WordPress Course: How to Create a Website

Learn to use WordPress to build beautiful websites quickly and effectively with our web design short courses in Sydney!

In this hands-on 2 day WordPress course, you will learn how to build a fully-functioning, device-responsive website using the self-hosted version of WordPress. This course will provide you with the skills to edit, update, publish and manage a WordPress website in a small business setting, without coding. You will learn how to plan, build and configure your website and publish it to the internet, as well as how to avoid the common mistakes made by many website DIYers, saving you time, money and sanity.

You will be given a brief overview of how WordPress integrates additional periphery services and the importance of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) in promoting your page. You will learn WordPress website maintenance, how to integrate Google Analytics, social media, contact forms and maps along with the critical measures to take to ensure your website is backed up, up to date and secured against hackers.

This WordPress training course provides a fun and engaging face-face learning experience designed to teach you how to build a WordPress website from scratch, the right way.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this self-hosted WordPress training course, you will have built a 5-page WordPress website: including a homepage, blog, contact page with a form, map, menu structure and social media links. You will have an understanding of how to build a small business WordPress website and have the confidence to work with the WordPress Gutenberg editor to add, edit and publish pages and posts, along with how to choose themes, plugins. You will also know the importance of maintaining updates, backups and managing a WordPress website on an ongoing basis.

You should be able to:

• Understand the options available using WordPress.com and WordPress.org for your professional or personal needs
• Choose and customise free and premium themes
• Choose and install plugins
• Set up a self-hosted five-page website including pages, posts and contact form making use of the new Gutenberg editor
• Understand the toolset used to customise a WordPress website
• Make updates to a WordPress website using the Gutenberg editor
• Create blog posts and new pages
• Understand the importance of security, plugins and hosting options
• Have the confidence and additional learning resources to start building a modern, professional, small business website and how to edit, update and manage an existing one

Course content

What will be covered in this WordPress course?

Day 1

The basics

• What is and why choose WordPress
• An overview of the two WordPress platforms
• WordPress concepts and terminology
• Installing and configuring WordPress

Intro to the WordPress dashboard

• Logging into WordPress
• Updating basic site settings
• Managing users - add, remove, roles
• Adding and managing pages, posts and, media
• Working with the Gutenberg editor
• Inserting images, galleries and inline links
• Building and managing a menu system
• Manage the blog - location, categories, tags, and comments
• Customise widget areas – footer

Understanding plugins

• The difference between plugins and widgets
• Finding and choosing plugins (free vs premium)
• Installing and working with plugins
• Recommended plugins

Experimenting with plugins

• Coming soon page
• Image sliders and lightbox popups
• Contact forms
• Google fonts
• Social media sharing

Day 2

• What is a theme
• Finding and choosing themes (free vs premium)
• Installing a theme
• Before you buy tips
• Working with themes - theme customiser
• Free time to create/build your own theme
• Google Analytics integration
• WordPress security and maintenance tips
• Debugging WordPress tips
• Search engine optimisation tips
• Further site customisation using CSS

Intended audience

Who is this WordPress course for?

This course is for beginners with no prior knowledge, however students should be confident internet users with basic computer skills. This course would suit anyone seeking to develop an online presence, write and publish a blog, develop content management skills, or manage, edit and update an existing WordPress website.

Course venue

Rozelle Campus

2A Gordon Street, Rozelle NSW 2039 (corner of Gordon St & Victoria Rd in the grounds of St. Joseph's Church)

Additional information

Please note the following:

• Students are required to bring their own laptops. A monitor will be available for each participant to connect and work with dual screens, enhancing the learning experience.