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WordPress Workshop Prep

Terms You Should Be Familiar With

  • Hosting: A place where we can save our files so that others can access them over the internet.
  • Domain Name: A name that relates to your hosted files. When someone types in your domain name it directs them to the files you have saved on your hosting service. Examples of domain names are Google.com, Amazon.com, and BYUI.edu.

Picking a Domain Name

TIP: Do not buy your domain name separate from your hosting. Wait to buy until you have completed the Acquiring Hosting step. You will need to choose a relevant domain name for your portfolio website. Choosing a domain name can be tricky. You will find that 50% of your desired domain names will already be taken. Don’t give up. It just takes some brainstorming to come up with the perfect name. Check out these Top 10 Tips for Choosing a Domain Name.

You can also use the below domain name checker to quickly find an available domain name. DO NOT purchase this domain from here. This is only meant for a quick reference. Purchase your domain name at the same time you buy your hosting (ie. Bluehost).


DO NOT BUY your domain name here!

Acquiring Hosting

Now that you have found your desired domain name, it is time to buy some hosting. There are many hosting companies out there, and you are going to have to settle for one. We highly recommend BlueHost.com, but if you would like to research some on your own check out HostMiles.com’s list of best web hosting plans. These should all have one-click WordPress installations. This feature is needed to make the WordPress workshop successful.

Once you have researched these hosting sites and settled on one, purchase at least a years subscription. During this process you will be asked to register a new domain name, this is the time to buy. Be ready to spend $60 -$80 on a 1 year hosting plan, including a domain name.

BlueHost: BlueHost is a very student-friendly hosting company. BlueHost is also highly ranked for WordPress integration. Both of these reasons make BlueHost a great choice for this course. We will also be demoing everything from BlueHost. Visit http://www.bluehost.com/hosting/education/byuidahocomm to get started with the student discounts. You will need to first input your school email, then click on the link in the email they send to you.

Transitioning from COMM 310 Website

If you have hosting left from COMM 310, or another class, you may need to move some files around before you install WordPress. You can skip this step if your hosting account is new to this semester. You will first need to create a subdomain to move all your COMM 310 files to. This will allow us to put your WordPress installation on the main part of your website. Here is a video on how to create a subdomain: Next you will need to move all your COMM 310 files to this new subdomain. Take a look at this video on how to do this:

Finally you will need to install your WordPress site as described on this page.

Install WordPress on your new self-hosted website

One-click WordPress installation should be a feature of your hosting service. Each host will be slightly different. Below is a video tutorial on how to install a WordPress site through BlueHost.com. If you don’t have BlueHost, a simple google/youtube search should bring promising results. You may also find tutorials on your respective hosting companies website.

Choosing a Theme from ElegantThemes.com

You will now want to choose a theme from the ElegantThemes website (http://www.elegantthemes.com/gallery/). There are over 80 themes to choose from. Try to find at least two themes that appeal to you. You will submit the names of these themes in iLearn before you come to the Saturday WorkShop.

You will need to avoid some themes due to functionality issues. Here are the current themes that are blacklisted (This list is subject to change):

  1. Gleam
  2. Divi

Prepare content for your Contact/Bio/About page

You will need to prepare and  submit a short bio and image of yourself before you come to the Saturday workshop. This bio/image will be displayed on a combined contact/bio/about page on your website. This will be put together during the Saturday workshop.