How to Setup a WordPress Blog in 48 Steps

Setup WordPress Step by Step

Last updated! August 01st 2010 – I will regularly update this page with new developments of WordPress.

With more than 12 million downloads in a bit more than a month, WordPress has become the most important blogging software in the world. The Google “Caffein” update in the beginning of June 2010 where Google implemented “Activity” of a website as a third relevant factor for site ranking, WP has become even more important. To Setup a WordPress Blog isn’t anything you need to study Internet Technology for. And updating your blog and the plugins you have installed has become a matter of a few simple clicks since WordPress 3.0.

This guide will show you in great detail how to setup your own self hosted WordPress blog in only a few minutes.
With Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 in place and semantic search, blogs have become a most valuable tool for Internet Marketing and SEO. The new WordPress 3.0.1 and all the available plugins are fully equipped to achieve almost any Internet marketing goal. You can even create member sites and start your own social network wit WordPress Multiuser.
Nowadays not even html knowledge is required and WordPress 3+ is built so that anybody can have an own website, up and running within only a few minutes.

So why am I writing a step by step guide to setup a WordPress blog if it is that easy?  Because my actual job is Internet Marketing and Consulting but unfortunately I spend a great deal of time repairing Word Press blogs for other people, what clearly is not my favored way of spending valuable time.

While the actual process of setting up your new wordpress blog will be a walk in the park; the Order of how to set up your blog is what makes the difference! Nothing should be accidentally skipped in the process. I originally wrote these step by step instructions on how to install a WordPress Blog for myself for exactly these two reasons. I’ve been following my own instructions for many blogs now and added and changed some points until it was perfect.

After I typed all my notes, I thought I might as well publish it and maybe help somebody else to setup a WordPress blog quick and easy. For myself and my co-workers it has become a most comprehensive check list, just like the one used by pilots on their preflight check.

How To Setup WordPress Tutorial

Following this Tutorial step by step will not only make your WordPress Blog work perfectly well, but it will also help to gain a head start with a good search engine position right from the beginning of your setup. The difference between success and failure of a website and/or blog can is often found right at the beginning – in the site’s setup. My Step by Step Guide to Setup WordPress works best at Blue Host because they are the only ones to offer Simple Scripts on their web hosting accounts.

If you host your blog on another server the installation process might slightly defer and might not be all that easy. In this case still read through step 1 – 13 on how to install WordPress, you might find some interesting points covered. In step 14 we actually start setting up WordPress.

48 Steps to Setup WordPress

1. Login to your Blue Host Account (or proceed with step 14)
2. On the Dashboard click on Simple Scripts
3. Click Simple Scripts again in the New Window
4. Select WordPress
5. Click the “Install Now” Button
6. Enter your blog title ( make it Meaningful – Catchy – Keyword Loaded)
7. Open a New Tab and go to the Google Keyword Tool
8. Copy/paste the Title into the box and fill in the Captcha Image
9. Use the results to create a meaningful description of your blog, add it. Read more on this…
10. Check the “Create Admin Password” box
11. Check if your Folder Path is pointing to where you want to install your Blog
12. Confirm the Installation
13. Click on “Visit Your WordPress Blog” – Installation Completed
14. Login to your Administration Area using http://yourblogurl/wp-login/
15. Download the Plugins for WordPress – Most Important WordPress Plugins
16. Go to “wp-content” – “Plugins” on your web server and upload all Plugins
17. Unzip each of the Plugins in the Plugins folder
18. Delete all Plugin .zip Files after unzipping them
19. Delete the “Hello Dolly” Plugin
20. Back to WordPress go to Plugins and activate all Plugins
21. Upgrade your Plugins where it is necessary
22. Go to WordPress.com and get your API Key
23. Go to “Comments” – “Akismet Spam” and enter your API Key
24. Double Check your Plugin List
25. Go back to “Settings” – “MBP Ping Optimizer” and register the Plugin
26. Setup the ‘Ping Update Services’ (select the ones you want to ping your posts to)
27. Click “Settings” – “Permalinks” and choose “Custom” – Enter: /%postname%
28. Click “Settings” – “General” and enter a valid e-mail address ( create one )
29. Change the Time Zone for your Blog
30. Check if the URL Settings are correct
31. Change the “Hello World” text of your Blogs First Post, use keywords
32. Change the Permalink in the post from /hello-world to your likening
33. Delete the Comment on the First Post from Mr. WordPress
34. Click “Manage” – “Links” and delete the links in the Blogroll
35. Click “Manage” – “Link Categories” and create a Link Category
36. Click “Manage” – “Categories” and create a Post Category
37. Click ”Settings” – “Writing” and select the Default Link Category
38. Select the Default Post Category (check the lower part of the page for options)
39. Go to WP-Super Cache, activate it, then update the re-write rules, deactivate it again for now.
40. Go to “Settings” – “XML Sitemap” and check “Modify or create robots.txt file”
41. Down at “Post Priority” check “Do not use automatic priority calculation” (for now)
42. Further down on “Sitemap Content” check Include Tag Pages & Categories
43. At the bottom set “Priorities” to 1, 08, 07, 08, 03, 03, 03, 03 and click update
44. Go to http://themes.wordpress.net/ or http://themes.wordpress-deutschland.org/
45. Download a theme you like and upload it to “wp-content” – “themes” on your server
46. Unzip the theme and delete the zip folder
47. Go to “Design” – “Themes” and click your new Theme
48. Check if your theme is ‘Widgetized’ and if it doesn’t contain an Encrypted Footer

Remember – besides of the first 14 steps – this works on every web hosting account the same way, even on free web hosting accounts; but I assure you, http://www.bluehost.com/ offers the best service with Simple Scripts. It even beats Fantastico by length! And if you happened to have signed up with Blue Host, don’t forget to cash in the 100 Dollars extra bonus money to advertise on Google and Yahoo! Be assured this will get your new website started with a boost!

If you run into troubles or you get stuck somewhere on the way, leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you a.s.a.p. I specialize in Internet Marketing & Consulting for many years now, so you can be sure your questions will be professionally answered.

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