Build A Better Website With Me - How to install WordPress to your hosted site.

Build a better website with me is a series I'm sharing, covering my migration from Blogger to a self-hosted WordPress site. I have no experience or skills in the area of web-development, so I'm sharing my steps to help other bloggers through the complex WordPress system.

In my last post on this topic I showed you how to register your own domain name through your host. I'm using Just Host for my set up because they are very cheap compared to most and they offer a lot of help along the way. You should be able to follow most of these steps with your own host.

Installing WordPress

Log into your host site, and head straight to the cPanel, remember it looks like this:

The page scrolls down to show a LOT of options and management systems - you don't need to worry about any of that. All we will look at today is the section called 'Website Builders' (the one down from 'Mail' - I'll show you how to set up your own mail later).

The first icon under 'Website Builders' is 'WordPress'. You can click on that now.

What will appear if you're using Just Host is a diversion to a site called mojo marketplace. Don't panic, this is just the third-party company Just Host use to install WordPress themes (the backgrounds and designs). Mojo Marketplace sell lots of themes, but there are also plenty available from within WordPress for free. I'll show you where to get themes later.

This is what should appear once the page diverts:

Click on that shiny green 'Start' button!

Next, you have choose which domain you want to attach a WordPress site to. If this is your first site, you'll probably only have one choice.

With the drop down menu (next to the web domain name) it offered me a choice of including www. or leaving it out (http://charmaineclancy.com). I wasn't sure, so I use the name with the www. (If in doubt, have a guess and see what you can break!)

You'll probably get a warning:

Install directory exists and is not empty. Please confirm that it is safe to overwrite any content in this directory.

That's just because your host puts up stuff on your domain until you override it. Just tick the box to allow the installation to go ahead anyway. 

On the next screen, don't rush to publish - first, tick the box for Advanced Options. Now you'll be able to put in the name of your website, and you can change the password (otherwise write down the one they show you because it's impossible to remember).

Click the green 'Install Now' button and your WordPress installation will begin!

Then you'll be greeted by this screen:

At the bottom of the page you'll get the option to browse for templates through Mojo - those are paid templates to purchase. You can search for free templates from within WordPress.

To head to your new WordPress site (which will be looking pretty bare at this stage), go to the Login URL - you can click on the hyperlink with the '/wp-admin extension'. Your password will be the one you entered earlier (and wrote down... I hope... otherwise attempt to sign in and you can request your password if you need to).

You're all set! In my next Build a better website with me series, I'll show you how to install a template to your page (that's the layout and design of your website).

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Productivity, blogging and test subjects

I've blogged over at the new dream... write... publish... website today. If you get a chance, please pop over to read:

Productivity - motivation for output, or creativity killer?

And now I have a big favour to ask. I'm testing the comment host, first I'm trying the WordPress comments with CommentLuv added (that means your latest post is automatically displayed in your comment). Some people expressed a problem commenting on WordPress sites, so I'm also looking at the Disqus option - a separate host to manage blog comments. 

Do you have a preference?

I'm writing up my second post for the series Build A Better Website With Me - to show you how to install WordPress through your hosting site. I'll share that tomorrow - and a big thanks to everyone who's been helping me out with this transition!

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Build A Better Website With Me - How to register and activate your own .com domain name

Build a better website with me will be a series on blog posts covering my journey to migrate from Blogger to WordPress. 

I outlined some of the reasons for my changeover in my previous post: Build A Better Website With Me. By keeping the beginning of each website-related post the same, those who are keen to learn how to use WordPress as their platform can follow along. But if you can do without the techie posts, it'll be easy for you to spot which ones to ignore.

Today's post is showing you how to gain a domain name through your host.

My host is Just Host (also called Host Clear). I can confidently recommend this host, they have treated me well, are easy to use and offer immediate online chat for solutions if you get stuck. There's a lot of others out there, and a few are ones I've tried that have disappointed me. There are other good hosts, but I can't recommend a product I haven't tried. Maybe ask around.

Once you're signed up with your host, and you have your log in details, go to the home page and log in.

This will take you to the 'cPanel' (control panel). It looks pretty scary! Don't worry, you'll never need to touch most of those buttons.

For now, you just need to click on the word 'Domains' on that blue bar at the top.

Yes, I have a lot of domains

See the search box in the middle? Use that to see if the domain name you want is taken. For example, I might search  for dreamwritepublish.com (I did, and it's not available). I don't recommend changing to .net, if yours is not available, I think you are better off changing the name slightly (maybe dreamwritepublishonline.com).

Of course, as an author, you want your pen name as your webpage. If your name is Stephen King, there's a good chance you won't score your name, maybe you could be stephenkingnovels.com or stephenkingsbooks4kids.com. Choose something that is easy to remember. Hyphens are a bad idea, no one remembers to put hyphens in. I'd rather dreamwritepublishonline than dream-write-publish.com. Click 'Next'.

BEFORE YOU PURCHASE

There is a box automatically clicked for Domain Privacy. This means your details will not show up as the person who registered the domain name. Go ahead and keep it if that's important to you. I choose to unclick the box, because I don't care if my name is associated with the domain (I don't have any scam websites), and it costs an extra $9.99 for every domain you purchase.

You will have to tick the 'Terms of Service' box. And click 'Add to Cart'. Another good thing about Just Host, is they keep giving me free domain name credits (I don't know why), so today I'm purchasing iTeenMagic, because I think Matilda can add it to her magic site (she has big plans).

