In this course, I'll teach you how to purchase hosting and a domain and install a WordPress CMS with a pre-designed Genesis Theme.

If that sentence sounds like complete gibberish to you, use these definitions to begin to understand the terminology we will use throughout this course.

NOTE: At the bottom of this page, you can download a PDF printout of the definitions.

To make the definitions easier to remember and visualize, think about building a website as though you are building a house.

Hosting

Hosting is the “rent” you pay for putting your website online. It is the server space where your website is saved.

For most websites, hosting will cost anywhere from $3.99 – $10/month.

Domain Name

The domain name is the “address” you designate for your website (i.e. www.simplystatedmedia.com). You pay for the right to use that domain usually over one or more years. Some domain names are free when you purchase hosting, and the price of domains can vary.

The average cost is $10/year. The more desirable the domain name, the more expensive it will be.

Not all domain names are available. If someone has purchased the domain you want, you can attempt to buy it from them, but that can be a long, complicated process. If you don’t see the domain you want, consider using an extension other than .com (such as .co or .net).

Content Management System (CMS)

The content management system (often referred to as a CMS) is the “house” of your website. It's where you add and manage the content of your site.

The most commonly used CMS is WordPress. There are others (such as Drupal, Joomla & ExpressionEngine) and some websites are built with a custom CMS. But WordPress is the leading CMS and core of this course.

WordPress

WordPress is the most popular CMS for websites because it is easy to manage and customize. If you are going to build a website, use WordPress.

It’s free, and when you purchase your hosting, you can easily install WordPress to your site.

WordPress Theme

A WordPress theme is the “design of your house.” The theme is the starting appearance of your website — the template that you can modify to match your needs and tastes.

WordPress offers free, basic themes that are good for just getting started. They include all of the necessities, but often lack detailed customization options and features.

Themes can be purchased for prices from $10 – $150. Prices will vary based on the theme’s abilities and advanced features.

Themes are great because the design is already done for you. You don’t need to hire a designer or developer for your site when you use a theme (unless you want to add additional customization).

Genesis Theme

A Genesis Theme is a plain WordPress theme that is extremely to easy modify and add custom design elements. Think of it as a house with white walls and a floor that you can easily adjust.

We recommend using a blank Genesis theme or a pre-designed Genesis theme because these themes are extremely easy to modify and customize.

Pre-designed Genesis Theme (or Child Theme)

A pre-designed Genesis theme (sometimes referred to as a "child theme") is a Genesis theme that already has design elements. A designer has taken the blank canvas of a Genesis theme and elaborated on its design. But the design is not set in stone and you can easily change it.

Think of a pre-designed Genesis theme as a house that has been designed, but comes with an interior decorator to help you make adjustments to the elements you don’t like.

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Now, let’s see if this sentence makes more sense.

In this course, I'll show you how to purchase hosting (your website’s rent) and a domain (your website’s address) and install a WordPress CMS (your website’s house) with a pre-designed Genesis Theme (your website’s design).

Other Definitions

There are other terms you may hear in this course and as you explore options for a website.

• Ecommerce Website: An ecommerce website is a site that directly sells products. There are products, a shopping cart, and check out options. Users can make purchases directly from the site.
• Responsive or Responsive Design: When a website is responsive or has responsive design, it means that the site automatically arranges itself to look its best on the given screen size. Responsive websites look different on desktops, mobile devices, and tablets because the screen sizes are different. The content is same. It is just displayed in a different way. If you shrink this window, you will see responsive design in action.
• Mobile-Friendly: A site is considered “mobile friendly” when it is responsive because that means the site will modify its look when viewed on mobile devices.

It is widely recommended to have a responsive, mobile-friendly site as it will increase your SEO rankings and ability to show in search on mobile devices. In this course, I'll teach you to build a responsive, mobile-friendly site.

• SEO or Search Engine Optimization: SEO refers to a site’s ability to show up in search. A site with good SEO will be more likely to show up when a person searches for keywords related to your site. All of the steps in this training will help you set up your site so that it follows SEO best practices.

Now, that you know the terms for moving through this course, let’s get going!