Frustrated with WordPress - HELP, please?

[ArizonaJay]

For the first time in years, I feel like an internet and computer idiot. I'm normally pretty quick to pickup on new software and techy like stuff, especially since I had my first job before they invented word processors, let alone a PC! I took COBOL and Basic in college (yes, I am that old, and did well with it. Even found it fun.

So, now I've got my Hostgator site, my domain name, a couple of niche ideas. I've learned a little about SEO, affiliate networks, keywords and all kinds of other good stuff from here and other sites (and avoided buyng any ebooks. Yeah!) I've downloaded WP into my domain, played with some themes, tried to figure out what the heck I'm doing, deleted everything thinking that a fresh start would be better, think I screwed up my c-panel, etc. Maybe it's not the WP part - maybe it's the files and stuff that show up on my c-panel that have me freeked.

I know that part of the problem is I need to learn more html - but the basic file strucure, SQL, plugins, widgets - I'm just lost in the muck and drowning.

I've spent too much time trying to understand the stuff in CODEX and I'm feeling demoralized, stupid and too old to learn this stuff. Which just makes me more determined to figure it out - but it's time to ask for help.

Can anybody help me get a handle on this? Some direction or a source of a REAL 'how to learn WP' site? Or video's? A place or way I might be able to get a grasp on all of this? I don't mind paying if it's a valuable teaching tool. Thank you.

 

[bledsoe]

Hi ArizonaJay,

If you can give a few details on what you're having trouble with, I'll try to help. I've been using Wordpress for a while and have set up and debugged lots of WP sites, and I also use HostGator.

Also, the wordpress.org support forums are a pretty good resource for questions; lots of WP experts patrol there and are happy to help out.

 

[djbaxter]

I'll echo what bledsoe said: If you can be more specific about where you're having a problem, I'm sure we can help you.

In particular:

Maybe it's not the WP part - maybe it's the files and stuff that show up on my c-panel that have me freeked.

What is it that worries you about "the files and stuff"?

I know that part of the problem is I need to learn more html - but the basic file strucure, SQL, plugins, widgets - I'm just lost in the muck and drowning.

We can certainly help with that if you can be a bit more specific. However, you should know that WordPress is written in PHP, not HTML. You don't necessarily need to learn PHP unless you want to dig into the code to customize, though. For most people that isn't necessary.

 

[ArizonaJay]

Thanks for the offer of help. BTW, I had already gone to the WP Forum, but when I originally registered, I did not receive my password. I took two days for that to get resolved. They must have their issues, too - but I thank you for the remider to utilize that as a resource.

Here's my main problem: I have a primary domain that has a WP website up and running (I inherited it and am trying to learn WP on a new site before I go into the primary domain and screw that one up. It has google PR of 3-5 for some keywords, and some clickbank links that were added by the prior owner.)

So, I want to start a totally different blog with a totally different domain. I get that I need to do that as an add-on and have figured out how to do that on HostGator. BUT, I want to keep the potential of using this domain name later as an affiliate products storefront, still utilizing the blog as a resource to generate traffic.

I thought this could be done by installing WP in a separate folder like http://add-on-domain.com/blog. I can do that when I install WP, correct? BUT how do I get that /blog page to show up when someone searches for http://add-on-domain.com??? And how will the blog be 'found' if (when) I start using htt'//add-on-domain as a storefront?

(I originally thought to move the blog later, but then realized that I would likely end up with broken links so I'd rather try to avoid that.)

 

[bledsoe]

Here are a few thoughts/suggestions:

1. Yes, you can install your WP blog on a subdirectory of a site (e.g., add-on-domain.com/blog), though you can also install WP to the main directory (e.g., add-on-domain.com) and make the homepage "static," thus having your blog posts show up on your /blog subpage. There's a WP explanation of how to do this, though it's a little dated (and I can't give you the link here because I'm a newbie); I recommend googling [wordpress static homepage] for more current info.

