Completely new to WordPress, some questions

  • cyath

    (@cyath)


    10 years, 5 months ago

    Hi all! I’ve just started using WordPress a week ago and I have a bunch of questions about it. I’ve Googled extensively but I still think that message boards are a good way to get things solved and as such, here I am!

    On to the questions :

    a) Is there a way to remove the /blog from my website or to change it to something else? I’m trying to use my blog as a kind of landing page or portal to other content, and I would like it to not read /blog.

    b) Does choice of theme really make a big difference? There are so many themes that I’m honestly quite bewildered by what to choose at this point. I’m just using the default at the moment and it seems to be working fine for me just now.

    c) Same goes for SEO…there are so many SEO options! What do you all use? I’m using the Yoast plugin but I’m really just searching for something that will allow me to just “plug and play” with SEO until I have more experience with it.

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)
  • Moderator James Huff

    (@macmanx)

    10 years, 5 months ago

    a) Yes, follow this guide to move your installation one directory higher: https://codex.wordpress.org/Moving_WordPress#Moving_Directories_On_Your_Existing_Server

    b) It makes a visual difference for sure. For some people, that’s very important. For others, not so much. If you do want a more personal theme, I recommend starting with https://wordpress.org/themes/tags/responsive-layout/ (a responsive layout is fully adaptable to all screen sizes, even mobile devices) and further refine your choices with additional filters.

    c) An SEO plugin is a not a requirement. It may help Google and other search engines list your site better, but as it’s really all up to the search engines in the first place, there’s no guarantee. https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-seo/ is the easiest I’ve used, and I’ve heard good things about https://wordpress.org/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/ too.

    Thread Starter cyath

    (@cyath)

    10 years, 5 months ago

    Thanks so much! There’s so much I have to learn and your links are very helpful indeed.

    Thread Starter cyath

    (@cyath)

    10 years, 5 months ago

    Can you migrate from one theme to another without much difficulty? (i.e will all your menus etc stay intact?)

    Moderator James Huff

    (@macmanx)

    10 years, 5 months ago

    Sure, it’s actually not a migration at all, just a simple change, like putting on a different jacket. Feel free to install and switch between as many themes as you want to. 🙂

    One brief disclaimer though, some themes have named their menu and widget locations different, so WordPress might get confused when you switch. The good news is though, this happens in a non-destructive manner. The menu still exists, you just have to re-assign its location. The widgets still exist, you just have to move them from Inactive Widgets to their new locations.

    Thread Starter cyath

    (@cyath)

    10 years, 5 months ago

    Thanks once again. Ok, I’ve been following the steps on this guide and we got to here :

    >Move your WordPress core files to the new location (WordPress address).

    Do you mean to go to my webpage admin and update from there?

    Moderator James Huff

    (@macmanx)

    10 years, 5 months ago

    No, actually physically move the files by accessing your server via SFTP or FTP, or using a file manager in your hosting account’s control panel.

Viewing 6 replies - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

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