The LaunchPad Setup Wizard makes launching a complete WordPress website as easy as answering a few questions. This comprehensive guide walks you through every step of the wizard process, from choosing your site type to viewing your finished website.
What is the LaunchPad Setup Wizard?
The LaunchPad Setup Wizard is an interactive, multi-step process that automatically configures your WordPress website based on your preferences. Instead of manually installing themes, plugins, creating pages, and building menus, the wizard handles everything automatically—typically in under 5 minutes.
The wizard uses a recipe system that bundles together the perfect combination of theme, plugins, pages, and settings for your specific site type (Blog, Business, or Portfolio).
Before You Begin
Before starting the wizard, make sure:
- WordPress is installed on your hosting account
- LaunchPad plugin is activated through Plugins → Installed Plugins
- You have admin access to your WordPress dashboard
- Your hosting meets minimum requirements (PHP 7.4+, WordPress 6.0+)
If you’re new to WordPress, check out the official WordPress installation guide.
Step 1: Launch the Setup Wizard
To begin:
- Log into your WordPress admin dashboard
- Navigate to LaunchPad → Setup Wizard in the left sidebar
- Click the “Start Building” button on the welcome screen
Important: If you see a warning message stating you already have a site built, you have two options:
- Go to Customizer: Edit your existing site
- Start Over: Reset and create a new site (removes previous wizard changes)
Step 2: Choose Your Site Type
The first step asks you to select a recipe that matches your website goals:
Blog Recipe
Perfect for bloggers, writers, and content creators. Includes:
- Blog-focused homepage layout
- Recommended plugins: Yoast SEO, Akismet Anti-Spam
- Pages: Home, Blog, About, Contact
- Category and tag archive templates
Business Recipe
Ideal for small businesses, agencies, and professional services. Includes:
- Professional business homepage with multiple sections
- Recommended plugins: Contact Form 7, WordPress SEO
- Pages: Home, About, Services, Contact
- Service showcase features
Portfolio Recipe
Best for designers, photographers, and creative professionals. Includes:
- Portfolio-focused homepage
- Recommended plugins: Portfolio Gallery, Jetpack
- Pages: Home, Portfolio, About, Contact
- Project case study templates
How to Choose: Click the card that best matches your website’s purpose. Don’t worry—you can customize everything in the next steps. Learn more about WordPress site types.
Step 3: Customize Your Branding
The branding step lets you define your site’s visual identity:
Site Name and Tagline
- Site Name: Your website or business name (e.g., “Acme Design Studio”)
- Tagline: A short description of what you do (e.g., “Creative Web Design & Branding”)
These appear in your header, browser tabs, and search results.
Logo Upload
Click “Upload Logo” to add your company logo:
- Recommended size: 200-400px wide
- Supported formats: PNG (with transparency), JPG, SVG
- Transparent background recommended for flexibility
If you don’t have a logo yet, you can skip this and add one later in Appearance → Customize → Site Identity.
Color Scheme
Choose from 7 professionally designed color combinations:
- Professional Blue
- Vibrant Orange
- Natural Green
- Elegant Purple
- Modern Teal
- Warm Red
- Minimal Black
Pro Users: Click “Custom Colors” to select your exact brand colors with the color picker.
Typography (Font Pairing)
Select a font combination for headings and body text:
- Inter: Modern & Clean (same font for both)
- Playfair Display + Lato: Elegant & Classic
- Merriweather + Open Sans: Traditional & Trustworthy
- Raleway + Roboto: Sophisticated & Modern
Pro Users: Choose “Custom Combination” to select any Google Fonts.
Learn about typography best practices.
Step 4: Select Plugins
This step shows two types of plugins:
Recommended Plugins
These are pre-selected based on your chosen recipe. Each plugin includes:
- Plugin name and description
- Active installations and rating
- Purpose and benefits
You can uncheck any plugins you don’t want to install. However, we recommend keeping essential plugins like contact forms and SEO tools.
