I’ll confess I’m biased. I’ve had a blogspot blog since 2005 and in 2007 switched to WordPress. Not only that but I also bought a domain and hosting and moved the whole shebang onto my hosting server in 2008.

Why? Simply because it was the easiest way to do it. (If nothing else, as a “pedestrian geek” I’ll always find the shortest and simplest route between A and B.)

That’s fine for a blog… but for a website?! Yes… over the last couple of years many sites have been built from the WordPress platform. The main reasons being…

1. It is easy to install.
2. The platform is flexible enough for you to create just about any kind of site you want.
3. There are tons of templates available to use as is or that you can manipulate.
4. Little or no coding knowledge is needed.
5. Site owners can create and change content at will. There is no expensive software to buy and learn since any and all updates can be done anywhere from a browser and an internet connection.

HERE are some sites that use WordPress.

So, as you can see WordPress is not just for blogging anymore. With the upgrades that continue to occur it has developed into a CMS that comes with a much gentler learning curve than other open source platforms such as Drupal and Joomla. (BTW those two are great programs that are also featured in our value applications list but the learning curve is steeper for the novice.)

Great… how do I get started? Over the weeks to come we will post information on some finer details on working with WordPress. For now here are some basic things to get started for the less than geeky.

• Get web (Linux) hosting. At Jungle Webs our economy hosting is under $5 a month. The plan provides you with 10 GB Space, 300 GB Transfer, 100 Email Accounts, 10 MySQL Databases… plus many more Freebies.
• Install WordPress directly onto your hosting server. Our hosting plans come with many Free add-on programs to be easily installed directly onto the server including WordPress. From your hosting dashboard click “content” then “value applications”. A new value application window will open then choose “WordPress” and follow the prompts. (A more detailed “how to” will be posted soon.)
• Install a WordPress template/theme. Log in to your WordPress site… click “appearance” and “add new themes”. There are many on the wordpress.org site plus a Google search of “WordPress themes/templates” will yield evgen more… some for free and others you can purchase. (A more detailed “how to” will be posted soon.).
• Modify the theme for your needs. (A more detailed “how to” will be posted soon.)

We hope that helps as a quick start. As indicated there will be more tutorials coming soon right here. Just click “WordPress” in “Topics” to find all topics on this subject. Below are some other articles that discuss using WordPress as a site builder.

Using WordPress to Manage Your Web Site Content – Part 1

WordPress as a Website: 4 Great Reasons

Use WordPress To Build Website Not Just Blog

Hope this has been helpful. BTW… this Jungle Webs site uses WordPress… just sayin. Cheers!