How to Install WordPress on an Existing Website
WordPress is one of the most popular Content Management Systems (CMS) around. For those of you who don’t know much about CMSs, they are basically the platforms that allow you to create and maintain blogs or websites. WordPress was originally designed for bloggers, but it has since evolved to become a general purpose CMS. This article will teach you simply how to install WordPress on an existing website so that you can begin blogging or setting up a news site. Before we get started, here are a few terms that you might need to know:
Back-end
The back-end of your WordPress installation is the part that you access via a web browser. This is the part that allows you to upload and edit content, set up pages, and do all of the other things that you need to do to manage your blog. Usually, the back end of WordPress is accessed by going to http://yoursite.com/wp-admin/ (replace “yoursite.com” with your domain name).
Front-end
The front-end of your WordPress installation is what you see when you visit your site. This is the part that is designed to look beautiful and polished, but it is also the part that you can use to access your blog’s back end if you need to. Usually, the front-end of WordPress is accessed by going to http://yoursite.com/ (replace “yoursite.com” with your domain name).
Database
A MySQL database is a collection of information stored in a structured manner that can be accessed by other computers. Each blog or website has its own database, which is usually hosted on a server somewhere. Your WordPress installation will have a database associated with it that contains all of the information about the blog or website. This database is what allows your site to function. You won’t have direct access to this database unless you have a personal server.
Cron job
A cron job is a task or function that is scheduled to be executed by the WordPress server at certain intervals and/or dates. This could be something as simple as sending out a mass email on a regular basis or cleaning out the comment section of your blog on a weekly basis. Any task or function that you can think of that you would like to have executed on a schedule can be turned into a cron job. Just remember that these will be executed by the server, so make sure that you are comfortable with what you are enabling.
Now that we have some of the basics out of the way, let’s get started with actually installing WordPress. The first thing that you will need to do is sign up for a free account at WordPress.com. Once you have signed up, you will be taken to your dashboard, which will look something like this:
You now have your own self-hosted WordPress blog. You can access it by going to http://yoursite.com/. The “yoursite.com” part of the link will be different depending on whether you have an existing blog or site, but the rest of the link will be the same.
Step 1: Choosing A Theme
The first thing that you will need to do is choose a theme for your WordPress blog. There are several options to choose from, and it is a good idea to explore them all. You can browse through the themes at WordPress.com or download them from WordPress.org itself. When choosing a theme, make sure that you are aware of any potential conflicts that may arise from using a certain theme with another plugin or extension on your site.
Step 2: Installing And Activating The Theme
After you have downloaded and installed the theme that you chose in the previous step, you will need to activate it. Go to your WordPress Dashboard and click on the “Tools” button (it is located in the upper-right corner of your Dashboard). Then click on “Appearance” from the drop-down menu and select “Themes” from the next menu. You will be taken to a screen where you can browse through and activate the themes that you have installed:
Now that your theme is activated, you can begin using it on your WordPress blog or site. Remember: you have to upload your own logo and colors for the theme before using it. You can do this by clicking on the “Use New Theme” button on the bottom of the screen. You will then be taken to a new screen where you can enter the required information about your blog or site:
Step 3: Installing And Activating Optional Applications
One of the great things about WordPress is that it comes with several applications that you can install. These applications can make your blogging experience much easier and more enjoyable. There are lots of themes and templates available for WordPress, but these applications can take your blogging experience to the next level. Let’s take a quick look at what these applications are and how you can use them:
Header
The Header application will need to go in the header area of your blog or site. This is the area above the blog post area on your page. To install the Header application, go to your WordPress Dashboard and click on “Plugins” in the upper-right corner. Then click on “Add New”. From the drop-down menu, select “Header” and click on “Install”. Your Header will now appear on your blog or site:
You can edit the Header information from the “Edit Header” option that you will find in the WordPress Dashboard. You can upload a new image to the “Header Image” option or you can use the existing image in the “Header Background Image” option.
Visual Composer
The Visual Composer is a free and open source content creation tool that allows you to easily create and organize content as quickly as possible. It is basically a drag and drop interface that allows you to just throw in images and text and have content appear automatically:
You can get the Visual Composer from WordPress.org or from the WordPress Dashboard. To use this tool, go to your WordPress Dashboard and click on “Plugins” in the upper-right corner. Then click on “Add New”. From the drop-down menu, select “Visual Composer” and click on “Install”.
Once the plugin is installed, you can begin using the Visual Composer tool. From the WordPress Dashboard, you can click on “Visual Composer” in the upper-right corner to see the dashboard. Here you can click on “Design” to get started creating content.
You can find and edit the elements (mostly images and some text) in your content from the “Library” area. Clicking on each element will let you see the information that is associated with it:
Creating and editing content with the Visual Composer is very easy and user-friendly. It is a good choice for those of you who are just getting started or who aren’t tech-savvy at all.
Budget
The Budget Plugin allows you to edit the amounts that you are spending on each item in your “Budget” section on your WordPress blog or site. This is a really useful plugin if you are looking for ways to cut costs or save money. The plugin gives you the option to track your expenses and incomes, and it will even create a report for you at the end showing you where you can cut costs without affecting your bottom line:
You can install the Budget Plugin from WordPress.org or from the WordPress Dashboard. To use this tool, go to your WordPress Dashboard and click on “Plugins” in the upper-right corner. Then click on “Add New”. From the drop-down menu, select “Budget” and click on “Install”.
Now that the Budget plugin is installed, you can begin using it to track your spending. Remember: this is very useful for those of you who are looking for ways to save money, so don’t install it on a site that you already pay for entirely in advance!