Mastering Total: A Comprehensive Guide to Building Powerful WordPress Websites

Total is a premium, multipurpose WordPress theme renowned for its flexibility, extensive customization options, and performance. It’s a powerful tool for creating a wide range of websites, from simple blogs to complex e-commerce platforms. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know to effectively use Total and unlock its full potential.

## I. Getting Started: Installation and Basic Setup

### 1. Purchasing and Downloading Total

* First, you need to purchase Total from ThemeForest. Go to ThemeForest (themeforest.net) and search for “Total WordPress Theme.”
* Once you’ve found it, purchase a license.
* After purchasing, navigate to your ThemeForest account and download the theme package. Make sure you download the “Installable WordPress file only” to avoid unnecessary files.

### 2. Installing Total

There are two primary ways to install a WordPress theme:

* **Via the WordPress Dashboard:**
* Log in to your WordPress admin panel (usually at yourdomain.com/wp-admin).
* Navigate to **Appearance > Themes > Add New > Upload Theme**.
* Click **Choose File** and select the Total theme ZIP file you downloaded.
* Click **Install Now**.
* Once the installation is complete, click **Activate**.

* **Via FTP (File Transfer Protocol):**
* Use an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla, Cyberduck) to connect to your web server.
* Navigate to the `wp-content/themes/` directory on your server.
* Unzip the Total theme ZIP file on your computer.
* Upload the unzipped `total` folder to the `wp-content/themes/` directory.
* In your WordPress admin panel, navigate to **Appearance > Themes**.
* Find the Total theme and click **Activate**.

### 3. Activating Your Theme and Installing Required Plugins

* After activating the theme, you’ll be prompted to install the required plugins. These plugins are essential for Total’s functionality and include:
* **WPBakery Page Builder:** A drag-and-drop page builder that allows you to create visually appealing and complex page layouts.
* **Templatera:** Allows you to create, manage, and assign templates to various parts of your website.
* **Slider Revolution:** A premium slider plugin for creating engaging slideshows and other dynamic content.
* **Total Theme Core:** Contains essential theme functionalities and custom post types.
* (And potentially other plugins depending on the demo you choose).

* Click the “Begin installing plugins” link.
* Select all the plugins, choose “Install” from the bulk actions dropdown, and click “Apply.”
* After the plugins are installed, select them again, choose “Activate” from the bulk actions dropdown, and click “Apply.”

### 4. Importing a Demo (Optional but Recommended)

Total comes with several pre-designed demo websites that you can import to quickly set up your website’s structure and content. This is a great way to get a head start and customize from a pre-built foundation.

* In your WordPress admin panel, navigate to **Appearance > Theme Panel**.
* Click on the “Demo Importer” tab.
* Browse the available demos and choose the one that best suits your needs.
* Click the “Import” button for the selected demo.
* Follow the on-screen instructions, which typically involve selecting which data to import (e.g., content, options, widgets). Be aware that importing a demo will overwrite existing content unless you specify otherwise.
* Wait for the import process to complete. This may take a few minutes depending on the size of the demo.

## II. Customizing Your Website: Theme Options and Page Builder

### 1. Understanding the Theme Panel

The Theme Panel is the central hub for customizing Total’s global settings. You can access it by navigating to **Appearance > Theme Panel** in your WordPress admin area.

* **General Settings:** Control basic site settings like logo, favicon, preloader, and responsive settings.
* **Typography:** Customize the fonts used throughout your website, including headings, body text, and navigation menus. You can choose from hundreds of Google Fonts or upload your own custom fonts.
* **Colors:** Set the primary and secondary colors for your website, as well as colors for specific elements like headers, footers, and buttons. Consider using a color palette generator for inspiration and consistency.
* **Header:** Configure the header layout, logo position, menu styles, search functionality, and other header-related options. Total offers a variety of header styles to choose from.
* **Footer:** Customize the footer layout, widgets, copyright text, and other footer-related settings.
* **Blog:** Configure blog settings, such as the blog layout, featured image sizes, and excerpt lengths.
* **Portfolio:** Customize the portfolio settings, including the portfolio layout, item spacing, and filters.
* **WooCommerce:** (If WooCommerce is installed) Configure settings related to your online store, such as product display, cart page, and checkout process.
* **Social:** Add your social media profiles to be displayed on your website.
* **Performance:** Optimize your website’s performance by enabling features like minifying CSS and JavaScript files, and lazy loading images.
* **Advanced:** Access advanced settings such as custom CSS, custom JavaScript, and import/export theme options.

