WordPress Site Creation Checklist

Here's your WordPress Site Creation Checklist. Once you get this method down, you will be putting up blog/websites in about 10 minutes and have them fully customized and ready to go in a matter of hours.

We are here to help

Keep in mind we are here to help you. Also keep in mind that this is a training program so you and/or your staff MUST learn how to do this. You will be totally liberated from geeks overcharging you and giving you poor service.

How to use this document:

  • You will read this document and then watch AND TAKE NOTES ON the corresponding videos in this section "WordPress Site Creation" for the details.
  • You will also refer to other documents in this section like our "Plug-in" and "Ping List" documents.
  • Throughout this checklist you will see "DONE _____ DATE ______," or when it's a longer project, "DONE _____ DATE(s) ______." These will help you keep track of your progress and also help you make sure you aren't missing anything.

Keep in mind…

  • You WILL NOT be hosting your blog at WordPress.com. Wordpress.com is a place where it's super easy to get started (similar to the Google owned Blogger.com), but you can't do all the things you need to do if you want to have a really good blog. Also if you try to host your blog at wordpress.com, the address to your blog will be something like You don't want that.
  • You will be installing the free WordPress software on a regular hosting service. Many hosting services already have the free WordPress software ready to install. There are two cheap hosting services mentioned at the home page of
    (NOTE: this is our old training site….the word "training" is left off.)
  • You will see various references to “WordPress.org.” As you learn more about blogging you will be using this site to find various tools that make your blog function better.

WordPress Site Creation Checklist

NOTE: If your blog software is already installed, you can skip to Step 5.

STEP 1: Watch all the videos

Watch all the videos in this section "WordPress site creation" before starting anything. There are lots of details you will miss if you jump right in without watching the videos and this will absolutely delay your overall progress. Don't worry if you don't understand them at first. You will later. Do not skip this step!!!!!!! Understand you will most likely be watching each video again in the individual steps below. Watching more than once is necessary for it to sink in. Trust me on this.

DONE______DATE(S) ______

STEP 2: Purchase a domain name

Refer to your “Click” ebook and read the section on "Choosing Domain Names" first before buying one. or both good places.

DONE______DATE______

STEP 3: Purchase Hosting

Hosting should be less than 10 dollars a month. Visit homepage for two cheap hosting places. Get the cheapest package they offer. That's all you need.Keep track of the welcome email from the hosting service. It will contain important information necessary to do the next step below.

DONE______DATE______

STEP 4: Change your DNS settings

This is the setting that tells the entire world to look to your new hosting service to find your domain name. Refer to the video on this and, remember, once you change the settings to the new hosting service there could be up to a 48 hour delay before the entire world is alerted to look to the new hosting service to see your domain.

NOTE: Your domain name can be purchased at one company like hosted at another company.For example, you have a place you purchase domains where you can keep track of them all, but each website/blog could be hosted at a different hosting company. Sometimes you will host your blog/website at the same place you bought the domain name, but in my system, from the search engine's point of view, that is not a good idea when you have many sites on the same topic and you want to link them together.

DONE______DATE ______

STEP 5: Search for Themes

While you are waiting for the DNS settings to take effect, you can be searching for themes that will control the look and feel of your blog. Refer to the video on this and note that you should choose at least five themes that you like from five different places. Themes are free, which means they vary widely in quality. Even though they may look nice, they may not actually work very well. We won't know that until we try. Usually it's more trouble to try to fix a poor quality theme than to simply choose another one.You can also purchase "premium themes" that have lots of fancy functionality built in. They can run about $100.00.

There are also theme making software programs, but you wouldn't want to tackle making your own theme unless you are pretty handy with a computer.

NOTES:

  • Usually the top part of the theme can be customized to your business so don't worry that the theme may look too generic. It won't after it's customized.
  • If you choose a two column theme, make sure the larger column is not too wide which makes your text hard to read. The wider text is, the more difficult it is to read.

IMPORTANT NOTE: WATCH THE VIDEO ON "SPONSORED THEMES" BEFORE WASTING YOUR TIME LOOKING FOR THEMES THAT MAY HURT YOU IN THE SEARCH ENGINES.

DONE ______DATE ______

STEP 6: Install WordPress

Install WordPress software using Cpanel and Fantastico: watch the videos on this. Note: get help from our web guys if you need it.

DONE______DATE______

STEP 7: Upgrade

Upgrade to the latest version of WordPress: watch video on this

DONE______DATE______

STEP 8: Adjust your privacy settings

NOTE: THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!

Log in to your blog's dashboard. Click on "settings" / then click on "Privacy." Choose “I would like to block search engines….” The reason you do this is that you don't want the search engines to constantly get hit with all your practice posts. Your blog software automatically reports each of your postings to lots of blog directories. The blog directories and Google will think you are spamming them even though you are innocently practicing using your blog.

You will come back after your blog is all ready to go and change these settings so the search engines and directories will see you.

DONE ______DATE ______

STEP 9: Install a theme

Install one of the themes you located in Step 5. Refer to video on this and keep in mind that WordPress uses "zipped" or "compressed" files so once you download the zip file for a theme, DON'T OPEN IT OR IT PROBABLY WON'T WORK! WordPress will open the file automatically for you.

DONE ______DATE ______

STEP 10: Set basic blog settings

Refer to "Settings" video for this.

