Want to turn a WordPress blog into a website? The lines are getting blurred, because in reality a WordPress blog is a website. Essentially what this article is referring to is making minor changes to a self-hosted WordPress blog, and then turning it into a standalone website that happens to have a blog aspect. So first I will cover the why and then give essential tips.
Unlike many contact management systems WordPress is regularly updated. Those security holes get fixed, new improvements get rolled into the package and the community continues to grow. Companies such as Neogain become WordPress experts and what can be achieved through WordPress is remarkable.
Require a shopping cart? No problem. Need a download plugin or a gallery? They are free and easy to use. The flexibility of WordPress and the fact that the developers allow a high level of configuration without touching code, has attracted many to use WordPress for more than blogging.
Step 1 – The Front page and post page
From the WordPress dashboard create two new blank ‘pages’ and name one home and the second oneblog. Again from the dashboard visit the ‘Reading’ section and select ‘A static page’ for ‘Front Page Displays’. Then select your home page for the ‘Front Page’ and blog for the ‘Posts page’.
This means that all your blog posts will now only appear on the blog page. On the home page you should now fill in your content for the front of the website.
Step 2 – Excluding pages from the top navigation menu
By default all new pages are placed in the top navigation menu. This is far from suitable and there are many pages you will want to not have selectable from the navigation, instead linking to them from within pages or posts. To get around this you can use a plugin that enables you to select which pages to exclude from the navigation bar.
Step 3 – The Sitemap!
A sitemap will help search engines crawl your site and inform them when they should return. We’ve covered it here: http://www.neogain.com/how-to-create-a-sitemap-for-your-wordpress-self-hosted-blog-website
Hire Neogain!
We regularly setup and administrate websites created using WordPress. We have skilled writers to produce content and a strong marketing team who can help promote and attract visitors.
Why not contact us to see how we can help you? Just send us a message and tell us about your plans and we will quickly respond. We can either setup a new website or turnaround an existing site. We look forward to hearing from you.
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