Don’t Waste Your Time Learning How to Setup a Wordpress Blog

It’s almost 2013 and the time, effort, and skills needed to setup a Wordpress blog has come way down. Hosting companies like HostGator and GoDaddy even have one click Wordpress installs that can produce a nice-looking template website in under 5 minutes. This was not the case in 2007 when I setup my first website on the platform.

Even though creating a Wordpress blog or website is a lot easier now than it used to be, I couldn’t do it myself. Most people are surprised when I tell them this because I’ve launched over a dozen websites, am creating a custom online tool, and publish content regularly on a Wordpress blog. But it’s true. Left to my own devices, I don’t know how to setup a Wordpress blog.

And the thing is… I don’t think you should waste your time learning how to set one up either. Why? Because it’s gotten too darn cheap to outsource all the technical work associated with setting up a blog. How cheap? Well… I usually don’t spend more than $100 getting a Wordpress blog built and customized to my liking.

In this post, I’m going to show you how to do the same. After all, your time would be much better spent on creating a strategy and producing content. A solid strategy combined with excellent content are things that are much harder (and more expensive) to outsource. Are you in ? Ready. Set. Go.

Step 1: Find a Wordpress Guy… This step will not be difficult. After all, there are tens of thousands of folks around the world that are good with Wordpress. There are many different places like ODesk.com and Elance.com that will get you dozens of applicants, but I’m going to direct you to a free service called Craigslist.org. You may have used CraigList.org in the past to sell a used sofa before, but it can also be leveraged to hire an outsourced employee.

I usually head straight to CraigsList Manilla under the Gigs section. Manilla is located in the Philippines and everyone that lives there learns English in school so it’s a great place to hire offshore talent.

Of course you don’t need to go offshore to hire a designer, you could post a similar gig on CraigsList.org within your own town. There are probably a handful of Wordpress experts located in your hometown that would be happy to help you out as well (although it might cost you a little more than a hundred bucks if you keep the work state side).

Post a new gig within Craigslist.org and copy in the following job posting template to get a large pool of applicants for your project:

Hello – I am looking for a Wordpress designer to create a blog for me. I would like you to create a blog that is similar to these URLS: 1.) Enter URL You Like 2.) Enter URL You Like 3.) Enter URL You Like

You will need the following skills:

– Logo design
– Wordpress experience
– Excellent communication skills
– Experience creating email intake forms
– Know how to install Google Analytics and other Wordpress Plugins

In addition to the skills listed above I would also like you to submit at least two Wordpress websites that you have completed previously. This job pays $100 USD. I look forward to working with you.

Step 2: Wait for Applications to Come In: Within 24 hours you should have enough applications. Look at only the applications that include at least two links to Wordpress websites that the applicant has created before.

This will give you a sense of his design style and demonstrates that the potential employee knows how to follow instructions. If you like the work this person has done in the past then you will probably like the work he or she does for you.

Step 3: Set Expectations: At this point you need to establish some baseline expectations for what this project will entail. What type of expectations? Well, will revisions be built into the initial cost of the assignment.

Odds are no matter how good this guy is you’ll want to make a couple updates after submitting the first version of the website. Also, will a logo design also be included with the design of this website. Will the contract worker be starting from scratch or working with a template which should greatly reduce the time required to create it?

Step 4: Pick someone or ask follow up questions: I’ve never been burned by a single Wordpress guy in the Phillipines so I’m probably more relaxed than most on the interview process.

I mean, let’s face it, if this person is only going to be making one website for you there’s no need to do a full-background check to find out if he’s the perfect match for you. Who cares? Find someone that you jive with that has some good website examples, communicates well, and move forward with the project.

Step 5: What the Wordpress Guy Will Need: The person you end up selecting will need FTP access to your hosting account and may even need a web host or GoDaddy login to complete the work on your website. After the blog has been completed make sure that you change the passwords to protect yourself.

Your Wordpress guy will also need detailed instruction on what the blog should look like and the it’s features. Remember, your outsourced employee is not a mind reader and will need very specific instructions if you want your blog to look or feel a certain way. The easiest way I’ve found to get a website up an running is to find a blog that I like online and take a screen shot of the design with free software like GetGreenShot.org.

Drop the screen shot into MS Paint or other image editing software that you’re familiar with and show your employee exactly where you want the logo, where you want the email intake form, where you want the navigation. It doesn’t need to look pretty, but it does need to get the point across.

Leave nothing to chance and spend your time outlining the instructions for your designer. This will save you a lot of headaches down the line.

Step 6: Pay Them On Time: Remember, to treat your employees with respect and decency even if they’re just part time contractors. Just like you, they work hard for their money and deserve to be paid.

I hope this post has demonstrated how simple and affordable getting a Wordpress blog setup can be if you decide to outsource it. If you’ve invested the last couple months of your life into trying to figure out how to setup a Wordpress website, stop! Hire it out and move on! It’s affordable, easy, and it might even make the website development process fun.

Image Credit: ptz0n