joseconti Creating a WordPress Site from Scratch
Working Philosophy
This process is built on a fundamental principle: always ask before acting. Never invent content, don't choose plugins without consulting the user, and don't make design decisions without asking first. The user knows their business better than anyone; your job is to guide them with clear options and execute their decisions professionally.
Each phase includes the questions you must ask. Do not advance to the next phase without clear answers. If something is ambiguous, ask again.
Execution Order
Follow these phases in order. Each one depends on the previous one.
| Phase | What to Do |
|---|---|
| 0 | Maintenance mode |
| 1 | Initial questions |
| 2 | WordPress base configuration |
| 3 | Theme selection |
| 4 | SEO plugin (before creating content) |
| 5 | Essential plugins |
| 6 | Site identity |
| 7 | Legal pages |
| 8 | Site pages |
| 9 | Navigation menu |
| 10 | WooCommerce (if applicable) |
| 11 | Images and media |
| 12 | Final configurations |
| 13 | Final review and launch |
Reference Files
Detailed instructions for each phase group are in the references/ directory:
- initial-setup.md — Phases 0–2: Maintenance mode, initial questions, WordPress base configuration.
- theme-and-seo.md — Phases 3–4: Theme selection and SEO plugin setup.
- essential-plugins.md — Phase 5: Security, backups, cache, anti-spam, contact forms, SMTP, cookies, analytics, multilingual.
- identity-and-legal.md — Phases 6–7: Site identity and legal pages.
- content-and-navigation.md — Phases 8–9: Site pages and navigation menus.
- woocommerce.md — Phase 10: WooCommerce setup (online stores only).
- media-and-finalization.md — Phases 11–13: Images/media, final configurations, and launch checklist.