### 2. Using WPBakery Page Builder

WPBakery Page Builder is a powerful drag-and-drop page builder that allows you to create custom page layouts without coding. Total is tightly integrated with WPBakery, making it easy to create visually appealing and functional pages.

* **Accessing the Page Builder:**
* When creating or editing a page, you’ll see two options: “Backend Editor” and “Frontend Editor.” The Backend Editor allows you to build your page layout in the WordPress admin panel, while the Frontend Editor allows you to build your page layout visually on the front-end of your website.

* **Understanding the Interface:**
* **Rows:** Rows are the fundamental building blocks of your page layout. You can add rows and then divide them into columns.
* **Columns:** Columns divide rows into sections. You can adjust the width of columns to create different layouts.
* **Elements:** Elements are the content blocks that you add to your columns, such as text blocks, images, buttons, headings, and more.

* **Adding Rows and Columns:**
* Click the “Add Element” button to add a new row.
* Choose the number of columns you want in the row. You can also customize the column widths by dragging the column dividers.

* **Adding Elements:**
* Click the “+” icon in a column to add an element.
* Browse the available elements and choose the one you want to add. Total provides a wide range of custom elements designed specifically for the theme, in addition to the standard WPBakery elements.
* Configure the element’s settings, such as text, images, colors, and styling options.

* **Moving and Editing Elements:**
* Drag and drop elements to move them within the page layout.
* Click the pencil icon to edit an element’s settings.
* Click the clone icon to duplicate an element.
* Click the trash icon to delete an element.

* **Saving Your Changes:**
* Click the “Update” button to save your changes.

* **Key WPBakery Elements in Total:**
* **Text Block:** Add and format text content.
* **Single Image:** Insert and display images.
* **Button:** Create clickable buttons with custom text, links, and styling.
* **Heading:** Add headings with different sizes and styles.
* **Separator:** Add a horizontal line to visually separate content.
* **Icon:** Insert icons from various icon libraries.
* **Social Share:** Add social sharing buttons.
* **Video:** Embed videos from YouTube, Vimeo, or other sources.
* **WPBakery Total theme Custom Elements:** Total extends WPBakery with elements specifically designed to integrate with the theme, like Portfolio grids, staff carousels, call to action boxes, pricing tables, and more.

### 3. Customizing Headers and Footers with Templatera

Total uses Templatera to manage custom headers and footers. This gives you incredible flexibility in designing these important website elements.

* **Creating a Custom Header or Footer Template:**
* Navigate to **Templatera > Add New**.
* Give your template a descriptive title (e.g., “Homepage Header”, “Default Footer”).
* Use the WPBakery Page Builder to design your header or footer template. You can add any elements you want, including logos, navigation menus, social media icons, contact information, and more.
* Publish the template.

* **Assigning a Header or Footer Template:**
* **Globally:**
* Go to **Appearance > Theme Panel > Header** or **Appearance > Theme Panel > Footer**.
* Select your custom header or footer template from the dropdown menu.
* **Per Page/Post:**
* When editing a page or post, look for the “Total Theme Settings” meta box. You may need to enable this in the ‘Screen Options’ at the top of the WordPress admin screen.
* In the “Header” or “Footer” section, select your custom header or footer template from the dropdown menu.

### 4. Working with Custom Post Types (Portfolio, Staff, etc.)

Total often includes custom post types like Portfolio and Staff to help you organize and display specific types of content. These post types have their own dedicated sections in the WordPress admin panel.

* **Portfolio:**
* Use the Portfolio post type to showcase your work, projects, or case studies.
* Navigate to **Portfolio > Add New** to create a new portfolio item.
* Add a title, description, featured image, and other relevant details.
* Assign the portfolio item to categories and tags to help users filter and find your work.

* **Staff:**
* Use the Staff post type to introduce your team members or employees.
* Navigate to **Staff > Add New** to create a new staff member profile.
* Add a name, job title, bio, photo, and social media links.

* **Displaying Custom Post Types:**
* You can display custom post types using WPBakery elements like the “Portfolio Grid” or “Staff Carousel.” These elements allow you to customize the layout, filtering, and display options for your custom post types.

