These are the must-do items involved in setting up your new theme on your website! For more, check the menu (located in the sidebar on desktop view, and at the bottom of the page on mobile devices).
1. First Steps:
- Install WordPress: to use our theme, you will need to have purchased a domain name, a web hosting plan, and have WordPress set up on it. Check our How To Start a WordPress Website Quick Guide for more info.
- Set Up A Staging Site (optional): redesigning your website will take a bit of time, so we recommend setting up a staging site where you can build your redesigned site in private, leaving your current website in-tact for visitors. For a discussion on staging sites, check out Setting Up Your Enviornment
- Upload & Activate: using the theme files you downloaded, Upload and Activate your new theme and license.
2. Basic Configuration:
- Set Global Styles: adjust the colors and typography settings your website uses globally. Learn how in our Setting Global Styles documentation article.
- Customize Your Header & Footer: add your logo, customize the menu, and set up your footer that gets displayed on every page of your website. Editing Your Header & Footer further makes your website your own.
- Customize Your Navigation Menus: as part of your header (and possibly footer), your navigation menus should be configured to help your website visitors find their way around. For a detailed discussion, check out Customizing Your Menus
- Set Your Home Page (and, optional, Blog Page): after building your home page, you need to tell WordPress to display it as such. If you’re blogging, you should also set a blog page. For more on how to do this, check out Setting A Home Page & Blog Page
- Set Your Favicon/Site Icon: upload an icon that gets displayed in the browser bar and other areas. It’s easy: Setting a Favicon (Site Icon)
3. PAGE BUILDING
- Using Patterns: patterns allow you to build pages on your website more quickly than building from scratch, block by block. Learn more about Using Patterns
- Using Templates & Template Parts: templates, which contain template parts, control the appearance and layout of pages on your website. Run through your Templates & Template Parts to make sure they are all configured before launching.
4. ADVANCED CUSTOMIZATION
- Center Aligning Content on Mobile Only: optimize the appearance of your site on mobile by center aligning content on smaller screens only. Learn how to Center Align Content on Mobile Only
- Custom Styles & Classes: change up the appearance of certain blocks by applying styles and/or custom classes. Learn how to Use Custom Styles & Classes
- Custom Dividers: Configure Your Custom Dividers for a way to make your website more unique-to-you
- Custom Fonts: Set Up Custom Fonts so you can make your website match the rest of your branding
- Hiding Content On Mobile/Desktop: when used sparingly, this can help further optimize the way your website looks on smaller screens. Learn how in Hiding Content on Mobile/Desktop