Educational websites are becoming popular. If you want to create your educational platform, best research paper writing service or website for searching tutors, you need to choose the best software. WordPress is one of the helpful tools to set up your own course. Read how to do it in several steps in our article.
Install WordPress
The first step is to install the WordPress software. You can sign up with Bluehost that will help you do it quickly. This platform was created to launch the one-click installer. Create the account in Bluehost and find the button “Login WordPress.”
It is also possible to download WordPress with the help of other website hosting services like WP Engine or SiteGround. After you have installed WordPress, everything is ready to set up and customize your educational website.
Choose the Educational Theme
The visual appearance of your future website is as important as the posted content. Even if the students will visit your website to get math homework help, the design of the webpage does matter. Fortunately, a number of themes and templates are available for WordPress users. So, all you need is to choose the most appropriate professionally designed template.
At first, a basic theme will be available for you in WordPress. But do not worry; you will be able to install the most appealing ones on your educational website.
Add the Content
Content should be the main focus of your platform. You will add posts and pages to your educational platform. It is important to know that the posts usually appear in the reverse-chronological order. This way, the latest info appears at the top of the page.
It is also possible to create a separate page for a blog or the news section with the new posts. In addition, the homepage can be added as a static webpage. Hence, everything depends on your educational platform.
Customize the Website
After you have added some content to your website, it’s the right time to customize everything. It is necessary to make your educational platform unique and different from other websites. Here, we will discuss the main features that should be customized and what tools to use to make your webpage appealing for users.
FrontPage
The first step is to make your front page static. This way, the main information about your course will always be on the homepage. The option is available in the settings. After this, you will be able to create other pages that will be posted in the form of a blog. Also, they will be updated in the reverse-chronological format.
Site Title and Tagline
The site title and tagline are the next important features to customize in your educational platform. You should know that the software automatically adds the tagline. So, change it in the settings. Do not forget to click the “save changes” button when you finish everything. Otherwise, the title and tagline will be chosen by WordPress.
Comments Settings
The WordPress software has a built-in comment system. It is a great opportunity for having feedback from the students. But at the same time, the comments can be overloaded with spam. In order to avoid such an unpleasant situation, you need to customize the comments settings.
Enable the comment moderation in the website settings. This way, the comments will appear after you will approve them manually.
Navigation Menus
Navigation menus will be a good feature for the users of your website. With this option, they will have everything in one place. The same as other features of your future educational platform, it can be changed in the settings. After you create the navigation menu, save it with the “save changes” button.
Install the Plugin
The next important step is to choose the best plugin. WordPress offers different variants of plugins. But we will focus on two options: one is free, and one is premium.
CoursePress Pro (Premium)
CoursePress Pro is a premium variant of the plugin that opens dozens of additional options available in WordPress. First of all, it helps you to set up your educational platforms. Secondly, with the help of CoursePress Pro, you can get a charge for admission.
There is a list of other benefits of using this plugin:
- Set up courses;
- Get charges for the courses (17 payment processors are available);
- Interactive learning features (e.g. quizzes);
- Students will be able to submit writing assignments for review.
If you want to set up a paid online course, CoursePress Pro is the best plugin to choose in WordPress.
LearnPress (Free)
The next plugin, LearnPress, is free. It will be a good option for those users who want to get extra options but have a limited budget. LearnPress is a robust system that supports online courses. There are the main options available with this plugin:
- You can set up and manage several courses;
- Charge for admission;
- You can communicate with the students;
- Add WooCommerce;
- Some extra features are available only with a premium account.
Both these plugins provide enough options to set up educational courses. Even with a limited budget, you can be sure that your course will be launched with all the required features.
Learn More About WordPress
The final step is to master WordPress. Even if you know how to use simple features, it is not enough to see the whole picture. Sometimes, you will need to learn something new about the software to add extra options to your course platform. You need to read some guidelines or find other resources teaching how to use WordPress to its fullest extent.
Thus, you can take online classes that will expand your knowledge in using WordPress. Also, plenty of information is available on YouTube and different video blogs.
Key Takeaway
Now you know all you need to create your first educational website. WordPress has a variety of tools to make everything by using a free plugin. Do not hesitate to learn more about this software to master all the features available here. With new skills, you will be able to create multiple platforms, share various information, and get charges for admission.