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<p>https://s28.postimg.org/me3e505od/Learn.png</p>
<p>Hello and welcome! This is a brand new series I'm writing exclusively for Steemit. You may be familiar with my <a href="https://steemit.com/self-publishing/@prowebwriter/self-publishing-with-prowebwriter-on-a-usd0-budget-part-6-marketing-your-book">Self-Publishing on a ZERO Budget</a> series. Since that series is currently limited due to an Amazon exclusivity contract for 90 days, I figured I would start this one. </p>
<h2>My Experience with WordPress</h2>
<p>I wouldn't consider myself an expert, but I can pretty much make WordPress do what I want after more than a decade of monkeying around with it. I do a miniscule amount of meddling in the code, but try to avoid it at all costs. It's usually for things like moving the header above the menu or editing the copyright info in the footer. That's pretty much it.</p>
<p>I've seen courses selling for hundreds claiming to teach people WordPress. I'm completely self-taught, and I pretty much Googled my way through learning how to use WordPress and still do from time to time.</p>
<h2>Why WordPress?</h2>
<p>https://s28.postimg.org/4pbnddtx9/wordpress-265132_640.jpg<br>
Image: Pixabay.com</p>
<p>WordPress powers 25% of the websites on the Internet.</p>
<p>WordPress is a free, open source content management system and blogging platform. It's really much more than that.</p>
<p>You can create a robust blog or even a static website using it. </p>
<p>WordPress' functionality is further extended by a library of more than 51,000 plugins. There's not much you can't do with WordPress. </p>
<p>https://s28.postimg.org/nvougkaf1/2017-08-26_12-58-24.png</p>
<p>You may recognize these famous sites powered by WordPress: </p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://mashable.com/">Mashable</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.starwars.com/news">The Official Star Wars Blog</a></li>
<li><a href="https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/">The Walt Disney Company</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nytco.com/">The New York Times</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.wpbeginner.com/showcase/40-most-notable-big-name-brands-that-are-using-wordpress/">The list goes on and on</a>. </p>
<p>In my humble opinion, I think that the biggest challenge to WordPress since it's launch in 2003 is blockchain technology. As a huge fan, I am secretly hoping that WordPress will move to the blockchain...if that's even a possibility. </p>
<h3>Using WordPress in Tandem with Steemit</h3>
<p>So, why would one need 2 separate and different blogging platforms? Well, because they're separate and different.</p>
<p>I've seen some people sharing their posts from their blog here on Steemit since <a href="https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/66359?hl=en">duplicate content is a non-thing</a>. Of course, they usually get thumped by @cheetah, but technically, that's also a non-thing.</p>
<p>If Steemit exploded tomorrow, you'd still have your WordPress blog. </p>
<p>If you back it up and secure it properly, it's nearly indestructible. You can write anything you want. You make the rules. You can promote anything you want including Steemit. You can monetize it. You can sell from it. The possibilities are endless.</p>
<h2>What You Will Learn in This Series on WordPress</h2>
<ul>
<li>How to set up WordPress on your domain and hosting</li>
<li>Accessing the Dashboard</li>
<li>The difference between Posts and Pages</li>
<li>Using images and other media</li>
<li>Using plugins</li>
<li>How to use WordPress as a blog and/or static website</li>
<li>How to back up and secure your WordPress site for free</li>
<li>How to optimize for search engines</li>
</ul>
<p>I will start with a fresh install of WordPress. I'll start at the top of the Dashboard and we'll work our way through the whole thing. By the end of this series, you should have a clear understanding of how to use WordPress. </p>
<p>https://s28.postimg.org/x60yk3l4t/2017-08-26_12-59-54.png</p>
<h2>The Types of Websites I've Built with WordPress (no coding experience)</h2>
<p>As mentioned above, WordPress is widely expandable using plugins. WordPress packs a ton of features by default, but plugins make it capable of almost anything. </p>
<p>Personally, I've built the following types of sites using WordPress:</p>
<ul>
<li>Membership sites</li>
<li>Ecommerce</li>
<li>Blogs (duh!)</li>
<li>Forums</li>
<li>Static business sites</li>
<li>Portfolio sites</li>
<li>Quote sites</li>
</ul>
<p>There's so much you can do with WordPress. It has my full endorsement.</p>
<h2>Coming Up</h2>
<p>In Part 2, we will dicuss what you need to get started with WordPress, how much it costs, and the Settings to begin creating with WordPress. </p>
<p>I'm very much looking forward to bringing you this series. I hope you will consider giving me a follow so you don't miss any posts. </p>
<p>Thanks for reading!</p>
<p><a href="https://steemit.com/wordpress/@prowebwriter/learn-wordpress-with-prowebwriter-part-2-setting-up-your-wordpress-site">Go on to Part 2</a>. </p>
<p><br></p>
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