the car is the Wordpress Theme, and the options (power steering, power window, automatic or manual gear etc.) is the WordPress Plugin. So a full functional WordPress-powered Website is made up of these three programs – WordPress script, WordPress Theme and WordPress Plugin.

Simply put, how a WordPress-powered Website or Blog looks in the front-end is the function of the Theme. So a Theme defines the distinct, unifying and recurring design style of the Website or Blog. WordPress Themes are in various categories and types. To work on a site, you download any Theme of your choice, and then begin the customization. As we continue with this tutorial, I will show and explain to you various WordPress Theme types and their uses; both for Website and for Blog.

WordPress Plugins
WordPress' Plugin allow users to extend the features and functionality of a Website or Blog. For example, Online Forms, which enable site visitors to fill a form and send is a function of a Plugin. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), which enables you to prepare questions and answers for your site visitors is a function of a Plugin. The Image Slider that moves on the Home Page is a function of a Plugin. In fact, most of the styles you see in a WordPress-powered Website are made possible with a Plugin.

So whatever design style or effect that you want on your Website or Blog, you can achieve it with some Plugin. There are about 40,000 WordPress Plugins available as at today, so you should find one to create that feature that you want.

Installing a WordPress Theme
There are WordPress Themes in Blog and Website category. In the Website category, there are Themes for different usage like; church, mosque, consulting, fashion, restaurant, law firm, small business, school, club, just name it. In this tutorial, we shall use a Theme for business.
Before you can install a Theme, you must have hosted WordPress account, and must have installed WordPress script. Although it is a standard, but for registered users of Simplified WordPress site, WordPress Account that includes: sub-domain name, hosting account and WordPress Script installation are offered free. If you have a WordPress account, here are steps to install a Theme.
In this topic, we shall install a Theme called Ribosome. This Theme can be used for either a Website or Blog. It is an uncluttered WordPress Theme good for both advanced users and beginners.

STEP 1: BEGIN
To begin, first log in to your WordPress Account. When you log in, place the mouse on Appearance Menu to display the fly-out Menu options. From the displayed options, click Themes to display Add New window.



STEP 2: LOAD SEARCH BOX
If WordPress account had been created, you will see some default-installed WordPress Themes, but for this tutorial, we want to install a particular Theme; Ribosome. So locate and click Add New, and you will be moved to Add Themes window where you will search for and install the Theme you want.



STEP 3: SEARCH FOR A THEME
In the Search Themes box, type Ribosome, and then hit the Enter key on the keyboard. You should see the Theme displayed on the window.



STEP 4: INSTALL
Continue by clicking Install button. Then seat back to let the Theme to fully install. This should take some time depending on your internet connection speed.



STEP 5: ACTIVATE
After installation, successful installation will display. Place the mouse on the installed Theme to see Live Preview and Activate button.
Click Activate, again allow some time for WordPress to activate the Theme. After installation, the Theme will be placed first from the left while the pre-installed ones will come after.

Preview the installed Theme
As you work on your site, you need to load the preview in another window so that you have two windows; the design area and the preview area. Let’s preview the installed Theme.

PREVIEW
On the upper left side of the Admin window, place the mouse on Site name to display Visit Site. (The Site name could be any name, depending on the name used to set create the WordPress account)

Place the mouse on Visit Site, and then click the right mouse button to display the options. From the options, click Open Link in New Tab. The preview of the freshly installed Theme will display in another tab of the Web browser. Visit the Site to see how it looks.



Site preview page
On the preview, it is most likely that the Theme will display on Latest Post setting. This setting will show Sidebar with its Widgets. (Recent Post, Recent Comments, Archives etc.) This setting is for Blog Sites, and not be for Websites. In the next topic, I will explain this; how to change settings for either a Website or Blog.

If you questions, post it here, I will promptly respond.

In the next part, we shall cover the following:

1. WordPress Admin Tools
2. Working with WordPress Themes
2. Suggested WordPress Themes for Website and for Blog

Thank you.

WordPress FREE Training For Website and Blog. (Part 2 of 20).


In the Part 1 of 20 of the ongoing tutorial, we discussed; Introduction to WordPress, WordPress Themes, WordPress Plugin and concluded with Installing a WordPress Theme. If you have any questions, kindly post it here, so that others who may have such question will benefit from the answers to be provided.

