Wrasslin' with Wordpress

Wrasslin’ with Wordpress

by

Loretta Ellingsworth

Text Copyright ©2023 Loretta Ellingsworth

Graphics Copyright ©2023 Loretta Ellingsworth

Part 1 The Goal

If this title has tempted you to read this book, let's see if you should keep reading.

Do you have, or have you had a WordPress website?

If you don't already have one and you're starting new, go to the WordPress website and read all the helpful how to FAQs and videos. If you don't have a website at all, there are a number of other books, articles, and, I'm sure, Youtube videos that help you determine why you want a website, how to choose where your website is housed, and how easy it is to set one up for yourself.

If that happy dream is stymied by the real life facts and you find you're not the lucky winner of the website in a box and ready in ten minutes lottery, this is for you.

So, we'll take it as a given that you have a WordPress website, had a WordPress website, thought you'd change your theme, thought you'd change your other website to a WordPress website, had a feud with your current website person and said you could do it better yourself, or have just gotten your website tossed in your lap like a box of pieces from a half worked jigsaw puzzle. I call this a good place to start.

To fix the problem.

You can always try to throw money at it. As long as you can pry your wallet open despite the creaking and groaning or the chance that the moths in there are going to fly out, you can find someone who promises to wave the magic website wand and fix it for you.

I was offered a do-it-for-you website make, remake, or remodel — we never got to the particulars for the simple reason that I was supposed to be ecstatic to hear that it would include 5 wonderful pages. Unfortunately, at the time my website had already consisted of 45 pages. The offer, in its infancy, didn't already match my dream.

You don't have to do-it-yourself, of course, but someone else's interpretation of your dream may not match your dream. If you're not sure what I mean by that, there's always the photos of birthday cakes. Google birthday cake fails.

Also, remember that at any time in the future you can throw your hands up in the air at your lack of patience and throw the money then.

What do I intend to do for you?

I intend to explain how I finally wrassled WordPress to a stand still and got my website up and acting like I wanted it to. www.loretta-ellingsworth.com This website is the one I set up with the tools I'm going to talk about.

Tools

First, you need to be able to log onto the website you're planning to make over and be able to make changes. If you've been do-it-myself you probably already have administrator privileges. If you got the website dumped in your lap or you snatched it away from whomever was in charge before, you may need to ask for the administrator privilege. You need to be able to log in and make changes.

You will need a simple wordprocessing software program. Before you venture into the wide, wide retail software web, check your computer for adequate software.

(I use Windows), WordPad will do.

If you have a favorite text editor, you can use that one or get a free one from the internet. A text editor strips away, or never inserts, the hidden processing codes that a full wordprocessor would insert.

I use Notepad++ for a text editor for other projects but if you are using a Windows computer, Windows Wordpad or the Windows Notepad will work as well for this project. If you are only planning to renovate your website once, leverage the software you already own and is installed on your computer. If you are making this the first step in a career change, after this experience, if the length and strength of your patience supports it, purchase all the shiny new software you can afford.

You will need a software that shrinks, not trims, photos. Adobe (www.Adobe.com) products do this but check the software that came with your camera or look for a photo editor. Paint (Microsoft) comes with most Windows computers.

The purpose of this type of software, both the text editor and the photo editing software, is to strip out unnecessary codes from fuller featured wordprocessor files and art programs until just the data you need is left.

You may be tempted to load your computer with new software packages advertised to painlessly solve your problem. All new software has a learning curve. If this is the only time you think you'll be doing this, leverage the software you have. If you decide to make this your new career, invest then.

Choose your computer or notebook with the largest screen to use to work on renovating your website. Your eyes will thank you.

Also keep your cell phone or a tablet handy to help you check for FAQ sheets for information you don't have handy.

One more thing. You will probably want to set up a specific folder, or a thumb or flash drive, to hold the contents you want to keep or add to your new look website.

To recap:

You already have a WordPress website.

For some reason, better left