Okay...I currently have my website published and I used Xsite Pro which is a site builder program. My understanding is that it is probably not the most wise decision. But, honestly, I tried figuring out Wordpress and found it very difficult. I'm not sure why. Either it was just too time consuming and I want to focus more on other business building items or I'm just not as tuned into to website building as I thought.

So why does everyone say wordpress is so easy??? I feel like this

Any advice out there???

Shellye

I guess the first thing I'd ask is what part of Wordpress are you finding difficult.
I also have a video that explains why I personally find Wordpress easier on YouTube.

Of course, no one says you HAVE to find it easier. I do think that people that are more familiar with website builder software feel a little lost when they first try Wordpress because its an entirely different experience.

__________________
~Tina Marie Hilton of Clerical Advantage
& author of the VA Survival Guide & Workbook

Tina,

You youtube video looks great and seems like it will be very helpful. I think my problem is more installing wordpress onto my hosted site. I couldn't seem to get to the point where I even had a dashboard to begin using wordpress.

I think I'm just going to have to take the time needed to really delve into it and figure it all out. The part I was really having trouble with was the step where you have to edit the wp-config.php file. I would follow the instructions but when trying upload it to my hosted site I kept having error messages.

I just got frustrated and gave up. I also want to be able to work on the wordpress site without having my site down. I'm not sure how all of that works.

So...am I a lost cause or what??? LOL

I should add here...that once I do figure it all out I will be a pro at it. I am a quick study and really enjoy it, but just need to learn the technical side of all of this first.

Thanks,
Shellye

Shellye,

A good source for the many questions you have with installation is your host provider. I spent much time on the phone with my host technical support who gladly walked me through the upload.

You can work on a WP site but you can't transfer the domain from your other site or else you will lose that site. You can work on your new WP site using the IP address. Again, a good source for doing this is your host technical support.

Once you install and work with WordPress I assure you that you will be glad you did. If you use a site builder site, you may have problems later (I did!) because you can't transfer the site to your host. Everything has to be done manually. Also SEO is better with WP as you have more control.

It may be a learning curve and if you decide to take on WP, it might become an additional service you can provide to clients.

Janine

__________________
New VAs: I personally recommend Become A Virtual Assistant to Get Started!

Shellye,
Thanks for the compliment on the YouTube video.

I agree with Janine that your best bet for installation issues is to contact your hosting company. In fact, most of the hosting companies that I've dealt with (GoDaddy, Dreamhost, BlueHost, HostGator) all have one click installation, meaning that you don't have to do any of the uploading of files yourself.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes!

__________________
~Tina Marie Hilton of Clerical Advantage
& author of the VA Survival Guide & Workbook

Thank you Tina and Janine. I really appreciate it. I will have to figure a way to contact my host support during the day. I currently work full-time and it's rather hard to do anything after hours, but I'll give it a try.

Shellye

Oh and by the way, you both have fantastic websites. You should be proud.

Shellye

I just had to chime in. Shellye I felt the EXACT same way. I was embarrassed that everyone seemed to be able to understand Wordpress except me. I was truly going to give up in frustration in build a site in a templated web builder. Andrea and Angela only today convinced me to give Wordpress one try and Angela was kind enough to offer help (I have NO money to have someone do for me, so my back's kind of up against a wall)

It's just nice to know I'm not the only one for doesn't understand Wordpress, but I truly thought I was ')

Caroline,

You made me feel so much better. I'm with you on the no money thing. Please let me know how it goes for you. I have not had time to even look at it in the last few days, but will try this weekend.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Shellye

Shelleye and Caroline,

You are not alone, however once you really give it a try you will find it as easy as a site builder. When I run into problems such as this the first place I go is You Tube. You can generally find all the information that you need with a visual to enhance it.

As for the hosting, many offer support 24/7. I would suggest you contact them when you are sitting in front of the computer so that they can walk you through step by step. Sometimes the answer is easier than you thought it would be.

__________________
Lee Drozak
My Office Assistant

I agree with Lee. I didn't know anything about WP until I called my host and discussed the installation. I also ran videos as Lee mentioned and googled everything I could to read what others had posted.

It all begins to come together when the theme is uploaded.

As Tina mentioned most hosts have a one-click option for uploading WP to your site.

And Lee is also correct...many hosts are open for support 24/7. In fact, let the truth be told, I spent New Years Eve online with tech support uploading my WP site. Now I don't suggest you spend a holiday doing that (no way!) but I had the time and it worked out well because hardly anyone called in that night (I wonder why ).

Janine

__________________
New VAs: I personally recommend Become A Virtual Assistant to Get Started!

Hi Shellye,

I had similar issues when I first tried to install WordPress. I was positive I had followed all the instructions, yet I couldn't get to the point where you actually login to the dashboard.

It turns out that I still had a file named index.html in my root directory that was overriding my WordPress files. Maybe you have the same issue. Once I renamed the file, everything worked perfectly.

__________________
Heather
Robinson Business Solutions

Originally Posted by Shellye Biser

Oh and by the way, you both have fantastic websites. You should be proud. Shellye

Thanks so much Shellye. I have the Headway theme to thank for the unique nature of my site. It's allowed me a lot of creativity. By the way, you inspired me to create another quick tutorial, this one on installing Wordpress.

__________________
~Tina Marie Hilton of Clerical Advantage
& author of the VA Survival Guide & Workbook

Thanks 4 the thread ladies. I am at the point of building a website,have decided to do it myself as money is tight. I was looking at web templates, but I think i'll have a look at WordPress.

I'll let you know how I go.

Sounds like I may need some help.

Thanks again

Fiona aka BusiMum

Quick question...do you need to be a developer to use wordpress. It talks about 'nesting code' and I recall that term from my failed coding days. I am familiar with basic SQL commands but that is it. Is it recommended for a non-techie to use? If not, can you suggest another avenue to build my own site as funds are limited for now. Maybe, templates...drop and drag?

Options?

Thanks

Fiona