Congratulations on your RoamerHost subscription! About 60 seconds after payment, the system has already installed the latest version of WordPress for you, pre-configured with a Traditional Chinese admin, the Taipei time zone and an SSL certificate. This guide takes you from logging in to the admin area all the way to publishing your first post.
Even if you have never touched WordPress before, you can follow along without trouble.
The 30-second version
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| What you end up with | A site that can publish posts and be found in search |
| How long it takes | 60 seconds to install; the content is up to you |
| What you need to prepare | Nothing — it is installed the moment you pay |
| First thing to do | Set your permalink structure |
| Most commonly skipped | Testing that the contact form actually sends email |
Step 1: One-click login to the WordPress admin
On RoamerHost you do not need to remember any username or password to get into the admin area.
- Log in to the RoamerHost dashboard.
- Find your WordPress site and click "One-click login".
- The system takes you straight into the wp-admin back end.
If you later want to log in the traditional way with a username and password, or need to hand login details to a contractor, use the "Reset admin password" function in the dashboard. The change takes effect immediately.
Getting to know the WordPress dashboard
The first screen you see after logging in is the Dashboard. The dark menu on the left is your main entry point for running the site. These are the items you will use most:
- Posts: write and manage blog posts, with categories and tags.
- Media: upload and manage images, video and other files.
- Pages: create fixed content such as "About us" or "Contact us".
- Appearance: switch themes, adjust menus and the look of the site.
- Plugins: install extensions of every kind.
- Settings: adjust the site title, time zone, permalinks and other basics.
Spend a few minutes clicking through each menu to get comfortable with the environment.
Adjusting the basic site settings
Before you start writing, get the basic information right. Go to "Settings" → "General" in the left-hand menu:
- Enter your site title (your brand or blog name, for example).
- Enter the tagline, a one-line description of your site.
- Confirm the time zone is "Taipei" and the site language is Traditional Chinese (RoamerHost sets both by default).
- Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Save Changes".
Tip: go to "Settings" → "Permalinks" and choose the "Post name" structure. Your URLs become cleaner and better for SEO. Remember to save.
Choosing and applying a theme
The theme decides the overall look and layout of your site. WordPress ships with plenty of free themes to choose from.
- Go to "Appearance" → "Themes".
- Click "Add New Theme" to browse thousands of free themes.
- Use the keyword search or the filters at the top to find a style you like (search for "blog" or "business", for example).
- Hover over a theme, click "Install", and once it finishes click "Activate".
After activating, go to "Appearance" → "Customize" to preview and fine-tune colors, headings, menus and other details.
A tip on picking a theme: decide what the site is for first (blog, brochure site, store), then look at themes built for that purpose. It is much faster than trying them one by one.
Installing your first plugin
Plugins add functionality to your site. RoamerHost supports the tens of thousands of free plugins out there, including WooCommerce for e-commerce.
- Go to "Plugins" → "Add New Plugin".
- Type a keyword for the feature you want into the search box at the top right ("SEO", "backup", "contact form", for example).
- When you find the right plugin, click "Install Now".
- Click "Activate" once the install finishes and it is ready to use.
A few directions beginners commonly start with:
- Backups: UpdraftPlus or All-in-One WP Migration, which can run scheduled backups to your own cloud storage.
- SEO: help with optimizing your search engine rankings.
- Contact forms: let visitors reach you through a form.
Strongly recommended: install a backup plugin on day one and schedule regular backups to your cloud storage. Build the habit early and your data is actually protected.
Creating your first page
Pages suit fixed content that rarely changes, such as "About us". Let's build one:
- Go to "Pages" → "Add New Page".
- Type "About us" in the title field.
- Write your introduction in the content area. WordPress uses the block editor, so click "+" to add paragraphs, images, headings and other blocks.
- When you are done, click "Publish" at the top right, then confirm with "Publish" again.
Once the page is live, go to "Appearance" → "Menus" and add it to the site navigation so visitors can find it.
Publishing your first post
Now for the step that matters most — publishing a post.
- Go to "Posts" → "Add New Post".
- Enter the post title at the top.
- Write the body below. Use "+" to insert images, lists, quotes and other blocks.
- Set the category and tags in the right-hand sidebar so readers can browse.
- Click "Featured image" and upload a cover image that represents the post.
- Click "Preview" if you want to see how it looks; when everything checks out, click "Publish".
You can click "Save draft" before publishing and only go live once the content is ready. You can still edit and update after publishing.
Congratulations — your first post is published and your site is officially live.
Next steps
Once you have the basics down, you can:
- Keep producing good content and build up your readers or customers.
- Connect your own custom domain for a more professional URL — see "WordPress Custom Domain and SSL Setup".
- Explore more plugins and strengthen what the site can do.
If you run into trouble with any of this, head to Support or email [email protected]. We are happy to help.
Five things to check before you go live
A site that looks finished is not the same as a site that is ready for the public. These five checks take under ten minutes, and every one of them quietly costs you visitors when it is wrong:
| Check | How to confirm it |
|---|---|
| Permalink structure | Post URLs are readable words, not a question mark and a number |
| The contact form sends email | Fill it in yourself and confirm the mail arrives and is not in spam |
| Mobile layout | Open it on an actual phone, not by shrinking your browser window |
| Site title and description | These two are what Google shows in search results |
| No leftover test content | Sample posts, sample pages, "Hello world" |
The second one is the most commonly skipped and the most damaging — a form that does not go through has the same result as a site that never launched; the only difference is that you do not know about it.
FAQ
Q: What is the first thing I should do after installing?
Set the permalink structure. The sooner the better: changing it after the site is live breaks every existing link and leaves you setting up redirects.
Q: Which plugins should I install?
None, at first. Start using the site, and go looking for a plugin when you hit a concrete problem — every active plugin runs on every request, so installing twenty on day one is asking for trouble.
Q: Should I use a free or a paid theme?
Start with a free theme from the official directory. Once you know what layout and features you need, consider paying — by then you will be able to ask the right questions.
Q: Can I connect my own domain?
Yes, and the SSL certificate is issued and renewed automatically. If you do not have a domain yet, you can start on the subdomain the system gives you; connecting a domain later does not affect your content. The steps are in Connecting a custom domain.
Q: I published a post but Google cannot find it?
Indexing a new site takes time, usually days to weeks. In the meantime you can check that the site is not set to discourage search engines, submit a sitemap, and keep publishing. There is no shortcut, but it is not as long a wait as you think.
Sources and further reading
For WordPress specifications and best practices, the official documentation is authoritative:
- WordPress official user documentation
- WordPress developer documentation — technical specifications for plugins and themes
Further reading
- WordPress custom domains: DNS setup and SSL certificates
- WordPress hosting FAQ: plugins, PHP settings and troubleshooting
- WordPress hosting pre-purchase FAQ: migration, multisite and traffic
- Hosting requirements for a WooCommerce store: why ordinary WordPress hosting falls short
Want someone to build it for you?
When your requirements go beyond what plugins can do, someone has to touch the code. Roamer Tech takes on advanced WordPress development:
