Do You Want Your WordPress Blog To Look Like This?
When you get a new apartment, you do not just come and start living there.
You first clean up a bit, set things that are already there properly and then start moving in your stuff.
Now, think of your new WordPress blog as an apartment.
Most new bloggers go ahead and start writing. It’s like starting living as soon as you buy the place. And this is not good!
In this post, I’ll walk you through 10 things that you should do after installing WordPress so that its like a brand new furnished apartment, not a messed up one.
10 Things To Do After Installing WordPress
- Bookmark/Memorize Admin Link: I’ve seen many new users forgetting address to WordPress Dashboard. It does not look that hard for us developers but it is. So, better bookmark it. Or just memorize it. It is yourblog.com/wp-admin
- Setup Tagline: While WordPress asks for blog name during installation, it does not do this for tagline. So, you end up with default tagline “Just Another WordPress Blog“. Just go to Settings -> General to set a good tagline.
- Delete First Post And Comment: The first post and comment in WordPress serve no purpose. Better delete them. And when you are at it, delete first page too.
- Activate Akismet: Akismet is the most important plugin for any WordPress owner. Without it, your blog may get flooded with spam! Better avoid that by activating it and if necessary, install other anti spam solutions too. Just go to Plugins and activate it.
- Change Timezone: A different timezone can confuse you. Better change it so that your scheduled posts go out at right time. You can do this under Settings -> General.
- Set Default Category: The default category for your posts is “Uncategorized”. If you plan to use your blog for business purposes, it will look unprofessional. Better create a new category and set it as default in Settings -> Writing.
- Enable Posting Via Email And Offline Blog Editor: You can post to WordPress using email or offline blog editors. This is a big life saver for those of us who do not have a very stable or fast internet connection. Just go to Settings -> Writing and enable remote publishing and posting via email.
- Privacy Settings: If you do not want to make your blog public yet and block search engines from indexing during development period, go to Settings -> Privacy and block search engines.
- Install Required Theme: I hope you already have chosen a good theme. If not, I can help in selecting a good theme. Once you find what you want, install it.
- Install Plugins: After installing theme, install required plugins and configure them properly.
- Blog Away: Start blogging and become a blogging superstar……
These were 10 steps to follow after installing WordPress. Have anything to add? Do not forget to comment!
