I have to admit that I usually despise the learning curve that comes when trying to do something new. Learning how to use wordpress was an exeption. I don't know if it was because I was in a good mood, or if wordpress is just pretty user friendly, but the truth is I had a fun time today learning how to make my wordpress blog into a real content managed website.

Before all of you html, css, and php gurus scoff at us bloglings that use wordpress, let me inform you that some huge companies with massive amounts of dollars (to spend on programmers that are better than yourself) use wordpress to develop their sites. I recently talked with the owner of SEO.com (not a friend of mine, just happened to run into him) and he told me that they use wordpress for all of their clients. Their client include DELL, 1800 Contacts, and software.com just to name a few. I have to doubt that Dell's main site is run using wordpress; they have one of the most high tech sites in the world because of how they allow you to build your own computers. However, after today, I'm starting to believe that almost anything is possible with wordpress.

Okay, now that I have put the normal techie goons in their place, I will proceed to tell you how to use wordpress to make a CMS (content management system). First I must tell you the benefits of a CMS (yes I know, another detour before we get to the real meat of this post; I do apologize). Basically the main advantage is that you can have your wordpress site have a "normal" front page and you can have your blog attached to the site. This is really beneficial if you are trying to host some sort of ecommerce site with wordpress.

Just one more qualifier before I teach you how to do this; the information you are about to receive is courtesty of Lisa Sabin-Wilson author of Wordpress for Dummies. I'm reading her book as I try to become a wordpress master.

(Step 1) Log into your wordpress admin panel

(Step 2) Click the Add New Link on the Pages Menu

(Step 3) In the Title text box, type in a title for your front page.

(Step 4) Make your page look how you want it to.

(Step 5) Click the Publish Button

(Step 6) Click the "Reading" link under "Settings"

(Step 7) Under Front Page Displays, select "A Static Page"

(Step 8) Choose the Page that you just made

(Step 9) Click Save

It is as easy as that to have a static, constant front page on wordpress. Not bad eh?

Okay, so now that you have a static page. It is time to attach a blog to it. I know this sounds odd, (who would have thought you would ever need to attach a blog to a wordpress site). The truth is that in many ecommerce situations you will need to.

(Step 1) Add a new page named "blog". In other words the url for this page should be www.yoursite.com/blog. Note: you may need to adjust your permalinks for this to work.

(Step 2) Click the "Reading" link under "Settings."

(Step 3) From the Posts Page menu choose the page you just created.

(Step 4) Click "Save Changes"

Voila! You now have a static homepage using wordpress and a blog attached to it. If you want to check out one of my sites that does this, please visit my baby onesies site.