2. Yes, you can move a WP blog to another directory of your domain (or even to a completely different domain, or even to a completely different domain on a completely different host). It can be a bit of a pain, though, so if you are able to set up your WP site in the location where you know you ultimately want it, that would be my recommendation.

3. Regarding getting "that /blog page to show up when someone searches" for your site content, that should all be taken care of by the search engines regardless of how you set up your WP blog. If you haven't already, you may want to look into the WP permalink structure, and decide how you want to set yours up.

4. Finally, if you're going to be doing a lot of experimenting with WP, I'd recommend setting up a completely separate WP test site so you can just try out all the different things you have questions about and see how they work. Then, if you mess something up, you can just nuke the whole site and start over again from scratch.

Hope this helps,
Lance Bledsoe

 

[ArizonaJay]

Thanks for the assist

When I initially installed WP inthe /blog site, then tried to pull it up as a www.add-on-domain.com (that was the entire address I used), all I got was that page that shows stuff like index.php and cgi, etc. I'm now thinking that the mistake I made was NOT looking at ther permalink information in WP. Do you agree?

(I had tried to redirect the /blog page through hostgator c-panel, but that isn't the best way is it? Nor did it work.)

I did think of the static page solution, but would rather avoid - it's rather a dated look, isn't it? And not ideal for something that starts out as a blog.

 

[djbaxter]

I thought this could be done by installing WP in a separate folder like http://add-on-domain.com/blog. I can do that when I install WP, correct? BUT how do I get that /blog page to show up when someone searches for http://add-on-domain.com??? And how will the blog be 'found' if (when) I start using htt'//add-on-domain as a storefront?

(I originally thought to move the blog later, but then realized that I would likely end up with broken links so I'd rather try to avoid that.)

This really isn't a WordPress issue at all. It is possibly a server issue combined with the more primary issue of making certain decisions before you proceed.

I'm still not certain I have it right. You have an existing blog (the "inherited" one) at www.add-on.domain.com and you want to start a second one? Is that correct?

If this is correct, then you could set it up as a subdomain, blog.add-on-domain.com so you still have access to the current blog. In this case, you would have the old blog at http://www.add-on-domain.com and the new one at http://blog.add-on-domain.com. The physical location of http://blog.add-on-domain.com would be in the /blog/ subdirectory you've already set up.

But you can't have it both ways. If you want the address www.add-on-domain.com to point to the new blog, it cannot also point to the old blog. This is like a house address: 123 Main Street has one and only one location.

You are correct that it would be a pain, although not impossible, to move the blog later after it's been indexed by search engines. If you want to keep them both alive for a while, at the very least make sure that your host allows you to create an .htaccess file and that mod_rewrite is enabled on the server (I'm assuming a Linux or Unix server running Apache).

Otherwise, you'll need to make a decision about which blog/site to keep as primary, or buy another domain name and set it up on different hosting.

Added: I posted this after receiving the email notification of your reply, ArizonaJay, but before seeiong beldsoe's reply. As you can see, we're saying much the same things with a slightly different emphasis.

 

[djbaxter]

When I initially installed WP inthe /blog site, then tried to pull it up as a www.add-on-domain.com (that was the entire address I used), all I got was that page that shows stuff like index.php and cgi, etc. I'm now thinking that the mistake I made was NOT looking at ther permalink information in WP. Do you agree?

No. It has nothing to do with the permalink. If WP is installed into www.add-on-domain.com/blog/ then the only way to access it it is via www.add-on-domain.com/blog/ or blog.add-on-domain.com, depending on how you've set it up. If it absolutely must be found at www.add-on-domain.com, you will lose public access to the existing (inherited) blog.

(I had tried to redirect the /blog page through hostgator c-panel, but that isn't the best way is it? Nor did it work.)

That is the way to do it if it's located in /blog/ and you want people to find it at www.add-on-domain.com but you then lose access to the original blog. If you're going to do that anyway, better to wipe out the old site and install WP in the root - or use an entirely different domain with it's own hosting and later redirect from the old site to the new.

