Install and configure WordPress

What is a CMS?

A CMS (Content Management System) is software that lets you create and edit a website from your browser, without writing code. You write your text, add your photos, and the CMS produces the pages. WordPress is the most widely used one: it is perfectly suited to a showcase site for a bakery, a carpenter or an association.

There are two ways to use it:

• WordPress.org: the free, open source software that you install with a hosting provider of your choice. You keep complete control (themes, plugins, backups), but you are responsible for updates and security.
• WordPress.com: a commercial service that hosts WordPress for you. It is easier to get started with, but some possibilities (installing any plugin, for example) depend on the plan you choose.

This course follows WordPress.org, the most common case among craftspeople and associations.

What you need before installing

1. A domain name (for example boulangerie-tilleuls.example, a fictional name; in real life a .fr or a .com), registered with a registrar.
2. Web hosting offering PHP and a MySQL or MariaDB database. Almost all of the hosts’ “WordPress” plans include them.
3. An HTTPS certificate (the padlock in the browser). Most hosts provide it automatically; check that it is active.

Most hosts offer an automatic installer: you choose the domain and the language, then you fill in four pieces of information.

• Site title: you can change it afterwards.
• Administrator username: avoid admin or the name of your business, as these are the first ones that bots try.
• Password: long and unique, ideally generated and stored in a password manager.
• Email address: the one that will receive alerts and password reset emails; choose an address you actually check.

Once the installation is finished, the administration area is at your-domain/wp-admin.

The dashboard

The left-hand menu groups everything together:

• Posts: dated news (new bread of the month, the association’s general assembly).
• Media: the library of images and documents.
• Pages: permanent content (Home, Our products, Contact).
• Appearance: the theme, the site editor, the menus.
• Plugins: the added features.
• Users: the people who have access to the administration area.
• Settings: the site’s parameters.

The settings to make first

Settings > General: check the site title, write a short tagline (or leave it empty rather than keeping a default text), set the time zone to Paris and the language to French.

Settings > Permalinks: choose Post name. Your addresses become readable, like /nos-pains/ instead of /?p=123. Make this choice at the start: changing it later breaks links that have already been shared.

Settings > Reading: for a showcase site, choose A static page as the homepage (after creating the “Accueil” page). On the same screen, the Discourage search engines from indexing this site option may be checked while you build; uncheck it when you go live, otherwise your site will stay invisible.

Settings > Discussion: if you do not want comments (common for a showcase site), turn them off for new posts.

Clean up

A fresh installation contains a “Hello world!” post, a “Sample Page” and a demo comment. Delete them: they would be indexed and would make the site look unfinished. Do keep the Privacy Policy draft, which you will complete.