WordPress Beginner Course shows how to get the most out of the self-hosted version of WordPress and create feature-rich blogs and web sites.

Author Pratyaksh Narayan explains how to get a web host, set up a domain, and download, configure, and upload WordPress to your newly hosted site. The course then dives fully into the tools in WordPress, demonstrating how to set up your profile and create content to share with your web audience. The course also includes tutorials on everything from adding images, video, formatting, and links that make posts pop, to installing plug-ins, creating custom themes, and attracting readers with permalinks, social sharing, and more.
Note: This course is also useful for migrating a blog from WordPress.com to a self-hosting solution.

WordPress Beginner Course Outline – by Pratyaksh Narayan

Introduction

Module 1: Getting to Know WordPress
a) What is WordPress
b) Exploring the difference betweeen cloud hosting and self-hosting
c) Using your own asset files

Module 2 : Getting Started with WordPress Self-Hosting
a) Getting the nexessary info from your host
b) Downloading WordPress
c) Uploading WordPress to your host
d) Installing WordPress with the 5-Minute Install
e) Installing WordPress manually

Module 3 : Starting WordPress for the First Time
a) Setting up WordPress
b) Logging in to the WordPress Admin area for the first time
c) Using the WordPress toolbar
d) Testing your WordPress site
e) Placing WordPress into its own directory

Module 4 :Setting Up Your User Profile
a) Editing your profile
b) Configuring site settings
c) Creating profile images with Gravatar

Module 5 : Creating Posts
a) Understanding the difference between posts and pages
b) Creating a new post
c) Advanced text formatting in a new post
d) Creating and managing links
e) Adding images
f) Adding an image gallery
g) Adding images, video, and audio from external sources
h) Adding categories, tags, post formats, excerpts and other elements
i) Managing post categories and tags
j) Publish a post

Module 6 : Creating Pages
a) Creating a basic page
b) Organizing page hierarchy
c) Using page templates
d) Creating a static front page

Module 7 : Managing Images, Video and other Media
a) Managing media from the Admin panel
b) Understanding how WordPress handles media

Module 8 : Extending WordPress Functionality with Plug-ins
a) Installing plug-ins
b) Ten must-have plug-ins for all WordPress sites
c) Creating a contact page with a contact form
d) Troubleshooting when a plug-in crashes a site

Module 9 : Working with Themes
a) Installing new themes from the WordPress Themes directory
b) Installing new themes from the Internet
c) Configuring themes
d) Best practices for working with themes
e) Customizing WordPress for smartphones and tablets

Module 10 : WordPress behind the Scenes
a) Accessing the wp-content folder
b) Manually installing themes and plug-ins
c) What to do when your site crashes

Module 11 : The Twenty Eleven Theme
a) Exploring theme options
b) Setting a custom background
c) Setting custom header images
d) Using the Showcase page template
e) Customizing the Showcase widgets
f) Using post formats

Module 12 : The Appearance Tab
a) Using widgets
b) Using Jetpack widgets
c) Creating custom widgets using the Text Widget
d) Creating custom menus

Module 13 : WordPress Settings
a) Managing site users
b) Managing comments
c) Using Disqus to handle comments and avoid spam

Module 14 : Exporting and Importing WordPress Content
a) Importing and Exporting content from WordPress

Module 15 : WordPress Site Maintenance and Security
a) Backing up a WordPress site
b) Restoring a site from a crash
c) Keeping WordPress up to date

Module 16 : Getting Readers
a) Creating user-friendly permalinks
b) Setting up WordPress for search engine indexing and social sharing
c) Enabling easy sharing through AddThis
d) Best practices for writing content to get more readers

Module 17 : Diving Further into the World of WordPress
a) WordPress sites are not just plain old blogs
b) Creating child themes with WordPress
c) Creating portfolio sites with WordPress