Section 1: Introduction (5 minutes)
Welcome and Agenda
Greet the Participants:
“Hello everyone! Welcome to our class on ‘Building Your First Website with WordPress and Elementor.’ I’m Jamin Giersbach, and I’m excited to guide you through this journey of creating your very own website. Whether you’re here to start a blog, showcase your portfolio, or set up a website for your business, you’ve taken the first important step today.”
Outline What Will Be Covered:
“Here’s what we have lined up for the next hour:
- Introduction – We’ll get to know each other and set expectations for the class.
- Understanding Domains and Hosting – Learn what they are and why you need them.
- Setting Up WordPress with Elementor Hosting – We’ll use the Elementor Hosting Basic Plan for an easy setup.
- Setting Up Your WordPress Site – Configure basic settings to get started.
- Choosing and Installing a Theme – We’ll install the ‘Hello Elementor’ theme.
- Activating Elementor Pro – Unlock the powerful features of Elementor Pro.
- Building Your Homepage with Elementor Pro – The fun part where we design your homepage.
- Creating Additional Pages – Set up ‘About’ and ‘Contact’ pages.
- Setting Up Navigation Menus – Make it easy for visitors to navigate your site.
- Final Touches and Launching Your Site – Prepare your site for the world.
- Q&A and Next Steps – We’ll wrap up and answer any questions you have.
By the end of this class, you’ll have seen the complete process of building a website using WordPress and Elementor, equipping you with the knowledge to start creating your own site when you’re ready.
Facts about WordPress
- Dominance in the Web World: “Did you know that as of 2023, WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet? That’s nearly half of the web! From personal blogs to major news outlets, WordPress is the platform of choice for millions.”
- Open-Source and Free: “WordPress is an open-source Content Management System (CMS), which means it’s free to use and has a community of developers constantly improving it. This also means you have access to thousands of plugins and themes to enhance your website’s functionality and appearance.”
- Versatility: “Whether you want to create a simple blog, a portfolio, an e-commerce site, or a membership site, WordPress can handle it all. Its flexibility makes it a great choice for beginners and professionals alike.”
Facts about Elementor
- User-Friendly Page Builder: “Elementor is a leading WordPress page builder with over 5 million active installations. It’s renowned for its drag-and-drop interface, which allows you to design custom web pages without any coding knowledge.”
- Design Freedom: “With Elementor, you can create stunning designs with pixel-perfect precision. It offers a vast library of widgets, templates, and blocks to make your design process smooth and enjoyable.”
- Elementor Pro Advantages: “While the free version is powerful, Elementor Pro unlocks advanced features like the Theme Builder, WooCommerce Builder, and the Form widget, which we’ll use to create contact forms seamlessly.”
Engagement
“Before we move on, I’d love to get to know you all a bit better:
- What brings you here today? Are you planning to launch a personal blog, start an online business, or perhaps create a website for a community project?
- Have any of you used WordPress or Elementor before? It’s okay if you haven’t; this class is designed for beginners.
Feel free to share your thoughts or goals in the chat. Your input will help me tailor the session to better suit your needs.”
Transition to Next Section
“Great! Thank you for sharing. Understanding your goals helps make this session more relevant for you.
Now, let’s get right into the foundational elements of any website: domains and hosting. We’ll demystify what they are and how to choose the right services to set you up for success.”
