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Melanie Rockett

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Basic WordPress How-To’s

July 15, 2015 by Melanie 4 Comments

My customers are constantly asking me “How-To” do this, that and the other thing, so I finally decided to create a curated list of great WordPress how-to videos and tutorials.  I’ll keep adding to the list as I find new or updated information. 

This information will work on any WordPress site … it is NOT intended as a guide for specific theme functions and theme changes.  For example,  Divi is a theme created by Elegant Themes.  In order to install and set it up you need the instructions specific to Divi.  Once your theme is set up and working, most of the How-To information below applies.

Create a link (hyperlink, external link)

Video. Short and to the point . . .

 

Add a photo or image to a page or a post:

Here is ann easy to understand step-by-step guide . . .

 

 

Categories and Tags:  Tutorial. This is an excellent guide on how to choose and add categories to your blog.  Categories are specific to blog POSTS, they do not apply to blog PAGES.

 

How to add a simple Contact Form in WordPress.

Some of the newer themes come with a contact form built in. Check your “widget” area to see if one is available.  If not, one of the most popular plugins available is Contact Form 7.  It is FREE and relatively easy to set up.   Here is a great video with step-by-step set-up instructions.

 

How to add a YouTube video to your WordPress site

This is so simple, it is silly. You’ll become an expert in one minute and 29 seconds!

 

How to install a plugin on WordPress.

Plugins are the life blood of a wordpress site.  They enable you to do your own SEO set-ups, create Google maps, add contact forms, add social media functionality and more … way more.  There are tens of thousands of FREE plugins and thousands of fee-based plugins.

Here is a fabulous tutorial that takes you through the steps involved in adding and activating a plugin.  Be sure to read the section on “choosing a plugin.” This is ultra important especially if you are considering using a free plugin.

 

How to add social media icons

You can add social media links in two ways, first by unloading the icon images to your media library and then coding them using HTML coding.  Here is a tutorial.   LOL  I know some of you peeked and are probably screaming in agony so …

An easier way to add social media icons is to install one of the hundreds of social media plugins available.

social-media-feather

WordPress Social Media Feather  is one of my favorites. It allows you to add BOTH  social sharing and following links (many plugins do one OR the other).  It includes all major social sharing providers like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, reddit, Pinterest, tumblr, Linkedin and even e-mail.  It  is a very stable plugin that is regularly updated and maintained, and has been downloaded and used on over 100,000 WordPress sites.

WordPress Social Media Feather also has a fabulous how-to video showing you how to install and set it up.

 

 

If you have any WordPress challenges be sure to ask them in the comments section.
I will help if I can, or point you in the right direction!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Author Platform, Your Website Tagged With: how-to, wordpress

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Comments

  1. Jazz Wilson says

    July 19, 2015 at 7:46 pm

    Thanks very much for compiling this. I am NOW a YouTube expert. Had NO idea it was so easy, I thought I’d have to find a plugin.

    My question: Is there an easy way to create Paypal links?

  2. Melanie says

    July 20, 2015 at 3:07 am

    Hi Jazz. The easy YouTube link embed was introduced not too long ago by the hard working bunnies at WordPress. Many seasoned WordPress users don’t know about it because they are so used to doing it the old way by either manually installing code or with a plugin.

    Installing Paypal links? I’ve got you covered with this blog post http://melanierockett.com/paypal-shopping-cart-plugin/

  3. Stephanie Bridgeman says

    July 20, 2015 at 11:48 pm

    Hi Melanie, I am one of those people who are constantly asking you how to do things! I would like to say that the theme you chose for my blog (“twenty fifteen”) made it easy to install my youtube video (all I had to do was highlight, copy and paste the URL to my video – and voila! it was done! I was shocked to see how easy it was to add a video to my blog (though I am not sure how the other themes work).

    Also, I must say that I loved the “Social Media Feather” – it was fairly easy to do (but I needed to watch the video to perfect it).

    (As a person who needs Melanie’s help on a regular basis, I am glad that Melanie is creating tutorials for me – and my fellow Word Press Bloggers)!

    Thank you Melanie, for all that you do! ~Stephanie

  4. Melanie says

    July 21, 2015 at 6:53 pm

    Stephanie, YOU have been the inspiration for this blog post. I knew you were NEW to WordPress and as I was answering your questions, I realized that I had heard them all before.

    There are so many things which seem simple to experienced WordPress users, but are totally bewildering to newbies. I thought that this post would make it easier to wade through some of the not so evident must dos for a new website.

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