Joomla! Tips and Tricks for Beginners

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March 10, 2022 Programming

If you’ve heard about Joomla! but aren’t quite sure what it is, then this guide has got everything you need to know. Plus, there are some handy tips and tricks for you to use, too.

What is Joomla?

In simple terms, Joomla! is an open-source (and free) content management system that enables you to publish content to websites. Basically, it helps individuals and companies to build their dream websites and incorporate all the features they want. If you need a modern website, then Joomla! is key – it’s a straight-forward concept.

So, with that covered, let’s now jump into some Joomla! tips and tricks for beginners. After reading this article, you’ll soon be an expert.

Install Joomla!

Website Hosting and building is a hard process – but Joomla! makes it easy for you. However, until you install it, you can’t get to work on your website!

So, before anything else, you need to install Joomla!. Here’s what to do:

Create an SQL database for your website
Upload the Joomla! files to your website’s directory
Activate the configuration wizard for Joomla!
Configure your database
Choose an email address

From there, you should be good to go.

Start with the basics – like typing and posting articles

From Joomla’s user interface, you will see that there are several options for creating and posting content. For example, you can upload images and immediately add them to your website in the location you desire.

However, before doing anything overly complex, you should stick to the basics. The best starting point is to type and then post articles (or a single article) to your website, as this will enable you to get a feel for the system.

To do this, you must firstly click ‘New Article.’ From there, you can type your content and format it in the way you like (e.g., you might want to change it to an interesting font). Once your article is complete, you can then post it to your website. Don’t worry, this isn’t permanent – at any time, you can edit or remove articles from your website.

From the images and links tab, you will also be able to add images and links to your articles – but you should avoid doing this until you’re fully comfortable with the process of posting text-based articles first.

Make the most of templates

A website is useless if it doesn’t look good, right? Think about it: how many times have you visited a company website, only to immediately leave due to the fact that it looks bad and has poor functionality? Probably many times. For a website to work, it has to look great.

Luckily, Joomla! offers a ton of interesting templates for its users to choose from. Specifically, there are over 110 free templates.

Each template is different, so it’s important you choose one that suits your brand’s personality and how you want your website to ‘feel.’

Here are some popular Joomla! templates:

Jumerix
Photographer
Pasta and Ravioli
Virginia
Diving Club

For example, if you run your own photography business, then the photographer template will likely suit you well, as it’s purposely built for showcasing your work.

Join the r/Joomla! subreddit

Lastly, for extra help and advice, you should make a Reddit account and join the Joomla! subreddit.

On here, you’ll be able to ask questions, speak with expert users, and even pick up some useful hints and tricks. Plus, once you become a Joomla! expert, you’ll be able to help other users, too.