Joomla Made Simple

Want to Create a Joomla Website?

We'll show you how with our step-by-step videos!

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Joomla: Free Software, Professional Websites

Join the thousands who use Joomla to create and edit attractive, functional websites.

Joomla is a powerful tool, but it has a steep learning curve. After struggling to learn Joomla on their own, many people eventually give up, deciding that it's too complex to learn.

Don't let this happen to you!

Our step-by-step walk-through will help you master basic functions and then explain some of Joomla's more advanced capabilities.

 
Eight Lessons in the Joomla Made Simple Course

One: Installing Joomla. How to install Joomla and get a basic site up and running on your domain.


Five: Sections and Categories. How to use Joomla's structure to create and manage large websites with minimal effort.

Two: Adding Pages to Your Site. Once you know how, it's as easy as creating a Word document.

Six: Blogging with Joomla. How to add a blog to Your Joomla site.

Three: Using Joomla Modules. How to use Joomla "modules" to add different types of content to your website.

Seven: Multimedia Content. How to use images and videos to give your site more appeal to visitors.

Four: Templates. How to choose and install one of the thousands of free templates available to give your site a unique look and feel.

Eight: Joomla Extensions. How to use extensions to add advanced functions to your site.
 
Lesson Descriptions:

Course Introduction

We begin by looking at what Joomla is capable of. The goal is to show you all the features Joomla can provide. Once you see all the different things you can do with Joomla, you won't be able to help yourself from brainstorming new functions for the site you plan to create, and perhaps even more sites to build in the future.

How to Install Joomla and Create a Site on Your Domain

The first step to getting started with Joomla is to install it and get a bare-bones site up and running on your domain. We guide you through the installation process and point you in the direction of a hosting company that will install Joomla for you for no extra cost. 

How to Add Pages to Your Site

You'll see a screencast tutorial of the most fundamental skill required by Joomla: creating new pages and publishing them on your site. Once you've got this down, you'll be amazed by how easily you can add content to your website.

Using Modules to Add Functionality to Your Site

Joomla has a number of built-in functions called modules that allow you to easily add advanced functions to your site. For example:

  • Dynamic navigation menus that change depending upon what section of your site a visitor is viewing.
  • RSS Syndication that allows users to subscribe to your site--or a blog on your site--so that they will automatically be notified of updates.
  • Highlighting of your best content (Automatically keeps track of what content on your site is most popular, then suggests that content to users while they're visiting your site.)
  • Automatic publication of news from other related sites.

Using Templates to Customize Your Site

This is where things really start to get fun. By this point your site will be completely functional, and you will have added some content to it. Now it's time to make it your own!
 
With thousands of free templates to choose from, you're sure to find one that fits your organization's purpose and personality. Also, once you see how quick it is to install and activate a template, you'll have a great time trying them out on your own site to find your favorite.

How to Create and Manage a Large Site With Joomla

Some organizations only need a site with a few pages. But others have much bigger plans. In this lesson we show you how Joomla's built-in content hierarchy system can be adapted to your own site to make it easy to manage hundreds or even thousands of pages.

How to Add a Blog to a Joomla Site

This lesson covers one of the most popular topics in the current online environment: blogging. We show you how to create a blog using Joomla.

Using Images and Videos to Add Visual Appeal

Adding some images and a video here and there can really spice things up. Also, multimedia content helps to draw in your visitors, increasing the likelihood that they'll stick around long enough to do whatever it is you want them to do.

Using Extensions to Add Advanced Functions to Your Site

The Joomla developer community has created thousands of extensions that you can add to your site to give it more advanced functions. As an example, one popular extension can be used to create a forum for visitors to your site. We show you how to download and install these extensions.