Before we get started, there are a few things you’ll need;
- Internet
- Hosting
- A Domain
If you don’t have hosting
Site5 are currently offering a 30 day free trial with many of their hosting plans. All you need to do is use the coupon ‘FREETRIAL’ in the checkout.
If you do have hosting
Though I’ll be approaching this using Site5 Hosting, the workflow should be extremely similar with other hosts.
If you don’t have a domain
You can register a domain with Site5 on signup, or with your current host, or with any number of other hosts and domain registrars.
Signing up with Site5
If you’re signing up, chose a hosting plan that suits you and head through to confirm your account where and you’ll automatically get a free trial. Please note that you need to register a domain on signing up, or use a domain that you already own. As you can see below, I’m using a domain that I already have.
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DNS Settings
If you are using a domain that’s registered somewhere other than with your host, you’ll need up update your DNS settings. And if you’re using Site5, here’s the DNS servers;
dns.site5.com
dns2.site5.com
Naturally, the server address will vary host to host, so make sure you have them correctly configured before moving on.
Logging In
If you’ve signed up, you’ll receive an email with credentials and instructions on logging in.
We’re going to log in to Backstage, once logged in you’ll need to select your site from siteadmin, it’ll take you through to your site’s dashboard, where you can administer all changes required to your site.
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Installing WordPress
Head down to ‘Software / Services’ and select ‘Web Apps’
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Next, make sure WordPress is selected and hit install
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Where you’ll be required to fill in the following options
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When the installation has completed, you’ll be shown a summary screen with a range of credentials, as well as receive them to the nominated email account.
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And that’s WordPress successfully installed on your host, head over to your domain and check it out
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It’s running the TwentyTwelve theme by WordPress.org, which is a nice theme, but we’re also going to cover installing a theme, too.
Getting a Theme
There’s a myriad of places you can find WordPress themes, both free and paid, such as the WordPress.org Themes Directory. There’s also premium theme shops such as WooThemes, ThemeForest, and Mojo Themes.
If you’re not looking to pay, then I suggest the WordPress Theme Directory. Otherwise, ThemeForest offer a free file of the month, which is most commonly a WordPress theme, and WooThemes also have free themes available, though for these two signing up is required.
Choose whichever you like, and download your theme. It’s likely to be delivered in a zip file, though if you have a theme from ThemeForest, it’s more common that the theme is in a zip file, within the originally downloaded zip file, so make sure you extract it first.
I have gone with Novatorix, a theme that was free in a recent month. Here’s a good example of the theme living within the initial zip.
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Installing via WordPress
To do this, we need to be in the WordPress Backend, so head to yourdomain.com/wp-admin, enter your credentials from the web app install, and log in.
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This is where you’ll take care of your site’s administration, though not necessarily the development thereof though, so it’s worthwhile spending some time getting familiar with it.
When you’re ready go to Appearance » Themes » Install Themes » Upload
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Browse to your theme’s zip file and hit install, and then activate on the next screen
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Now you can check your site out. It’ll look plain off the bat, as there’s most likely little or no content, but you can always play around and set up some dummy content to get it into shape.
Note: Some themes have custom options that are accessible through the WordPress backend, so check the theme’s documentation to see if you need to look for this.
Installing via FTP
The next method is by using FTP. To get started you need an FTP Client, and your FTP Credentials. There are many clients available, but a free, cross platform solution is FileZilla. If you need your credentials, you can retrieve these from your web host. Make sure you’ve extracted your theme from its zip file as this is required for upload.
Open your FTP Client and put in the username and password for your site like so.
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On the left pane, I’ve navigated to where the theme folder is located, on the right is where it’s connected to the server. As you can see, everything is held in a folder, and you’ll need to browse to public_html/wp-content/themes/.
From here, you simply drag and drop the theme’s folder as though were making any file transfer locally.
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Once uploaded, you’ll need to head to Appearances » Themes in wp-admin, and you’ll see your theme there.
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When ready, hit activate and you’re good to go!
Six Months Free Hosting!
If you’d like to try out Site5′s WordPress hosting, free, for six months, please contact me to arrange!
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