🌐 Complete WordPress Website Setup Guide

1.1 Choose Your Domain Registrar

For Lesotho-based websites, you have two recommended options:

1.2 Check Domain Availability

1. Visit your chosen registrar's website (LEO or Zeecom)
2. Look for a "Search Domain" or "Check Availability" box
3. Type your desired domain name (e.g., "mybusiness")
4. Select your preferred extension (.co.ls, .com, etc.)
5. Click "Search" or "Check"

1.3 Complete Domain Registration

1. Click "Add to Cart" or "Register" for your chosen domain
2. Select registration period (usually 1-10 years)
3. Create an account with the registrar if you don't have one
4. Fill in your contact information accurately (name, email, phone, address)
5. Review additional services offered:
   • Privacy Protection - Recommended (hides your personal info from public databases)
   • Auto-renewal - Optional (automatically renews your domain)
6. Proceed to checkout and complete payment
7. Check your email for confirmation and domain details

2.1 Choose Your Hosting Provider

2.2 Purchase Hosting Package

For Elitehost (www.elitehost.co.za):

1. Visit www.elitehost.co.za
2. Click on "Web Hosting" or "Hosting" in the menu
3. Choose your hosting plan:
   • Basic - Host 1 website (R55/month) - Perfect for single business site
   • Plus - Host 3 websites - Good for growing businesses
   • Pro - Host 7 websites - For multiple projects or resellers
4. Select billing cycle:
   • Monthly - Pay as you go
   • Yearly - Save money + get FREE .co.za domain registration
5. Choose server location:
   • South Africa (ZA) - Recommended for local businesses (faster for SA/Lesotho visitors)
   • Germany (DE) - For international audience
6. Enter your domain name (or register a new one if selecting yearly plan)
7. Add extras if needed:
   • SSL Certificate - R240/year (highly recommended for security)
   • Note: Daily backups are included free!
8. Complete registration form with your details
9. Choose payment method:
   • Credit Card (Instant activation)
   • PayFast (Instant activation)
   • PayPal (Instant activation)
   • EFT (Send proof to billing@elitehost.co.za for processing)
10. Complete payment
11. Check email for welcome message with login details (within 1 hour during business hours, up to 8 hours after hours)

For other hosting providers:

1. Visit your chosen hosting provider's website
2. Navigate to "WordPress Hosting" or "Web Hosting"
3. Choose a hosting plan based on your needs
4. Select your billing cycle (monthly, yearly, etc.)
5. Enter your domain name (the one you registered in Step 1)
6. Create your hosting account
7. Add any extras (SSL, backups, etc.)
8. Complete payment and wait for confirmation email

2.3 Connect Your Domain to Hosting

If you bought your domain separately from hosting, you need to connect them:

1. Log into your hosting account
2. Find the "Nameservers" or "DNS Information" in your hosting welcome email or control panel
3. Copy the nameserver addresses (usually 2-4 addresses like: ns1.hostingprovider.com)
4. Log into your domain registrar account (LEO or Zeecom)
5. Find your domain and click "Manage" or "DNS Settings"
6. Look for "Nameservers" section
7. Select "Custom Nameservers" or "Use Custom DNS"
8. Paste the nameserver addresses from your hosting provider
9. Save changes

3.1 Access Your Hosting Control Panel

For Elitehost users:

1. Check your email for the welcome message from Elitehost
2. Find your cPanel login URL (usually: cpanel.elitehost.co.za or yourdomain.com/cpanel)
3. Log in with the username and password provided in the email
4. You'll see the cPanel dashboard with many icons
5. Scroll down to find "Softaculous Apps Installer" section
6. Click on the "WordPress" icon

For other hosting providers:

1. Log into your hosting account
2. Find and click on "cPanel", "Control Panel", or "Dashboard"
3. Look for a WordPress logo or section labeled:
   • "WordPress Installer"
   • "Softaculous Apps Installer"
   • "1-Click Installs"
   • "Website Builder"