NOTE: Do not confuse with "DNS Settings"

DONE ______DATE ______

STEP 11: Practice using the blog

At this point you should just practice using the blog to get familiar with how to do things. Watch and try out the following videos ONE AT A TIME. Once you go through this process, you won't ever have to do it again no matter how many blogs you make.

Video

PostingsDONE______DATE______

Edit PostingsDONE______DATE ______

Adding PicturesDONE______DATE ______

Adding LinksDONE______DATE ______

Adding AudioDONE______DATE ______

Bulleted and Ordered ListsDONE______DATE ______

Adding Static PagesDONE______DATE ______

WidgetsDONE______DATE ______

Links/BlogrollDONE ______DATE ______

STEP 12: Install plug-ins

Refer to videos "Plug-ins and Hidden Pages" and "Private Pages."

Plug-ins allow you to add extra functionality to your blog.

IMPORTANT NOTE:This is a very significant step. Allot plenty of time to learn to find and install plug-ins. Also refer to our document in this section that discusses many of the plug-ins we use.

DONE ______DATE(s)______

STEP 13:Watch "Freebies" Video

This video will show you how to upload to your blog a free digital giveaway like a special report, audio file, Ebook, etc.

DONE ______DATE ______

NOTE: This step would also be a good time for you to develop a freebie that will be used to encourage people to opt in to your database to get the freebie.

DONE ______DATE______

STEP 14: Adjust your permalinks

Adjust your permalinks for best search engine optimization (SEO): Watch and take notes on the videos "Permalinks - Introduction" and "Permalinks - What's the Proper Format." Then click on "Settings" and then "Permalinks." Make the adjustment as outlined in the video.

DONE______DATE______

STEP 15: Create and install your opt in form

(This step, which requires expenditure of money for the shopping cart/database system, can be skipped if you are crazy enough to NOT want to build your database.)

NOTES:

  • Make absolutely sure you have completed Step 14 BEFORE you do this step.
  • This will require some geek help. We have geeks to help you with this. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU GET OUR HELP WITH THIS BECAUSE THIS IS ONE STEP WHERE YOU COULD REALLY SCREW THINGS UP IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!

On this step you will create the opt in form in put the code for the form on your blog. This form will take the person's name and email, and then display the page where they can download their freebie AND also send them an email autoresponder with a link to the same Freebie.(Don't forget to write up some benefits of getting your freebieto be placed by the sign up form so that people will really want to get their freebie.)

Sign up to see how this entire process works

Sign up near the "top right" of to see how this works.
NOTE:Top left signup is something different and will be covered later.

DONE ______DATE ______

Give away a freebie

Here are the steps to complete for you to be able to give away a freebie:

  1. Sign up for a learn a couple things that you will need to know to put a form on your blog.

DONE______DATE______

Learn how to use a cart

Refer to: This is a site that has videos to learn how to use their cart. Sometimes the videos don't exactly match the "look" of the cart, but the information is top notch on using your cart. You should make time to thoroughly learn how to use your cart so that more money pours in your front door.

  1. Watch the Autoresponder section

For this section you will be watching and taking notes on all the videos in the "Autoresponder section of also the "Custom Forms" video.

DONE ______DATE______

  1. Create a Private page

Create Private page on your blog where the freebie will be given away. Copy the link to this page because you will need it when you create the opt in form.

DONE ______DATE ______

  1. Create the Autoresponder message

Create the Autoresponder message and set up an autoresponder in the cart -- Something like: "Thanks for signing up for our free report. In case you missed the download link here it is again: I'll be sending you lots of great tips in the future. Blah, Blah, blah Thanks Tom"

DONE ______DATE ______

Create the custom form

The form needs the link to the private page and the autoresponder so that's why we make them first.

DONE ______DATE ______

Contact our web guys

Contact our web guys to put this form on your blog. NOTE: You must have Step 13 (freebie upload) completed before we put the form on your blog. People would be pretty upset if they filled out the form and the freebie wasn't there to download.

DONE ______DATE ______

STEP 16: Request a progress review

Have Tom do a progress review of your work.

DONE ______DATE ______

STEP 17: Customize your theme

By this time you should have tried out several themes and have experimented enough to see which one seems to work. Then contact our web people to customize the top graphic for you. Keep in mind it won't fair very well if you have our guys customize a graphic for you and then you keep changing your mind about which theme you want.

DONE ______DATE ______

STEP 18: Request a final review

Have Tom do a final review of your work.

DONE ______DATE ______

Upon approval from Tom, reverse the settings in Step 8 to allow the search engines access to your blog.

DONE ______DATE ______

STEP 19: Install ping list

This is the list of sites your blog will report to automatically every time you make a posting. We have a document in this section with the Ping List Tom uses.

After you reverse the privacy settings as mentioned in Step 18 and Step 8, click on "Settings" then click on "Writing.” At the bottom of that page you will see a box with a title above it called "Update Services."Paste the ping list in that box with each website on a line by itself. Click "Save Changes" and you are done. YOU CAN START BLOGGING NOW!

DONE ______DATE ______

STEP 20: Sign up Feedblitz.com

Sign up for This is a cheap service that allows people to subscribe to your blog so they can receive notice when you make a posting. Feedblitz gives them several options on how they are notified.

DONE ______DATE ______

Contact our web guys to put the Feedblitz form on your blog.

DONE ______DATE ______

There will be lots more to learn, but you are ready to blog so, HAPPY BLOGGING!

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