"HyperText Markup Language," or HTML, is a type of web page programming code used in many web sites. Before the mid 1990s, when web page-building programs were invented for use by novices, HTML was virtually the only choice for building a web page. In those days, if you didn't know HTML's, secrets you were dependent on a web designer who did know how to write HTML. Fortunately, much has changed in the web design world since that time. Today there are several non-HTML web-building options, including WordPress.
Choose your website domain name ("mywebsite.com") and register it with a website hosting company such as Go Daddy.com, 1 and 1.com, or Network Solutions.com, among many choices. Your web host will assist you in setting up your server space, or "root directory," for storage of your new website pages.
Set up a My SQL database account on your server at the same time. Most web hosts offer a number of free My SQL databases for subscriber use. WordPress websites require a My SQL database. Note the database name, user name, server name, and password for your My SQL database carefully: you'll need it to install WordPress successfully.
Acquire a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) software tool to help you upload your website files to your hosting server. Most hosts provide a free FTP tool, but you can also purchase FTP programs. Ask your web host to assist you in configuring your FTP program correctly so you can establish a network connection from your computer and upload files to the server.
Download a copy of the latest WordPress program file package from WordPress.org. WordPress is an open source program, so it's free. WordPress is normally used to set up a blog website, but many people find it is also good for setting up a non-blogging site as well. You can turn off the blogging features in WordPress and run your site like a normal site. Unzip the compressed WordPress file to your computer.
Upload all the WordPress files to your website server space using the FTP program. Highlight all the WordPress files in the package and drag and drop them from your computer to the root directory up on your server (a file usually named after your domain, i.e., "mywebsite").
Open a file, found on your computer in the WordPress folder, named "wp-config-sample.php." Open this file with Notepad or Wordpad. You will see four blank areas asking for My SQL database information. Insert your assigned My SQL account information into these blanks. Save the file with the name "wp-config.php." Load this new file, "wp-config.php," to your server inside the root directory with the other WordPress files.
Go to the WordPress.org home page and click on the "Famous 5 Minute Installation" tutorial available there. The tutorial will show you, step-by-step, how to now fully activate your WordPress website. The process is easy to follow and requires no understanding of HTML or any other computer language.
Log onto your WordPress Dashboard. This is the place where you can add content to your website and change the appearance of the site. There are many excellent WordPress tutorials available to help you with all of these functions. Most require no HTML, and some will even teach you a little basic HTML--painlessly.
Check out the WordPress online library of hundreds of free "Theme Templates" plug-ins for website designs. You can also purchase theme templates to customize the look of your website. A program like Artisteer can also help you design a WordPress Theme Template plug-in of your own. None of these requires HTML knowledge.
Upload your new theme template design to the file "wp-content/themes." You can then immediately activate this new appearance from your Dashboard. If you have stories or other content already on the website, this content will convert to the new "look" instantly.
Use your Dashboard control panel to add new content in the form of posts, pages, pictures, videos, widgets, links, and thousands of other options available from WordPress download sites.
- The WordPress community is very supportive. You can find free help and tutorials for nearly any question in the WordPress forums. There are also WordPress professional experts who can help you for reasonable fees.
- WordPress: Blog Tool and Web Publishing Platform
- "Web Design for Dummies"; Lisa Lopuck; 2001
- pagina web image by Bernardo Varela from Fotolia.com