## III. Advanced Techniques and Best Practices

### 1. Optimizing Performance

* **Image Optimization:** Use optimized images to reduce file sizes and improve page load times. Tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim can help you compress images without sacrificing quality.
* **Caching:** Implement a caching plugin like WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache to store static versions of your pages and reduce server load.
* **Minifying CSS and JavaScript:** Minify your CSS and JavaScript files to remove unnecessary characters and reduce file sizes. Total’s Theme Panel often includes options for minification.
* **Content Delivery Network (CDN):** Use a CDN like Cloudflare or MaxCDN to distribute your website’s content across multiple servers, improving load times for users around the world.
* **Lazy Loading:** Enable lazy loading for images and videos to load them only when they are visible in the viewport, improving initial page load time.
* **Choose a good hosting provider:** A fast and reliable hosting provider is crucial for website performance.
* **Database Optimization:** Clean up your database by removing unnecessary data and optimizing tables. Plugins like WP-Optimize can help with this.

### 2. Customizing with CSS and JavaScript

* **Custom CSS:** You can add custom CSS code to modify the appearance of your website beyond the options available in the Theme Panel. You can add custom CSS code in **Appearance > Theme Panel > Advanced > Custom CSS** or through the WordPress Customizer (**Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS**).
* **Custom JavaScript:** You can add custom JavaScript code to enhance the functionality of your website. You can add custom JavaScript code in **Appearance > Theme Panel > Advanced > Custom JavaScript**.
* **Child Themes:** For more extensive CSS or PHP modifications, create a child theme. This protects your customizations from being overwritten when you update the Total theme. You can download a sample child theme from the Total theme documentation.

### 3. Working with WooCommerce (If Applicable)

* **Installing WooCommerce:** Install and activate the WooCommerce plugin to turn your website into an online store.
* **Configuring WooCommerce Settings:** Configure WooCommerce settings, such as currency, shipping methods, and payment gateways.
* **Adding Products:** Create and manage your products, including descriptions, images, pricing, and inventory.
* **Customizing the Shop Page:** Customize the shop page layout and product display using Total’s WooCommerce options.
* **Using Total’s WooCommerce Elements:** Use Total’s WPBakery elements designed specifically for WooCommerce, such as the product grid and product slider, to showcase your products.

### 4. SEO Best Practices

* **Keyword Research:** Research relevant keywords that your target audience is searching for.
* **On-Page Optimization:** Optimize your website’s content, including titles, descriptions, and headings, with your target keywords.
* **Image Alt Text:** Add descriptive alt text to your images to improve accessibility and SEO.
* **Internal Linking:** Link to relevant pages within your website to improve navigation and SEO.
* **Mobile-Friendly Design:** Ensure your website is responsive and mobile-friendly.
* **Site Speed:** Optimize your website’s speed to improve user experience and SEO.
* **Install an SEO Plugin:** Use a plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math to help you with SEO tasks like keyword analysis, sitemap generation, and schema markup.

### 5. Taking Advantage of Total’s Resources and Support

* **Theme Documentation:** Total has extensive online documentation that covers all aspects of the theme.
* **Support Forums:** If you have questions or need help, you can visit the Total support forums.
* **Video Tutorials:** There are numerous video tutorials available that demonstrate how to use Total’s features.
* **Demo Websites:** Explore the demo websites to get inspiration and learn how Total can be used to create different types of websites.

## IV. Troubleshooting Common Issues

* **Plugin Conflicts:** If you experience issues after installing a plugin, try deactivating plugins one by one to identify the conflicting plugin.
* **Theme Updates:** Keep your theme and plugins updated to ensure compatibility and security.
* **Cache Issues:** Clear your browser cache and website cache to ensure you’re seeing the latest version of your website.
* **White Screen of Death:** If you encounter a white screen of death, try increasing your WordPress memory limit or disabling all plugins.
* **Contact Support:** If you’re unable to resolve an issue on your own, contact Total’s support team for assistance.

## Conclusion

Total is a versatile and powerful WordPress theme that offers a wealth of customization options and features. By following this comprehensive guide, you’ll be well-equipped to master Total and create stunning, high-performing websites that meet your specific needs. Remember to explore the theme’s documentation, take advantage of the support resources, and experiment with the various features to unlock Total’s full potential. Happy website building!