3.2 Run WordPress Installation

1. Click on the "Install WordPress" button
2. Fill in the installation form:
   • Choose Protocol: Select https:// (if you have SSL certificate)
   • Choose Domain: Select your domain from dropdown
   • Directory: Leave blank (installs in root directory)
   • Site Name: Your website title (can change later)
   • Site Description: Brief description of your site
   • Admin Username: Choose a unique username (NOT "admin")
   • Admin Password: Create a strong password
   • Admin Email: Your email address
   • Language: Select your preferred language
3. Review the settings
4. Click "Install"
5. Wait for installation to complete (usually 1-2 minutes)
6. Save the login URL, username, and password shown

3.3 First WordPress Login

1. Go to www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin
2. Enter your admin username and password
3. Click "Log In"
4. You'll see the WordPress Dashboard - congratulations! 🎉

4.1 Browse Available Themes

1. From your WordPress Dashboard, go to Appearance → Themes
2. Click "Add New" at the top
3. Browse themes or use filters:
   • Featured: Popular, high-quality themes
   • Popular: Most downloaded themes
   • Latest: Newest additions
4. Use the search box to find themes by category:
   • "Business"
   • "Portfolio"
   • "Blog"
   • "E-commerce"
   • "Restaurant"

4.2 Preview and Install Theme

1. Hover over a theme you like
2. Click "Preview" to see a demo
3. Navigate through the preview to see different pages
4. If you like it, close preview and click "Install"
5. Wait for installation to complete
6. Click "Activate"

4.3 Import Demo Content (Optional)

Many themes offer pre-designed demo sites you can import:

1. After activating your theme, look for a welcome screen or setup wizard
2. Look for options like:
   • "Import Demo Site"
   • "Starter Templates"
   • "Quick Setup"
3. Browse available demo designs
4. Select one that matches your business type
5. Click "Import" or "Install"
6. Wait for import to complete (can take 2-5 minutes)

5.1 Access the WordPress Customizer

1. From Dashboard, go to Appearance → Customize
2. You'll see a live preview of your site on the right
3. Customization options appear on the left
4. Changes you make are shown instantly in the preview

5.2 Customize Site Identity

1. Click "Site Identity"
2. Change Site Title (your business name)
3. Change Tagline (brief description of what you do)
4. Upload your Logo:
   • Click "Select Logo"
   • Upload your logo file (PNG with transparent background works best)
   • Adjust logo size if needed
5. Upload Site Icon (favicon - small icon shown in browser tabs)

5.3 Customize Colors and Fonts

1. Look for sections like "Colors" or "Typography"
2. Change color scheme:
   • Primary color (buttons, links)
   • Background colors
   • Text colors
   • Header/footer colors
3. Adjust fonts:
   • Heading fonts
   • Body text fonts
   • Font sizes

5.4 Customize Menus

1. Click "Menus"
2. Create a new menu or edit existing one
3. Add pages to menu:
   • Click "Add Items"
   • Select Pages, Posts, Custom Links, or Categories
   • Click the + button next to items you want
4. Reorder menu items by dragging
5. Create sub-menus by dragging items slightly to the right
6. Assign menu to location (Primary Menu, Footer Menu, etc.)

5.5 Save Your Changes

1. Review your changes in the preview
2. Click the "Publish" button at the top
3. Changes are now live on your website!

6.1 Understanding Pages vs Posts

6.2 Edit Existing Pages

1. Go to Pages → All Pages
2. Find the page you want to edit (e.g., "Home", "About Us")
3. Hover over it and click "Edit" or "Edit with Elementor/Block Editor"
4. You'll see the page editor

6.3 Using the Block Editor (Gutenberg)

The default WordPress editor uses "blocks" for different content types:

1. Edit Text:
   • Click on any text to edit it
   • Use the toolbar to format (bold, italic, links)
   • Change heading levels (H1, H2, H3)
2. Replace Images:
   • Click on an image
   • Click "Replace" in the toolbar
   • Upload your new image
   • Add "Alt text" (description for accessibility)
3. Add New Content:
   • Click the + button
   • Search for block type (Paragraph, Image, Heading, etc.)
   • Click to add it
   • Add your content
4. Rearrange Blocks:
   • Click on a block
   • Use up/down arrows in the toolbar to move it
   • Or drag the block to new position
5. Delete Blocks:
   • Click on a block
   • Click the three dots (...) in toolbar
   • Select "Remove Block"

6.4 Using Page Builders (Elementor, etc.)

If your theme uses a page builder, you'll see a drag-and-drop interface:

1. Edit Content:
   • Click directly on any element to edit
   • Type to replace text
   • Use the left panel to adjust settings
2. Change Images:
   • Click on image
   • Find "Choose Image" in left panel
   • Upload or select from library
3. Add Elements:
   • Click + button or "Add Element"
   • Drag element from panel onto page
   • Position where you want it
4. Style Elements:
   • Click element to select
   • Use "Style" tab in left panel
   • Change colors, spacing, borders, etc.

