In order to use the WP-Drudge theme, you’ll need to install WordPress first, then the theme. If you already have WordPress installed, you can skip to here.
Sign up for Hosting and a Domain
WordPress can be installed on any LAMP/Linux host using PHP 5.2.4 or higher. For those with no experience setting up WordPress, simply follow the steps below to sign up with one of our recommended hosts.
Please note: sometimes this process changes and I do my best to keep this up to date! If there is a problem with these steps, give us a shout.
Recommended: Fused
I’ve been using Fused hosting since 2006 and have never once considered moving my own sites from them. Their performance, particularly with WordPress, is excellent and their support is spot-on. They are a little more expensive than your typical shared host but you get what you pay for with web hosting. Here’s what I said about them in 2009 and I still feel the same way.
Their plans typically start at $24.95/month but, use the coupon 50off at checkout, and they’ll drop that down to $12.47 per month! It’s a great deal on very high quality hosting.
- Start here to sign up for the lowest hosting plan offered. You’ll need at least one database to start and an email address with your domain is a good idea as well.
- If you need a domain, enter the one you want in the field provided. It may take a few tries to get one that has not been taken. If you already have a domain, select “I will use my existing domain and update my nameservers” and enter the domain you’d like to use.
- Click the Click to Continue button and wait for the options to appear.
- If you chose to register a new domain, select the domains you’d like, scroll down, and click the Click to Continue button again.
- Select your “Billing Cycle” and add any options you’d like (none of them are required). Click Continue
- Add “ID protection” if you’d like, enter your “Registrant name,” leave the “Nameserver” fields as-is, and click Update Cart
- Look over your order and, if correct, click Checkout
- Fill in your payment information and click Complete Order
Once you’ve paid for your order, it takes an hour or so to receive your account information in your email. It should come under the subject line “Fused Network: New Account Information.” Keep this email!
Once you have your account:
- Scroll down and look for “Control Panel.” If you registered a new domain, the 2nd link with your new domain should work fine. If not, use the first link if you have not changed your nameservers yet.
- Log into cpanel using the Username and Password in the email under “New Account Info”
- Continue to install WordPress using the steps below.
Install WordPress (using Installatron)
If you used the steps above to create a hosting account and domain, the steps below should be clear. If you’re using a different host, this service may still be provided. Otherwise, you’ll need to do a manual install.
- Once you’re logged into cpanel, scroll to the bottom of the main page and click WordPress under the “Web Applications” heading
- Click Install this application on the top right
- Select a “Domain” from the drop-down (likely the one you just added)
- If you’d like this installed in your root directory, leave “Directory” blank. Otherwise, the name you use here will be the folder that the installation will be placed into
- Under “Automatic Update,” select the 2nd option
- Under the “Settings” heading near the bottom, change the admin login and password to something you’ll remember (here is the best possible password advice)
- Enter a correct “Administrator Email” and “Website title,” then click Install
- Once it’s complete, you should have links to the main site and the admin. Log into the admin to continue
Installing the WP-Drudge theme (new user)
Once you’ve downloaded the package, you’ll need to log into the WordPress admin and install the theme. No need to open the ZIP package; WordPress will handle uploading and unpacking the theme before installation.
- Log into the WordPress administration by going to http://yoursite.com/wp-admin
- In the wp-admin menu, go to Appearance > Themes
- At the top, click Add New
- At the top again, click Upload Theme
- Choose the ZIP package downloaded from the email that was sent (do not unzip the package) and click Install Now. If you’re on a Mac and the ZIP file is being opened automatically, try this.
- After a few seconds, see “Theme installed successfully.” Click the Activate link and the theme is ready to go
- Once the theme is active, go to Settings > WP-Drudge License and enter your API key and email address
- Click Save changes and you should get a success message showing that the license was activated and how many sites are remaining
Upgrading the WP-Drudge theme (existing user)
Version 2.7 and above
As of version 2.7, WP-Drudge supports upgrades right in wp-admin. You’ll get a notice in the Dashboard > Updates section when a new version is ready. Review the version details and run the upgrade right on that page. Easy peasy!
Version 2.6 and below
Moving from an old version of the WP-Drudge theme to a new one is similar to an original installation but with a few more steps. Please note: all of your previous settings, content, and widgets will carry over to the new version (with some per-version exceptions, mentioned on the announcement post). Still, it’s a good idea to backup your database before upgrading anything.
- Log in to WordPress as an admin
- Optional: Install and activate a maintenance mode plugin like WP Maintenance Mode or Ultimate Maintenance Mode. Your site will appear differently for the period of time it takes to complete the following steps
- Go to Appearance > Themes in the wp-admin menu. Hover and click Activate for a different theme (you should have TwentyThirteen or TwentyFourteen installed, the default themes)
- Find the deactivated WP-Drudge theme, hover over the image, click Theme Details, then click the red Delete link on the bottom right.
- Start with step 3 in the “Installing the WP-Drudge theme” section above and complete the steps. All saved widgets and settings will carry over.
To restore text sizes and alter the new configuration options, click Appearance, then WP-Drudge options. You should look through and save these options once to make sure everything is set properly in the system. New versions often have new settings you’ll want to modify, though a default setting will always be provided.
