Choosing a WordPress.com theme for your new website is a relatively quick task — but once that’s done, what do you do next?
It’s normal to be unsure of next steps — you’re in unfamiliar territory, after all — but rather than letting time pass or walking away from your new site indefinitely, why not accept some readily available assistance? A WordPress.com website and its behind-the-scenes parts are more straightforward than you might think.
WordPress.com wants you to succeed as a blogger or website author, which is why they offer all sorts of support and tools. Take advantage of your options; before you know it, you’ll be sprucing up your online home and welcoming visitors inside.
Take Blogging U. courses
How can you go wrong by signing up for WordPress.com’s free courses? There are courses on writing, photography, branding, and, most importantly, getting started. Each part of the three-week fundamentals course will arrive daily via email with easy-to-digest lessons, including how to create a post, title, and notably, a tagline. (See the tagline “Own Your Passion. Boost Your Business.” in the image above? Taglines sum up what sites are about and encourage readership.)
When the course is done, you’ll have your first few posts completed, a customized website, a growing audience, and more confidence.
Attend a workshop
WordPress groups around the world hosts annual, one- to two-day, wallet-friendly WordCamps where you can meet other users and learn from experts. Sessions include “a variety of formats, including lectures/presentations, live demos, Q&A, workshops, ignite-style lightning presentations, panels, interviews, and any other format you can imagine.”
Interested? Check the schedule for dates and locations.
Check out the support page
When it comes to WordPress.com help, you’ll definitely want to bookmark the WordPress.com Support page. This index page belongs in every new site owner’s toolkit, offering helpful instructions and directing you to all kinds of information. Other ways to use the Support page include the following:
- Click on a topic in the side bar, like Writing, Social Tools, or Upgrade, for helpful related articles.
- Use the Public Forums link to find answers to questions like yours or to make a new inquiry.
- Scroll down to the Not seeing what you’re looking for? search bar to enter a topic you want more help with.
For help getting started, creating content, customizing your site, or connecting with your social media platforms, vsit the Need Help? page.
Chat live
When growing your site, you may need to speak with an expert in real time. To chat with a Happiness Engineer, sign into WordPress.com, look for the ? icon in the lower right corner and click on it. If you’re a WordPress.com Business user, you can receive WordPress.com help by live video, using Concierge support, if you’d prefer.
Satisfied — or delighted — with the service you received? Your peers often show their appreciation with written “Hugs,” letting the real folks on the other end of the chat line know they’re doing a good job.
Challenge yourself
Challenging yourself to complete at least one task a day expedites your site’s completion and builds your knowledge base. Maybe you’ll create your About page today, make a post tomorrow, and spend a few minutes the day after reading about ways to use your website for e-commerce, if you plan to sell products or services. A few other tasks to tackle include the following:
- Read a checklist of website-building steps.
- Watch a video about adding widgets to customize your sidebar.
- Snap and upload photos to build your brand or spice up your site.
- Connect your WordPress.com website with your social media platforms using Social Media buttons.
Use the WordPress.com Go blog
The WordPress.com Go blog is ready to address all sorts of topics for you, such as choosing colors for your site, checking website analytics, and using Facebook ads to grow your audience. Scroll back to the top of the page and click the Go link on the left side of the image for more articles on becoming a well-informed website owner.
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