How to Host WordPress on a Mac
WordPress is one of the most popular Content Management Systems (CMS) around, especially among those who want to blog. It is incredibly flexible and can be used for almost any purpose. Some people even use it as a web application platform, similar to how they would use a traditional web server.
WordPress is free and open source, and is extremely user-friendly for those who want to get started blogging. If you’re considering using WordPress to host your blog, then read on!
Step One: Install WordPress
WordPress is incredibly easy to install on almost any operating system. Most users simply need to download the installer, run it, and follow the on-screen instructions. The process will only take a couple of minutes, and once it’s done you’ll have a brand new WordPress installation.
In some situations, you might have to enter your root password to complete the installation. However, after you log in for the first time you’re asked to create a superuser which has full access to all functions of the site. You can do this by entering a new password and clicking the “Create Superuser” button.
Step Two: Configure WordPress
Once you’ve installed WordPress, you’ll need to configure it a little bit before you can start using it. This mostly involves entering your details in a series of forms so that WordPress can have all the information it needs to function correctly. You can access the WordPress configuration page by clicking the WP Config button in the dashboard.
On this page, you’ll find all the details about your WordPress installation such as the name of the site, its URL, the email address of its administrator (usually your email address), the security protocol you want to use to keep content secure (usually https://), and more.
Step Three: Launch WordPress
Now that your WordPress installation is ready, you can finally launch it and start using it. To do this, click the WP Icon on the toolbar at the top of the dashboard, or click the “Launcher” tab on this page to see a list of all the WordPress-based websites you have created.
From here, you can click on any of the site links to get taken to that particular blog or website. If you want to edit any of the content on a page, click the pencil icon next to the page’s title on the toolbar, or click the “Page” tab on this page to see all the pages on your WordPress installation.
Step Four: Create a Database
WordPress needs a place to store information about your blog. This is where the WordPress database comes in. A database could be anything from a simple collection of text to a full database with hundreds of thousands of records. Before you start creating a database, it’s a good idea to ask yourself what type of content you’ll be putting in it. Will it mainly contain blog posts? Will it contain product information? Will it contain photos?
The type of content you put in your database will determine the kind of database you need to create. If you’re planning on storing lots of products, then you might want to create a eCommerce database. If you’re planning on storing lots of blog posts, then you might want to create a blog database.
Step Five: Design Your Blog’s Theme
Once you’ve got a database ready, you can start designing your blog’s theme. Themes are basically the templates that are used to create the look of your blog. They control the colors, layout, and general feel of your site. For the purposes of this tutorial, we’ll be using a simple theme called Bootstrap, which is completely free. You can download it from the WordPress theme directory. Once you’ve downloaded the theme, you can click the “Install” button to install it on your WordPress site.
Step Six: Install & Configure the Genesis Framework
Now that you’ve got a WordPress theme installed, you can start configuring it with various plugins that will make your blog more functional or exciting. The Genesis Framework is a collection of free and premium plugins that can be used to greatly improve the functionality of WordPress blogs. One of the best things about the Genesis Framework is that it comes with a theme called “Revolution”, which is completely free. You can download it from the WordPress plugin directory.
Step Seven: Create Your Blog’s Posting Schedule
Speaking of functionality, you should definitely check out the Posting Schedule feature in WordPress. This feature allows you to set a date and time when you want to post new content to your blog. For example, you can set Mondays as your posting day and time, and you’ll automatically post new content every Monday at 12 p.m. EST.
You can use various calendars to create your posting schedule, or you can simply use the WordPress calendar to do this. Either way, creating a posting schedule is really easy — and it can make your blogging experience much more enjoyable. Just remember to announce your schedule to your readers so that they know when to expect new content from you.
Step Eight: Promote Your Blog
WordPress is incredibly popular, so even if your blog doesn’t have any content yet, you’ll likely have a few readers who will enjoy following your blog. To encourage them to come back for more, you can use various marketing techniques such as retweets, likes, and more.
WordPress makes it easy to share content on social media sites like Twitter. Simply copy the Twitter URL of your blog, hit enter, and you’ll be directed to your blog’s Twitter page. From here, you can click the “Share” button to start promoting your blog on Twitter.
Final Steps
When you’ve finished setting up your blog using the above steps, you can finally log out and return to the dashboard.
From here, you can click on the “settings” icon in the top right corner of the screen to access your WordPress dashboard.
On this page, you’ll find everything you need to conveniently edit the content on your blog. You can click the “Save” button at the top right to save any changes you make on the fly. Or, if you want to go through the editing process one piece at a time, then click the “Preview” button to switch to the next tab.
For more information about anything mentioned in this tutorial, simply click on the topic’s name below to be taken to that particular article.