In the digital era, every startup requires a website to run the business online. So, creating a website is the most crucial decision for any new beginner.
For that, you need a platform on which to create your website. There are tons of great platforms for creating your website, but we recommend WordPress as the best on the market. Why? For starters, WordPress is free, open-source and beginner-friendly.
So, what is WordPress?
WordPress is one of the most popular Content Management Systems (CMS) in the world. It is used for creating websites. Almost 36% of the world’s sites are built on WordPress.
Your WordPress site comes with options for themes and plugins. One of the best things about WordPress is that you do not need to hire a WordPress developer to create your site. It is very flexible to work in, and even novice users can work within the platform effectively.
In this article, we are going to review some steps to help beginners create a professional WordPress site.
Step by Step Guide to Build a WordPress Website
The following serves as a step-by-step tutorial on how to make an attractive website using WordPress. We have divided the guide into different steps from start to finish. Just follow the instructions, and you’ll be on your way to launching a professional website.
Let’s get started!!
Table of Contents
Step 1: Get a Web Hosting and Domain Name
The first and foremost step is to create web hosting and purchase a domain name. A domain name is the web address of the website, for example, Sitename.com, and Web Hosting is a service that connects your site to the internet. Here is a great guide to website hosting if you want to learn more.
To store the images, content and website files, you need web hosting. Without web hosting, your website will not be visible on the Internet.
To have your own domain has a significant impact on the audience as it looks more professional, and it is very affordable.
Most hosting providers offer domains FREE for one year (usually ~$15/year).
You can purchase the hosting service and domain after selecting the plan from a web hosting company like Bluehost. Bluehost is the largest hosting company in the world. They also recommended hosting partners and offer a variety of packages, all at affordable prices.
After that, you will get an option to choose a domain name. Always Double-check your domain name to avoid any typing error. On the next screen, you will be asked for the domain name.
Make sure that your domain name is be related to your business and is something that visitors can easily pronounce and spell. After you’ve selected the domain, click on the Next button to continue further.
Now, You have to fill in account information such as name, address, email, etc.
Step 2: Install the WordPress
You can see the numerous options on the screen. Choose the option to install WordPress and click on the get started button to continue further.
On the next page, you will be asked about the domain name where you want to install WordPress. Select your domain name from the domain dropdown field and click on the Next button.
Step 3: Select the WordPress Theme
After completing the previous step, go to yourwebsitename.com/wp-admin and type the username and password you previously entered during the WordPress installation process.
Now, select your theme to determine the visual appearance of your WordPress site. Here is a great article offers insights into some high-performance theme options.
WordPress themes are professionally designed templates that you can install on your website to change the look and layout of the website.
Install the theme that is suitable for your business.
One of our favorites is the Bento theme. It is a popular, multi-purpose, free WordPress theme with flexible design options for all kinds of websites.
WordPress will show you the theme in search results. You will need to take your mouse over to the theme and then click on the Install button.
Once you’ve installed the theme, you can customize the theme settings on your website. To get the WordPress theme customized properly, you can take assistance from a WordPress theme customization service provider, they will help you to create the site you’re looking for and get your setup to compete.
Step 4: Installing WordPress Plugins
Install the theme that is suitable for your business. Then add plugins. These can help boost the performance of your site. They can help with SEO, social media, integrations and much more.
Plugins are the piece of code written to perform specific functions or sets of tasks on your website.
A simple example would be a social sharing plugin; it helps to share your content across different social platforms and advise you to get the word out that your content is incredible. We also recommended a lead collection plugin. Poptin is a great place to start.
There are more than 49,000 free plugins available for WordPress. Some of the plugins are paid plugins sold by third-party websites and developers.
In the next step, create a powerful navigation menu system, and add in your WordPress theme, utilizing this system to display menus.
Navigation menus allow your users to browse different pages or sections on your website.
In the next step, choose the right background color for your website. Websites have different backgrounds that make the visual experience better for the customer. Choose a powerful background image that will make your website look different.
Step 5: Add the Content to your Website
WordPress includes two content types – posts and pages. You can get into custom post creation, but for the purpose of this article, we will stick with the basics. The post is part of the blog and appears in the reverse order.
Pages are the static type of content that tells you about the company, products and service, contact information, privacy policy and more. Your blog can be seen in front of the page if you like, but typically you will have a static homepage.
WordPress shows any page on the front-page of your website. You can create a separate page for your blog in the news section. You can also create a website without any blog section at all.
To add new pages, head over to Pages–> Add New page in the WordPress admin area.
After adding the pages you can add images, audio, video and other elements to enhance the page. Once you are happy with the content on the page, click on the publish button to make it live. To add a few blog posts, you can go to the posts component in your WordPress admin area and create a post similar to how you created a page.
Step 6: Customize your Website Appearance
Now you have created the content of your website and you can create a nicely designed home page for people to land on.
First, set up a static front page. Go to the setting→ reading page in your WordPress admin area. In the next step, change the website title and tagline.
Don’t forget to click on the save changes button to store your settings.
Your Profile
After completing all the steps, you can easily edit the profile from “edit your profile” on the WordPress admin screen
In this, you can describe yourself and add the necessary social media links as well.
You’ll need an account from WordPress.com with which you can log in to your site’s admin panel.
Wrapping Up
Above we have discussed some of the essential steps that will help to guide you in creating a WordPress website.
Creating a website helps to generate new revenue, boost awareness, collect leads and achieve other important business goals.
We hope this guide will help you to learn how to make a website without hiring a developer to lower your spend.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comment section.
Thank you for reading!
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