Browse Additional Plugins (Pro)
Pro users can click “Browse More Plugins” to:
- Search WordPress.org’s 60,000+ plugin library
- Filter by Popular, Featured, or Recommended
- Read plugin details, ratings, and reviews
- Add additional plugins to your selection
Important: The wizard recommends keeping plugin selection under 5 during setup to avoid server resource issues. You can always install more plugins later from Plugins → Add New.
Step 5: Select Your Theme
Choose which theme to install and activate:
Recommended Themes
Your recipe includes pre-selected themes optimized for that site type. The LaunchPad Bundle theme is included and recommended for all recipes—it’s a professionally designed theme with 10 customizable homepage sections.
Browse More Themes (Pro)
Pro users can browse thousands of WordPress.org themes:
- View theme screenshots and previews
- Check ratings and active installations
- Read theme descriptions and features
- Select from responsive, modern designs
Click on any theme card to see more details before selecting it.
Step 6: Choose Content Preference
Select how you want your initial content:
With Sample Content (Free & Pro)
The wizard generates complete sample content including:
- Full homepage with multiple sections
- Inner pages with placeholder text
- Sample blog posts (for Blog recipe)
- Portfolio items (for Portfolio recipe)
This is recommended for beginners as it gives you a complete starting point.
Empty Placeholders Only (Pro)
Pro users can start with a clean slate:
- Pages are created but contain minimal content
- Homepage sections are present but empty
- Menu structure is built but minimal
This is ideal if you already have your content ready and want to add it yourself.
Step 7: Review and Build
The final step shows a summary of your selections:
- Site name and tagline
- Selected recipe
- Chosen theme
- Selected plugins (count)
- Branding choices (colors and fonts)
Review everything carefully, then click “Build My Site” to start the automated installation process.
The Build Process
Once you click “Build My Site,” LaunchPad performs these actions automatically:
- Installing Theme – Downloads and activates your selected theme
- Installing Plugins – Downloads, installs, and activates selected plugins
- Generating Content – Creates pages using Gutenberg blocks
- Building Navigation – Creates and assigns primary and footer menus
- Applying Branding – Configures colors, fonts, and logo
- Importing Images – Downloads Unsplash photos (if applicable)
- Finalizing Setup – Configures settings and permalinks
This typically takes 2-5 minutes depending on how many plugins you’re installing. Do not close your browser or navigate away during this process.
After the Build Completes
When the wizard finishes, you’ll see:
- A success message with a checkmark
- “View Site” button to see your new website
- “Go to Customizer” button to make further changes
Recommended Next Steps:
- View Your Site: Click “View Site” to see the result
- Customize Content: Go to Appearance → Customize to edit homepage sections
- Replace Sample Content: Edit pages under Pages → All Pages
- Add Your Content: Create new blog posts, portfolio items, or service pages
- Test Contact Forms: Ensure contact forms work and receive submissions
- Review Settings: Check Settings → General and Settings → Reading
Troubleshooting Common Issues
“Plugin installation failed”
- Cause: Server timeout or connectivity issue
- Solution: Go to Plugins → Add New and manually install the failed plugin
“Theme couldn’t be installed”
- Cause: Theme already installed or server permissions
- Solution: Check Appearance → Themes to see if theme is available
“Build process stopped”
- Cause: Server timeout or resource limit
- Solution: Click “Reset All” under LaunchPad → Setup Wizard and try again with fewer plugins
Pages created but menu is empty
- Cause: Menu assignment issue
- Solution: Go to Appearance → Menus, select your menu, and assign it to “Primary Menu” location
Viewing Activity Logs
To see detailed information about what the wizard did:
- Navigate to LaunchPad → Activity Logs
- View logs filtered by type: Info, Error, Warning, Success, Debug
- Use the search to find specific actions
- Check timestamps to track the build timeline
Activity logs are helpful for troubleshooting and understanding exactly what changes were made to your site.
Conclusion
The LaunchPad Setup Wizard streamlines WordPress site creation by automating dozens of tedious tasks. By following this guide, you can launch a professional, fully functional website in minutes instead of hours.
For more advanced customization options, check out our guide on customizing your LaunchPad homepage sections or explore the WordPress Customizer documentation.
Ready to build your site? Navigate to LaunchPad → Setup Wizard and start creating!