6.5 Save and Preview

1. Click "Preview" to see how it looks before publishing
2. Check on different devices (Desktop, Tablet, Mobile)
3. If happy, click "Update" or "Publish"
4. Visit your live site to see the changes

6.6 Create New Pages

1. Go to Pages → Add New
2. Enter page title
3. Add content using blocks or page builder
4. Set page attributes (Parent page, template, order)
5. Click "Publish"
6. Add the new page to your menu (Appearance → Menus)

6.7 Add Contact Information

1. Edit your Contact page
2. Add contact form (use plugin like "Contact Form 7" or "WPForms")
3. Add your:
   • Business address
   • Phone number
   • Email address
   • Business hours
   • Google Maps location (optional)

7.1 Set Homepage and Blog Page

1. Go to Settings → Reading
2. Under "Your homepage displays":
3. Select "A static page"
4. Choose your home page from "Homepage" dropdown
5. If you have a blog, choose blog page from "Posts page" dropdown
6. Click "Save Changes"

7.2 Set Permalinks (URL Structure)

1. Go to Settings → Permalinks
2. Select "Post name" (most SEO-friendly)
3. Click "Save Changes"

7.3 Install Essential Plugins

Go to Plugins → Add New and install these:

To install: Search for plugin name → Click "Install Now" → Click "Activate"

7.4 Remove Demo Content

1. Delete sample posts: Go to Posts → All Posts, check boxes, select "Move to Trash"
2. Delete sample pages you don't need
3. Delete sample comments: Comments, select all, "Move to Trash"

8.1 Pre-Launch Checklist

• Test all pages and links
• Check on mobile devices
• Test contact forms
• Check spelling and grammar
• Add privacy policy and terms pages (if needed)
• Set up SSL certificate (https://)
• Submit to Google Search Console
• Set up Google Analytics (optional)
• Create social media profiles
• Take a backup of your site

8.2 Make Site Public

1. Go to Settings → Reading
2. Make sure "Discourage search engines" is unchecked
3. Save changes

8.3 Share Your Website

Your website is now live! Share it:

• Add to email signatures
• Share on social media
• Add to business cards
• List in online directories
• Tell friends and customers

9.1 Regular Tasks

Weekly:

• Check for spam comments (if you have comments enabled)
• Test contact forms
• Add new content or blog posts

Monthly:

• Update WordPress core, themes, and plugins
• Create a backup
• Check website speed
• Review analytics

Quarterly:

• Review and update content
• Check all links work
• Update contact information if changed
• Review security settings

9.2 How to Update WordPress

1. Create a backup first!
2. Go to Dashboard → Updates
3. Click "Update Now" for WordPress core
4. Select all plugins and click "Update"
5. Update themes if available
6. Test your site after updating

9.3 Getting Help

If you need assistance:

For Elitehost customers:

• 24/7 Support: Available round the clock
• Sales queries: sales@elitehost.co.za
• Billing queries: billing@elitehost.co.za
• Migration help: migrations@elitehost.co.za
• Support tickets: Submit via my.elitehost.co.za

General WordPress help:

• Contact your hosting provider support
• Visit WordPress.org support forums
• Check your theme documentation
• Search YouTube for tutorials
• Hire a WordPress developer for complex issues

Important URLs to Remember

Common WordPress Tasks

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Website not loading?

• Check if DNS has propagated (can take up to 48 hours)
• Verify nameservers are set correctly
• Contact hosting support

Can't log into WordPress?

• Use "Lost your password?" link
• Check email for password reset
• Contact hosting support to reset

Changes not showing?

• Clear browser cache (Ctrl+F5)
• Check if caching plugin is active
• Make sure you clicked "Update" or "Publish"

White screen of death?

• Disable all plugins via FTP or cPanel
• Switch to default theme
• Increase PHP memory limit
• Restore from backup