 

[ArizonaJay]

I'm still not certain I have it right. You have an existing blog (the "inherited" one) at www.add-on.domain.com and you want to start a second one? Is that correct?

No, I have the inherited domain as what HostGator calls my primary site. I don't think that has anything to do this, but what the heck do I know???

I have a totally separate domain name for the new blog - in my example above, I called it http://add-on-domain.com. This is the one that I want to use as a blog, leaving a "space" for a full site on the domain name later. Sort of like I want to build a guest casita to live in while I build the house on the same property. And maybe I'll just continue to live in the casita forever and never build the house.

(I'm assuming a Linux or Unix server running Apache).

I'm a little clueless here, too. My host has the server, right? That's hostgator. I think they run Linux and I've seen the word Apache on the cpanel. All I knew was to stay away from Windows hosting.

Otherwise, you'll need to make a decision about which blog/site to keep as primary, or buy another domain name and set it up on different hosting.

Now this one confused me. I have the primary, inherited site. The word "primary" is what hostgator uses, and I may be using it incorrectly. I have another domain that I purchased. I set that up as one of the add-on domains that hostgator allows with their baby hosting package. Why would I have to use separate hosting for this completely different site?

 

[djbaxter]

OK.

1. Are you on shared hosting or VPS hosting?

2. Does what you call your "primary site" have a different domain name than www.add-on-domain.com?

Now this one confused me. I have the primary, inherited site. The word "primary" is what hostgator uses, and I may be using it incorrectly. I have another domain that I purchased. I set that up as one of the add-on domains that hostgator allows with their baby hosting package. Why would I have to use separate hosting for this completely different site?

You don't necessarily. If the answer to question #2 above is "Yes", then what you need to do is point the new domain name to the blog and both sites can then coexist. Whether or not you can easily do this depends on the answer to question #1 above. If that answer is "shared hosting", then you need to determine if Hostgator allows you to have more than one domain under the same hosting plan.

 

[ArizonaJay]

1. Are you on shared hosting or VPS hosting?

It's shared hosting with unlimited domains, unlimited add-on domains and unlimted parked domains. I think this should allow me to have multiple, unrelated domains under one hosting package. I don't know what VPS hosting is.

2. Does what you call your "primary site" have a different domain name than www.add-on-domain.com?

Yes. Definately. They are unrelated, except that they are both under the same hosting package as explained above.

If the answer to question #2 above is "Yes", then what you need to do is point the new domain name to the blog and both sites can then coexist. Whether or not you can easily do this depends on the answer to question #1 above. If that answer is "shared hosting", then you need to determine if Hostgator allows you to have more than one domain under the same hosting plan.

#2 is yes. #3 is yes. I just don't know how to "point the new domain name to the blog."

And I want to thank you VERY VERY much for your kind assitance. I know I've taken up a lot of your time (and space here on this forum) and I wanted to express my pubic gratitude. This forum is enormously valuable for it's information and education, but it can be a little harsh sometimes, especially on newbies.

I also had a look at your sites, and I'd like to say thank you for the valuable service you provide. You clearly put a lot of time and passion into those sites. As someone who has SMI in her family and helped to start NAMI offices in two cities, I commend you efforts in educating the public and helping those afflicted and affected by MH disorders.

 

[djbaxter]

OK. This is something to resolve with Hostgator tech support then.

You do need the add-on domain option. You need to find out from Hostgator what nameservers you need to specify for the add-on domain. Then, you go to your registrar (assuming it's someone other than Hostgator, like GoDaddy) and edit the nameservers so they correspond to the ones used by hostgator. Once that is done, you may need to allow a bit of time (up to 72 hours although it rarely takes that long these days) for the DNS changes to propagate around the net.

You also should check with Hostgator as to where you should upload the files. In all likelihood, it will be into the root of www.add-on-domain.com, NOT in the /blog/ subdirectory, but check with Hostgator.

After all that you bshould be able to access your new blog at www.add-on-domain.com and the old one at www.original-domain.com.