In this part, the following topics will be covered:
1. WordPress Admin Tools
2. Working with WordPress Themes
2. Suggested WordPress Themes for Website and for Blog

WordPress Admin Tools (Menu)
If you have access to the back-end of a WordPress account, you are the Admin. As the Admin, you can make changes to the contents of the Website or Blog. The Admin supposed to be the Web designers, and as the Web designer, you work with certain tools to build your Website or Blog. You must have the valid Username and Password to be able to access the Admin area.

The following are the Admin tools of a newly installed WordPress Theme. If you have your WordPress account, log in to your account and follow me with the topic.

WordPress Dashboard Overview: WordPress Dashboard is the main Admin and Design area. It is divided into four sections as stated below:

Item 1: Site Name
On the upper left side, you will also see the Site name (Whatever name that the Site was set up with). If the Site was set up with My First Website, it appears here. If it is set up with John Paul, it appears here.

Item 2: Howdy Admin
Howdy Admin represents the Administrator’s name. Placing the mouse pointer on it, Admin options that includes Admin, Edit My Profile and Log out will display. We shall learn how to edit Admin details on the topic: Editing the Admin Details on chapter 8.


Item 3: Admin Menus (Tools)
On the left side is list of Admin Menus. These are various Menus (tools) that you will use in designing the Website or Blog Space. In a newly installed WordPress, the Menus will be few, but as you install more Plugins, more will be added.




Working with Themes
First, let me let me explain the Admin Tool (Admin Menu) Types. There are Stand-alone Menus and Flyout Menus. The stand-alone Menus directly opens when clicked. An example of this is the Comments Menu. This Menu when clicked, directly opens the Comments window. Then the Flyout Menu. Flyouts has the main Menu and the fly-outs. When you place a mouse on these Menus, a fly-out menu with various choices for that particular Menu option will expand to show other available options. Some of the examples of this is the Pages Menu. Placing a mouse on it will display options like All Pages and Add New. Following below, we shall discuss default Menus of a new WordPress installation.

1. POSTS (Flyout Menu)
In WordPress, there is a Page and there is a Post. The Posts Menu is where you click to display Posts Menus to enable you create or edit a Blog Post. So if you are creating a Blog Site, you click Posts to open the All Posts so you can view all the Posts in the Blog or Add New to open a new Post to begin to write a Post.

3. MEDIA (Flyout Menu)
WordPress allows you to upload photos, images, video, audio and other files to you site. So Media is where all your uploaded media stuff resides. When you click Media Menu, a flyout will display showing Library and Add New. Clicking on Library will open the Media Library where uploaded image files are stored. If you click Add new, Upload New Media window will open to let you add and upload an image into the Media Library.

4. PAGES (Flyout Menu)
Web Pages make up a website. The Home Page is a Web Page, the About Us Page is a Web Page, the Contact Us Page is a Web Page, etc. and collectively, they are called a Website.
Pages Menus is the Menu that you click to open New Page window to begin to create a Page, or All Pages options to open list of previously created Web Page.





5. COMMENTS
At the end of most Blog article (Post) you will likely find Comment box that allow Blog visitors to make a comment on particular Post. When they type a comment, it is posted to the Comments section of the Blog.
So the Comment Menu opens a section that allows the Blogger (the Admin) to manage all the Comments within the Blog Space, including replying to comments.


6. APPEARANCE (Flyout Menu)
One of the beauties of WordPress is the Theme feature. A WordPress Theme is the Template design that unifies the overall Website or Blog’s design concept. Clicking on Appearance Menu will display sub-Menus that includes Theme, and clicking on Theme will display pre-installed Themes and also gives you a window to search for, download and install new Themes.


7. PLUGINS
Plugin is the interesting aspect of WordPress Web Design. Plugins extend and expand the functionality of WordPress-powered Website or Blog.
If you create a Website with Dreamweaver or use a HTML code and want to add a functionality like, Facebook Like or Twitter widget, or you want to add a submission form, you must know the HTML code for it, but with WordPress, all you do is to pick the corresponding Plugin, and customize or reset it, and you are done.

