Day 3! Your Halfway there.

Welcome back to the third day of our course, our technical day! Get ready for an information-packed session that will kick-start your blog launch!

Today we will talk about picking a theme and explore some of the best plugins you’ll want to install as a beginning blogger. These powerful tools will enhance your blog’s functionality and help streamline various aspects of your online presence.

Today’s session is designed to be actionable just like yesterday and get you ready to launch your blog in a few days.

Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

• Day 3! Your Halfway there.
• Installing WordPress
• What is a WordPress Theme?
• Picking a WordPress Theme
• Installing Kadence and your Child Theme
• Picking the Right Plugins
• Wrapping up Day 3

Installing WordPress

Yesterday we talked about signing up with Dreamhost to host your blog. If you haven’t signed up with Dreamhost yet please go back to Day 2 of this course as you’ll need a host to install your WordPress theme! Don’t forget to snag my exclusive discount! If you use my affiliate link to set up your blog with Dreamhost, you will lock in a great discount for 1-3 years of your blogging journey.

Their WordPress Starter plan includes 1 year plan starts at $2.99 a month (just $34 for 1 year of self hosting) and their 3 year plan drops down to $2.59 a month (just $94 for 3 years of self hosting). That’s a great value and discount! Dreamhost will also provide 1 year of a FREE website domain through their service (that’s a $12 value all included!).

There is also the WordPress Unlimited package which we love if you plan to setup more than one blog! This package ends up being $2.99 a month for a year commitment or $3.95 a month for 3 year commitment. If you plan to have branded email this is the package to go with as it also includes unlimited emails for your websites or blogs!

What is a WordPress Theme?

Now that you have your DreamHost account and WordPress install. It’s time to talk about themes!

So what is a WordPress theme? A WordPress theme can be thought of as the skin of your website. It’s a collection of templates and stylesheets that define the appearance and display of your WordPress powered website. It sets the tone, vibe, and essentially, the personality of your digital space.

Whether you want a business site, a blog, a portfolio, an e-commerce store, or a mix of these, there’s a WordPress theme out there that fits the bill! The best thing about WordPress themes is that it keeps all of the design portion of building your website to a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) format.

Every WordPress theme has a different design, layout, and features. Some themes are designed to be highly flexible and can be fully customized to suit your needs. Others are simpler and more straightforward, designed for specific purposes like blogging or online selling.

The magic of WordPress themes lies in their transformative power. With just a few clicks, you can completely alter the look and feel of your site without affecting your content. It’s like changing the decor of your house without having to move a single piece of furniture!

But themes aren’t just about aesthetics. A good WordPress theme can also enhance the functionality of your website. For instance, many themes come with built-in features such as sliders, portfolio sections, multiple menu options, and pre-designed page templates, to name a few. They also play a significant role in website performance and search engine optimization (SEO).

While thousands of free and premium themes are available at your disposal, it’s essential to choose a theme that aligns with your goals, is regularly updated, responsive, and offers good support.

Picking a WordPress Theme

When it comes to selecting the right WordPress theme for your blog, there are so many to choose from but I highly recommend the Kadence WP theme. Kadence is a newer theme just under three years old and it’s a fantastic option, especially for bloggers who are just starting out. The best part? Kadence utilizes the WordPress new Gutenberg blocks framework and Kadence offers a free version that provides an array of features to help you create a stunning website with no additional cost.

With Kadence, you have access to a library of free and pro starter templates that can serve as the perfect launchpad for your blog. These templates are designed to jumpstart your website’s design and layout, making it easier for you to customize and personalize your blog without starting from scratch. Although, you will have more options if you upgrade to Kadence Pro there are some great Free Kadence themes that you can customize and make your website your own.

Check out the free Kadence Starter Templates here. Kadence also just launched new AI templates that you can implement on your blog!

What is a Child Theme?

Just as a child inherits characteristics from their parent, in WordPress, a child theme is a sub-theme that inherits all the functionality, features, and style of its parent theme. But what makes a child theme truly special is its ability to be modified without affecting the parent theme. This allows you to customize the design of your site and add or tweak features without worrying about future updates to the parent theme overriding your changes.

