WordPress: DON'T TOUCH THAT BUTTON!

Any advice for a WP virgin, about to have his first WP experience?

[Webwork]

I'm committed. Just signed up for my very first LAMP experience, via a VPS. (I'm an ancient MS guy.)

So, I'm going to do my first WP install in the next 1-3 days. I've visited the WP site. I've looked at a lot of WP info. Still, . . . I'm a bit of a chickenshirt. (See, I'm too timid to even cuss.)

For those with some experience with WordPress.org what might fit within the following admonitions when first installing and configuring WP?

Don't touch that button! (File, code, etc.)

Do that NOW! Immediately!

Also, for those with some experience what might fit withing the following laments?

I wish I did that from the start! (Mod, tweak, configuration.)

Damn! I wish I didn't do that! (Bright ideas that failed.)

What to do?

What to avoid?

Please help a WP virgin have a pleasant first experience. :)

[shri]

Webwork, there is a fair bit of work that can be done to improve the SEOness of wordpress.

I like the BreadCrumb plugins.. they add a little bit of internal anchor.

Have found it overall a pretty easy CMS to modify and play with... not found any out of the box surprises.

[Webwork]

Thanks for the reassurances Shri.

Not hearing any other warnings I'll shall now boldly go where I have not gone before: The universe of code outside the HTML/CSS world.

"Zap! Bang! Boom!"

Shri! I thought you said I couldn't blow #%#! up? ;0)

[leadegroot]

webwork, sorry to catch this so late.
When I install WP the two things I make sure I do are:
- make the urls SE friendly (its under options)
- take care of the duplicate page issues,
This thread discusses it in detail:
[webmasterworld.com...]
Basically, you need to disallow access for the bots to the page/ and the calendar pages

Hope it helps!

[Patrick Taylor]

Even later comment... I use WordPress and find it excellent. A few basic essentials for me though:

(1) Complete strip out of unnecessary divs and other tags from the default theme files.

(2) Corresponding complete strip down of the default stylesheet.

(3) Throw away the WordPress sidebar and make my own. I find the sidebar is the key to the whole thing.

(4) Take very great care when first setting up permalinks. A few weeks (or months) down the track, any change to that will wreck one's search engine ranking.

[shri]

>> (4) Take very great care when first setting up permalinks. A few weeks (or months) down the track, any change to that will wreck one's search engine ranking.

I agree, specially if you're the type that likes to experiment with category names etc. I tend to use numbers in the url .. so even if I change category names I come out ok.