8. SETTINGS
This is where the site-wide configuration takes place. Among other things, it allows you to configure your Site name and URL, where your Posts appear, whether people can leave Post Comments or not, and numerous other settings.

Coming next is working with WordPress Themes

Great job, be continue...

WordPress FREE Training For Website and Blog. (Part 3 of 20).

In this part, we shall focus on Working with WordPress Themes

Working with WordPress Themes

Before building a WordPress-powered Website, you first download WordPress Theme you like, and one that fits into the general Site’s plan, and then customize the Theme to fit the Website plan and design style. Although using WordPress Script standard, Themes are different in design, style, features, purpose, technical details etc., but it can be said that in usage, every WordPress Theme is same. For example:

1. Default Dashboard or Admin Menus are similar across all WordPress Themes

2. The process of creating Web Pages (which is the core of Web Design) is same with all Themes.

3. Steps in writing a Blog Post and publishing the Post is also done same way across all WordPress Themes.

4. Uploading and inserting an image into the Media Library, and then on a Web Page is done the same way.

5. How to set Front Page Display (Static Front Page for Websites and Post Page for Blog) is same across all WordPress Themes

6. Steps in writing a Blog Post and publishing the Post is also done same way across all WordPress Themes.

What changes with Themes are technical differences and added features, as created by the Theme developer, as well as what the Theme developer allows you to customize.

Customizing a WordPress Theme: In WordPress, customizing means making changes to the default settings of the active Theme. WordPress Themes are developed by different developers, so like work of art, what a developer will want you to customize, another developer may not. See WordPress Theme customizing like making changes to the default settings of you mobile phone.

Step 1
To customize a Theme you must first log in to the Admin, and then click Appearance Menu to display the flyout, and then click Customize to display the settings the customization tools.



When you click Appearance, Customize, the Theme's Customize section will appear as seen on the following screen shot. There are two important areas to look at when working with a WordPress Theme. They are the General Settings and the Page Panel. The General Settings shows you bunch of features available in the Theme, while the Page Panel shows you how many Page Layout Styles that the Theme offers.

General Settings of Ribosome WordPress Theme: In this tutorial, we are using Ribosome's Theme as a case. Take a closer look at the available customization buttons. Clicking on any one will open more menus to let you edit the setting. Please note that what you get to edit, or the number of buttons (menus) available depends on the Theme. Some Themes like Access Press and Site Origin has many customization options. Begin to customize your Theme by clicking General Settings menu to open the options, and then working on the tasks. This is where the actual web design takes place.

When you are done, click the Publish button to save the entries. Use the Back arrow ( < ) to move back after working on a menu. To close the panel, click Close (X) button




The Page Panel: The Page Panel is located on the right side of an active Page on edit view. When you open an already created Web Page to edit it, or a new Page to work on, you will see the Page Panel on the right side. Yes, this is so with all WordPress Themes, but what you have on a Page Panel differs with each Theme, but here are some tools that you will likely see on Page Panel of any WordPress Theme.

1. Publish: Publish button when clicked saves the current Page and make it available on the Site on preview window. Though saving the Page when clicked, the Page can still be edited to make changes.


2. Page Attributes. Parent Page: If you wish to create a drop-down Page, here is a tool that you will use to make a Page Parent or Child. The Parent Page is the one at the top and it drops the Child Page; the one below.


Page Template: The Page Template setting determines how contents on the Web Page appears. Depending on the Theme you are using, the options in the Page Template many be many, but generally, you will see options like; Full Width, No Sidebar which will display the Page contents in full width and Default, which will display the Sidebars on the right side of the Web Page.

When you are done setting the Page, click Publish to save the entries



To be continued

Feel free to ask any questions or reach me on 08036515556 or 08023329131
Thanks

thanks for your tutorial bro...

Thanks. If you have questions, feel free to ask.

We are offering a 3 day one on one training in wordpress and SEO.It is a practical training program.During the course of this training you will learn

1) How to purchase a domain name
2) How to host a website
3) Learning about the cpanel environment and its functionalities
4) Learn how to build a company website with wordpress
5) Learn how to deploy an ECommerce website with wordpress
6) Search engine optimization.How to make your website appear on google search engines

Duration is 3 days
Training fee is 30,000 Naira
Venue is in Lagos.
For booking call/whatsapp 07067866986