Think of a child theme as a safe sandbox where you can play, experiment, and customize to your heart’s content, without disrupting the original layout and functions of your website. It provides a safer and more efficient way of making changes without risking the integrity of the parent theme. In our example here Kadence WP would be the parent theme.

Paid Kadence Child Theme Options

In addition to the free version of Kadence, I’ve partnered with three reputable sellers of Kadence child themes to create a beautiful semi-custom website:

• Restored 316 (23 beautiful child theme options!)
• HelloYou Designs (14 beautiful child theme options!)
• SheShoppes (16 fun Kadence child themes and block collections for sale!)
• 17th Avenue Designs (1 beautiful child theme option!)

While these child themes are paid options, they offer beautiful designs that are easy to install and configure. This is particularly beneficial for bloggers who may not be tech-savvy and want to get their blogs up and running without dealing with complex technical setups.

If you decide to use any of my affiliate links to sign up for Restored 316, Hello You Designs, or 17th Avenue Designs, I’m excited to offer you personalized assistance! I’ll work with you to install and configure the theme for your blog, ensuring it’s set up to align perfectly with your vision. This additional support will help you hit the ground running with a professional and visually appealing blog.

Remember, your blog’s design is an essential part of creating a positive user experience and attracting and retaining readers. With the Kadence theme and its associated child themes, you’ll have the tools you need to make a stunning first impression and establish a visually captivating online presence.

So, whether you choose the free version of Kadence or explore the premium child themes from Restored 316, Hello You Designs, or 17th Avenue Designs, you’ll be well on your way to creating a beautiful and functional blog.

Installing Kadence and your Child Theme

Let’s get started on making your blog visually appealing and user-friendly with the perfect theme for your vision and goals! In this video below I’m walking you through the themes you have available to you as free and paid options and how to install the Kadence theme on your WordPress site. If you would like configuration help for your Kadence child theme fill out the form above to get started customizing your theme. Step-by-step written instructions are also below.

Video Instructions to Install the Kadence Theme

Instructions to Install the Kadence Theme

1. In your WordPress Dashboard, go to Appearance > Themes.
2. Click Add New, then search for Kadence in the Search Bar at the top right.
3. The Kadence theme will appear in the search results.
4. Click Install.
5. Click Activate.
6. Go to Plugins.
7. Click “Add New“
8. Search for “Kadence Starter Templates“
9. Click Install > Click Activate.
10. Click “Add New“
11. Search for “Kadence Blocks“
12. Click Install > Click Activate.
13. Start customizing your Kadence theme from Scratch or use a Starter Template.

Step-By-Step Instructions to Install a Child Theme

Once your Kadence theme is installed you will now need to install your child theme. Follow these steps below. These instructions are for a fresh website install to a new website:

1. Make sure you follow the steps above to install the WP Kadence parent them.
2. Next, go back to Appearance > Themes
3. Click on “Add New“
4. Click on “Upload Theme” > Add File
5. Select your .ZIP child theme
6. Click “Activate“.
7. Now you will need to import the demo content
8. Go to Appearance > Starter Templates.
9. In the top right hand corner select “Gutenberg” then select the child theme provider which will be Restored 316, HelloYou Designs, or 17th Avenue Designs.
10. Click on the theme to start the import of the demo content.
11. This can take from 5-10 minutes, wait for your pages to import.
12. Start customizing your new theme!

Customizing Your Theme

In the video below I’m walking you through the basics of how to start to setup and configure your Kadence free theme or child theme.

The first thing you will want to do when you login to your WordPress site is:

1. Go to Settings > Permalinks
2. Select “Post Name“
3. Click the blue “Save” button

Permalinks, or permanent links, are the URLs to individual pages and posts on your WordPress website. In essence, they are the permanent web address for your content. WordPress provides several options for these permalinks, but there’s one that stands out from the rest for its SEO and usability benefits – the ‘Post Name’ structure so be sure to select this one right off the bat.

