Initial WordPress Setup

Initial Purchase / Install

1. Choose a hosting service
2. If the hosting service is not also a domain registrar, sign up for a domain with a domain hosting service.
3. For a ‘all-in-one’ hosting service (Domain registration, plus DNS, plus hosting of WordPress), you choose one or more domains as part of the sign-up (onboarding) process.
   • For example I have wildtechgarden.com and wildtechgarden.ca pointing to a WordPress instance. In addition, danielfdickinson.ca and danieldickinson.ca point to the same WordPress instance (though different from the one for the wildtechgarden.* domains).
4. In the address bar use https NOT http. (http is unencrypted and is less secure).

Login

1. The full URL (web address) of you WordPress Login page is: https://domain.tld/wp-login (where domain.tld is the domain you purchased such as example.com).
   • I recommend you do not click on the email link as it uses http.

Edit the Admin User

1. On the top right, select admin

   

2. In the drop down select admin

   

3. Scroll down to the ‘New Password’ Section.
4. Select ‘Generate Password’

   

5. Record your new password.
6. Select ‘Update’.
7. ‘Log Out Everywhere Else’

Set some basic site settings

1. On the left sidebar, select ‘Settings’ and scroll to ‘Site Language’

   

2. Choose ‘English (Canada)’ (for Canadian viewers only).
3. Select ‘Save Changes’

Make sure WordPress is up to date

1. Select ‘Please update now.’

   

2. Select ‘Update Now’

   

3. Once the update is complete you will see ‘WordPress 5.6’ (as of 2021-01-28 8:11 AM EST) and a title ‘Welcome to WordPress 5.6’.

A few things remain for a secure WordPress site in 2021.

Select Site Theme

1. On the left, select ‘Appearance’

   

2. Select ‘Update now’ on the ‘Twenty Twenty-One theme.
3. Then select ‘Activate’.

You’re now running WordPress with the Twenty Twenty One theme.

Next up: using the ‘Site Health’ tool.