So you want to learn how to create a website with WordPress & LearnDash? Whether you’re looking to create a website for yourself or your business, this step-by-step guide will show you everything you need to get started. We’ll cover everything from choosing a domain name and hosting, installing WordPress, adding content and course modules with LearnDash, and finally launching your site. Let’s get started!
Choose a domain name and hosting for your website
Choosing a domain name and hosting provider are the first steps to creating your website. Godaddy is a good source for domain names (but not for website hosting!) – they offer great deals on domains and plenty of options that will fit any budget!
For hosting, SiteGround is a great choice. Not only are they one of the leading providers of managed WordPress hosting, but their services are reliable and cost-effective. So if you’re looking for a guaranteed successful website launch, Godaddy and SiteGround are solid choices for finding the perfect domain name and hosting provider.
A few other good choices for hosting for those with larger budgets are Pressidium and Kinsta. Both offer managed WordPress hosting, high performance and great customer service.
Install WordPress on your hosting account
Once you’ve chosen a domain name and hosting provider, the next step is to install WordPress. Creating a website with WordPress is easier than ever with SiteGround. SiteGround Site Tools make it simple to install WordPress, so you can quickly get started on the process of constructing your website. SiteGround’s 1-click install feature allows you to quickly set up the basics of your website while the SiteGround Site Tools go beyond that to ensure everything is running optimally. With SiteGround, you’ll be able to install WordPress on your hosting account in no time so you can begin taking advantage of this powerful and popular web design platform.
Choose a WordPress theme and page builder for your website
Astra is one of the most popular WordPress themes for creating a website with LearnDash and it’s free. Astra offers a wide range of customization options and powerful features that are sure to make your website look great. Astra also works seamlessly with Elementor Pro, a drag-and-drop builder that allows you to easily design and customize pages on your website. Elementor Pro is reasonably priced and is the best page builder for integrating with LearnDash. With Elementor Pro, you can create customized LearnDash course templates and lesson templates that give your online course website a custom feel. Astra’s plentiful options and fast page loading speeds make it the perfect choice for anyone looking to create a website with LearnDash.
Elementor Pro comes with a vast assortment of templates that you can use to create custom pages for your website. With its easy-to-use tools and intuitive interface, Elementor Pro makes creating stunning designs a breeze. Choose a template kit to get started, apply it to your website and then customize the copy (or text), colors, images and typography on your site to create your unique website. You can also choose to use the template kit design as much as you want – love the colors? then use them 🙂
Install the LearnDash plugin on your WordPress site
LearnDash is a powerful plugin that helps you take your WordPress site to the next level. LearnDash allows you to create course content quickly, assign quizzes and certificates, add memberships, and more. LearnDash creates the basic LMS functionality, meaning that it allows you to easily create and organize courses, lessons, topics and quizzes. You’ll need to purchase a license for LearnDash, download it, and install it on your WordPress site. You’ll then install additional software (called “plugins” in WordPress) that integrates with LearnDash to extend LearnDash’s functionality. Some of the integrated software plugins are free, and some are paid.
For example, LearnDash Notifications ensures learners are kept up-to-date on what’s available, helping them along as they progress through their studies. The LearnDash Course Grid also displays important data such as user progress and estimated course completion dates – essential for tracking learner performance in real-time.
Additional features such as the Uncanny Owl Toolkit for LearnDash can help ensure your site remains engaging by allowing you to create menus specific for logged-in users, as well as redirect users on login to a specific page such as a course dashboard.
You’ll need to install a payment gateway eCommerce plugin if you plan on charging for your courses. LearnDash comes with very limited payment abilities, so I recommend that you install WooCommerce (free) or a membership plugin like MemberPress to accept payments.
Create courses, lessons, and quizzes with LearnDash
If you’re looking to add professional online learning solutions to your WordPress website, LearnDash is the answer. With LearnDash, you can easily create stunning, engaging courses, lessons, and quizzes – quickly and with minimal effort. Creating content like this doesn’t need any coding knowledge as it’s made simple with drag-and-drop features.
You’ll use LearnDash’s course builder to outline the course, lessons, topics, and quizzes and then go to each page and add your content.
Another great feature of LearnDash is the ability to add multimedia elements like audio, video, and images to make learning interactive. You can also create custom quizzes that will help you assess how well your students are understanding the material.
Add content to your courses, lessons, and quizzes
Adding content to courses, lessons, and quizzes is an essential step for setting up an interactive and informative learning environment. With WordPress and LearnDash, this process can be managed in a practical way. This collaboration enables users to add a variety of items such as videos, PDFs, images, progress tracking tools and so much more.
Plus the ability to integrate with other third-party platforms that have complimentary tools for the learning platform can save time on the setup process. In addition to adding content to your courses and lessons directly, you can also check out additional features like badges or certificates to recognize completed work which will incentivize learners towards successful outcomes. Ultimately, these steps give learners a comprehensive understanding of the material presented while bringing value to both instructors and participants alike.
Create a learner dashboard page for course access
Finally, you’ll want to create a page learner profile for each student so they can track their progress and easily access their courses after they log in to your site. You can create this page by going to WordPress dashboard > Page > Add New and then adding a LearnDash shortcode to the content area of the new webpage. This page can be named dashboard, my courses, online learning profile, academy, or whatever else you want to call it. After you create this page, you’ll set this page as the “redirect after login” page in the Uncanny Owl Modules. A simple example of a course dashboard is shown below. The LearnDash courses are shown using the shortcode:
[ld_course_list mycourses="true" col="3"]
With these steps, your site is now prepared and ready for online learning with LearnDash! With the right setup and plugins, you can create an exciting and interactive platform that will keep learners engaged in their studies.
Now that you know how to create a website with WordPress and LearnDash, it’s time to get started! Follow the steps outlined in this blog post and you’ll be on your way to creating beautiful courses, lessons, and quizzes.
If you need help along the way, be sure to download our free LearnDash Tech Checklist. The checklist includes everything you need to get started with LearnDash, from essential plugins to must-have software. So what are you waiting for? Get started today and see how easy it is to create a website with WordPress and LearnDash.