Video Guide for Configuring the the Free Kadence Theme

Video Guide for Installing and Setting up a Kadence Child Theme

Picking the Right Plugins

When it comes to enhancing the functionality of your blog, plugins are your best friends. They allow you to add various features and capabilities to your WordPress site with just a few clicks. Let’s explore some of the best plugins that every beginning blogger should consider installing.

1. Rank Math SEO: Boost your blog’s search engine visibility with Rank Math SEO. This powerful plugin offers advanced SEO features, including content optimization, XML sitemaps, keyword analysis, and more. Rank Math SEO helps you optimize your content and improve your blog’s chances of ranking higher in search engine results.
2. Antispam Bee: Keep spam comments at bay with Antispam Bee. This reliable plugin automatically filters out spam comments, ensuring that your blog’s comment section remains clean and distraction-free.
3. Grow by Mediavine: Boost your blog’s social media presence with Grow. This plugin makes it easy for readers to share your content across various social media platforms, increasing your blog’s visibility and reach.
4. UpdraftPlus: Protect your blog’s data with regular backups using UpdraftPlus. This plugin simplifies the backup process, allowing you to schedule automated backups and easily restore your site if anything goes wrong.
5. Wordfence: Keep your blog secure with Wordfence. This comprehensive security plugin provides robust protection against malware, brute force attacks, and other potential threats. Wordfence monitors your site for vulnerabilities and offers real-time firewall protection to keep your blog safe and secure.
6. Google SiteKit: Get valuable insights into your blog’s performance with Google SiteKit. This plugin integrates various Google tools, such as Search Console, Analytics, AdSense, and PageSpeed Insights, into your WordPress dashboard. It provides detailed analytics and metrics to help you track your blog’s performance and make data-driven decisions.
7. WP Fastest Cache: Enhance your blog’s loading speed with WP Fastest Cache. This plugin creates static HTML files from your dynamic WordPress blog, reducing loading times significantly. It offers features like minifying HTML and CSS, combining CSS and JS files, and enabling browser caching.
8. Simple History: Keep track of changes on your WordPress site with Simple History. It logs various activities, such as updates, user logins, and content changes, making it easier to monitor and review actions taken on your site.
9. Kadence Blocks: Upgrade your Gutenberg editor with Kadence Blocks. This plugin adds custom blocks and options to the WordPress editor, enhancing your ability to create more complex and visually appealing layouts with ease.
10. Kadence Starter Templates: Kickstart your blog design with Kadence Starter Templates. This tool provides a collection of pre-designed templates and blocks, allowing you to quickly set up a professional-looking blog without needing advanced design skills.
11. Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode by Colorlib: Manage your blog’s availability with Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode. This plugin lets you set up beautiful coming soon or maintenance pages, keeping your visitors informed while you work on your site.

These are just a few examples of the many incredible plugins available for WordPress. As you progress in your blogging journey, you’ll discover even more plugins that suit your specific needs and goals.

Remember, while plugins offer great functionality, it’s important to use them judiciously. Installing too many plugins can slow down your site’s performance. Be selective and choose plugins that truly add value to your blog.

How to Install a Plugin

When you are ready to install your plugins use the steps below.

1. Login to WordPress
2. Click on “Plugins” on the left hand menu
3. Click the “Add New” button
4. Search for the Plugin you want to add.
5. Click the blue “Install Now” button on the Plugin
6. Once installed click the “Activate” button the Plugin
7. Proceed to start setting up each of your plugins.

Wrapping up Day 3

PHEW! The technical day is over!

Wow, we covered a lot! The technical day can be a lot but hang in there with me. Take the time to walk through these steps on Day 2 and 3 and reach out if you need help.

In the next module, we’ll talk about crafting engaging content that captivates your readers. Get ready to unleash your creativity and learn the secrets to creating compelling blog posts that leave a lasting impact. I’ll see you back here tomorrow!