Book excerpt: More than 70 million websites and blogs run on WordPress: it's the world's #1 web development tool. Now, you can make the most of WordPress without becoming a technical expert. WordPress Absolute Beginner's Guide is the fastest way to get comfortable and productive with WordPress and its most powerful tools. Whether you're new to WordPress or not, this practical, approachable book will show you how to do exactly what you want, one incredibly clear and easy step at a time. Leading WordPress instructor Tris Hussey provides step-by-step instructions for every task requiring more than one step. Screenshots and illustrations guide you through complex processes, so you'll never get lost or confused. You'll find friendly, patient, crystal-clear coverage that always respects your intelligence, and never patronizes you. Hussey covers all this, and much more: Understanding the mechanics of a WordPress website Installing WordPress yourself, along with the themes and plug-ins you want Using WordPress.com if you don't want to run WordPress on your own equipment Setting up your site right the first time, to avoid problems later Tweaking themes to make your site look perfect Integrating images and media Making your site mobile-ready Using basic search engine optimization techniques to get your site discovered Troubleshooting, maintaining, and performance-tuning your site