WordPress tutorial
WordPress is the world's most widely used platform for creating websites. Originally developed for bloggers, WordPress can now be used to develop any type of site. Here's a CMS tutorial that takes you step-by-step through the essentials of creating a website with WordPress.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is an Open Source CMS. In practical terms, it's a free platform whose code is free to use (you can modify it as you wish), and which allows you to publish content (pages, articles, images, forms, etc.) on the Internet.
WordPress works on the basis of two elements
- a set of files that you host on your server
- your SQL database, also hosted on a server.
The database contains all the text, users, comments, taxonomy (categories and tags), etc., while the file server will contain the PHP, CSS, HTML files, images, documents, etc.
If the WordPress project seems too complex for you, you should know that there are free or inexpensive alternatives to wordpress that allow you to build a site from A to Z without having to go through technical configurations or computer knowledge.
Download WordPress
To install WordPress you need the latest version of the CMS. This is a .zip file that you unzip on your computer. It contains all the files needed for your future site to work properly. Be careful not to delete any of them. We advise you to always keep a blank version of WordPress to repair a file if necessary.
Installing WordPress
There are 3 prerequisites for installing WordPress: you need a domain name for your site (e.g. www.monsite.com), a file server larger than 100MB and an SQL database. Keep your logins and passwords for these spaces in a safe place, as you will need them to install and administer your site if necessary. There are 4 steps to installing WordPress:
- Modify the wp-config.php file
- Add the WordPress theme to the wp-content > themes folder
- Upload the files to the server
- Create an administrator account
In the case of multilingual WordPress sites, an additional step is required: you must activate a site network as soon as you install WordPress. The site network is activated by adding an extra line to wp-config.php and then creating the network structure (subdomains or subdirectories) directly in WordPress.
Choosing and installing a WordPress theme
You will find a plethora of free and paid themes on Google by searching for "premium wordpress theme" or "free wordpress theme". Be aware that free themes can suffer from serious security flaws. Spend a little time finding the right one and read user reviews. A theme can do much more than add an aesthetic layer to your site: it can also enhance WordPress with new features. In the event that you don't find the functionality you need in WordPress, you can look for a theme adapted to your needs or install extensions.
Extensions and Plugins
In reality, a plugin is an extension, but both terms are used. As WordPress is used massively around the world, there is a WordPress plugin for almost everything. They work like an application on your phone: you download it, install it and then activate it. WordPress extensions extend the functional coverage of the CMS:
- Increase the level of security
- Add a contact form
- Add sitemaps
- Add buttons for sharing articles on the Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin social networks.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization) functions
- etc.
Switching your WordPress site from HTTP to HTTPS
Sites whose address begins with https:// are favoured by search engines over traditional sites (http://). The security of data exchanges between the Internet user and the server is a function that is increasingly appreciated by users. However, a few steps need to be taken to create an https wordpress site:
- Buying and activating an SSL certificate from a registrar (e.g. OVH)
- Change the URL of your site in the WordPress settings
- Modify the .htaccess file at the root of the server
- Eliminate mixed content from your site
- Notify Google of the change of address in Google Webmaster Tools
Adding a favicon to your site
A favicon is a small image to be placed at the root of the WordPress site so that it is displayed by browsers in the tabs and favourites manager. The wordpress favicon is ideally created from a PNG image which will be converted into a favicon.ico file using a free online service. This is the file you should upload to the root of your site.
Article translated from French