Go ahead now and purchase your domain name. You can purchase domain names from other places a couple of dollars cheaper, but then you'd have to import them into Just Host (or your host). Being new to website creation, I don't know how easy that is.

On the next page, click on the dark grey button 'Manage' (under 'manage my add on products).

Now you're at your 'domain list manager', and you'll see your domain name listed in a box in the bottom left-hand side of the screen. If this is your first domain and your main account, it should be called your 'primary'. See from the picture that charmaineclancy.com is my primary domain:

If, like me, you've gone a bit nuts and purchased the entire internet, the extra domain names should be converted from 'Unassigned' to 'Addon'. Just Host lets you add on as many domain names as you like and you don't pay any extra for hosting those sites.

You are all done registering your very groovy domain name! Maybe you chose your author name, or your blog name, or both. The next step is installing your WordPress theme, to do that you need to go to 'Hosting' (second word in the blue bar at the top of the page, right past 'Home'). 

This will take you back to the cPanel. I'll post all the instructions on installing WordPress to your new site in my next post!

If you are not ready to set up a new website, but think you'll want this information, don't worry, I've decided to put all these posts together into a guide for everyone as soon as I'm done (for free of course, if you want to pay, there are better experts on the subject!).

And if you get impatient and rush ahead and then get stuck? Don't worry, help is a click away! Up the top on the right-hand side, if you click on 'Help?', a drop-down menu appears:

See that offer of a 'Live Chat'? Choose it! Don't be shy! The elves at Just Host are super friendly, can easily work out your problem and best of all, they don't judge you for making obvious mistakes (I know from experience).

Do you want to see how one of my sites is coming along?

Check out iTeenWrite - it's my new site for kids and teens, my aim is to inspire and teach teens to unleash their creative potential. I'm even offering free video tutorials. Let me know what you think of the design - what do you think the site could use?

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The Philosophy of Marketing Online and Finding Your Creative Spark

Have you had a creative week? I have!

And it wouldn't have been creative at all, if it weren't for the participants of the Imagination Sparks Blogfest.

My focus lately has been on building a couple of WordPress sites (and my first post on how to start with your WordPress site is coming very soon). I've also taken a side interest in content marketing and analysing social media. Can't really say why, I think I wanted to know one thing or another and the subject became fascinating to me. My thoughts so far? 

Connect, be yourself, talk to people not at them, drop the virtual - this IS the real world.

Another topic tickling my fancy is business philosophy, and how we can bring that to our decisions on how we exist and trade online. I am enjoying Tim Ferriss' The 4-Hour Work Week. I can relate to the line 'To have more quality and less clutter.'

I get carried away with research, and although I'm enjoying learning how to surf the new marketing wave, I've neglected my creative writing. So, I'm very grateful to the participants of Imagination Sparks Blogfest for providing me with some great writing prompts.

We had musical prompts, changes in POV, character interviews and lists, photo prompts and even studying commercials for story ideas. I love that everyone was relaxed about their posts, without giving or feeling any pressure to post at particular times - that was the message I hoped to convey. The end result? I would definitely do this blogfest again next year (watch this space... or the one over at WordPress).

After all, I'm all about lifting the stress at the moment :)

If you get the time, pop about and visit some of our participants:

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Overcoming Stress; or how I stopped being insecure about pressure and painted my nails instead.

Deadlines, obligations, accomplishments, and expectations... these words have been highlighted in my life lately with the big fluro yellow marker of stress. I need to let go a little.

Another self-imposed deadline! But a fun one.I'll post my wrap up of the blogfest tomorrow. Want to visit the participants? Click on the image.

Deadlines can be great for productivity, but not when the pressure outweighs the benefits. In Theories of Productivity I included the triangle theory - the idea that you can successfully prioritise up to three segments of your life at any one time, but accept that there are many more divisions which will have to wait their turn for attention (to read more, you can see that post here). The problem is, each of those departments wants to be at the top of the triangle all the time.

I love being busy. But I take advantage of that trait and pile it on too thick sometimes. 

Do you convince yourself everything needs to be done NOW? I do. 

My natural rhythm is to be an early bird. I love, love, love sleep and can't wait to curl up in bed each night and get excited to jump out of bed early each day. Not lately. I've stayed up until midnight on my websites tweaking, fixing and then mumbling curse words at WordPress. Then I drag myself out of bed early ('cause, you know, I'm an early bird) and walk around in a daze. Of course that leads to being unproductive all day, so I feel I have to stay up late to catch up and... well, you can see the pattern.

The solution

You didn't think I'd just depress you all for nothing? My solution was two part. 

1. Get to bed! Sneaky me, set a challenge for the family. For one week we all must be asleep by 9pm and awake by 6am. They took the bait. Three days in and I'm feeling great and getting more done each day than I could in a week when I was tired.
2. Paint my nails. I was never much of a nail painter. It involves sitting still too long for me. But during my weeks of no sleep and high stress, I realised that was exactly what I needed. I paint my nails and then I CAN'T move or touch anything, or do any tasks until they dry. I do several coats so it takes a good hour to dry properly. I've also noticed family members seem to value my nail-drying time more than my work time. They leave me alone, do things for themselves, even offer to do tasks for me, all because they don't want to ruin my nail polish.

I appreciate that last suggestion might be tricky for some guys - but find something that makes you stop thinking and just sit still. You need time to take a big breath before you dive back under the ocean of deadlines, obligations, accomplishments and expectations waiting for you.

My next read is Tim Ferriss' The Four Hour Work Week

This post is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group. To join up, click here:

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