Setting up your WordPress website can seem like a daunting task if you’ve never done it before. Fortunately, one of the best things about WordPress is that it is very user-friendly and intuitive. Just about anyone can do it!
While the technical side of setting up a WordPress website isn’t complicated, knowing what to put on your website and how to make it work for you is.
However, before we get to the steps, let’s clarify what a WordPress website is, why to choose one, and what to consider before starting to build a website using WordPress.
What is a WordPress?
WordPress is free and open source CMS (Content Management System) written in PHP and integrated with MySQL/MariaDB database. In simple words, WordPress is a free and open platform, a website builder, where you can create simple and easy websites for your business and blogs.
WordPress has tons of features, including templates where you can just plug in your information and create a website, plugins, add-ons, different themes, and more.
There are other ways to build websites, but WordPress has always been the most popular and most widely used open source platform for building websites. Wondering why so many of people choose WordPress on any other platform?
Why choose WordPress to build a website?
Although WordPress was first designed as a platform for blogging and related publishing, it is now the platform on which one-third of all Internet sites are based. This is thanks to the many advantages of WordPress for website owners, such as:
Flexibility and adaptability
You can do almost anything on WordPress, from small businesses to e-commerce stores. Whatever you choose to do, WordPress will adapt.
User friendly
A WordPress site can be up and running in minutes, even if you have no technical skills. All you need is a domain name and a web hosting account.
Plugins and Themes
While WordPress themes offer you a wide range of choices in the appearance and functionality of your site, plugins are specific functions that meet the specific needs of your website, such as shopping carts, contact forms, galleries, etc. , and more.
Ranking is high
Because WordPress sites are large in number and update content regularly, they include plugins and a variety of tools that help them create scheduled and optimized content – they often rank higher than other websites. on that are not built on WordPress.
In addition to these benefits, there are other reasons people choose WordPress, including the fact that WordPress sites are mobile responsive, have a built-in blog, and offer excellent customer service.
Now that you are aware of the benefits of a WordPress website, you should also know not to confuse WordPress.com with WordPress.org – the two are different. Learn more below.
WordPress.org vs WordPress.com – which one is for you
People often mistakenly believe that .org and .com are the same wordpress.
WordPress.org is when you host your site on WordPress, which means you have complete freedom to change and customize the web design – if you’re familiar with how WordPress works. Recommended. You can get the most customizable website builder when hosting your site.
On the other hand, WordPress.com is when WordPress.com takes care of your website including hosting. Thus, you will have less freedom in your web design. However, it is simple and easy – recommended if you are a newbie.
Now that you know the background of WordPress and how easy it can be for you to create a website, let’s learn how to create a WordPress website.
How to Build WordPress Website
Here are ten easy steps to get started on WordPress. Just follow them, and you’ll be up and running in no time.
Step 1: Define your site.
Before you do anything involving WordPress, you need to pick your niche. Trying to develop a WordPress website about something that’s been done 10,000 times isn’t going to be beneficial. If your WordPress site isn’t for an existing business, make sure you pick a topic that genuinely interests you so it won’t feel like a chore to update your site now or months down the road.
Step 2: Choose a domain name.
Your domain name should relate directly to the niche you chose in step 1, and it should be a name that is easy enough for customers to remember that they will never forget it. Doing some keyword research can also be helpful. Stuck on a particular name, but the .com is taken? Try .net or .co.
Step 3: Get web hosting
Your next step is to find a reliable web host to handle your site. Here at HostPapa, we offer industry-leading servers and infrastructure. Our multilingual customer support is available via chat, email and telephone. We also maintain an extensive knowledge base and video tutorials. What about shared vs dedicated servers?
Shared web hosting will be fine in most cases, and is very popular among WordPress users. Learn more about the types of web hosting below.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is the most basic type of web hosting. It’s like renting a house with one or more roommates – in the case of web hosting, the number of sharers is up to a few thousand. When you purchase shared hosting, your business domain will be hosted on the server and all websites that have shared the same hosting as you.
The most important benefit of shared hosting is cost. Since the same web hosting service is being offered to thousands of parties, the cost of the server is spread out, and service providers can offer much cheaper rates. Secondly, shared hosting is very easy and simple, perfect for beginners.
Although shared hosting is good, it can sometimes have a bad neighbor effect, causing slow speeds or downtime. Even the customer service line gets jammed. Another drawback is that you cannot customize your web environment, which will affect other websites. Overall, shared hosting is good.
VPS Hosting
While shared hosting is like renting an apartment with roommates, VPS hosting is more like renting a unit in an apartment building.
VPS hosting is far more desirable than shared hosting because of its multiple advantages, including reliability, better and even resource allocation, flexibility, and the ability to increase the number of resources available to you.
That being said, VPS hosting can be much more expensive than shared hosting, depending on the web hosting provider.
Step 4: Install WordPress.
At the risk of stating the obvious, once you’ve got your web host and domain name, it’s time to install WordPress and get up and running. At HostPapa, installing WordPress is incredibly easy and only takes a few minutes with our Softaculous Script Installer.
Step 5: Choose your WordPress theme.
Next, you need to decide on a design them in for your WordPress site. Thousands upon thousands of themes are available, ranging from absolutely free to upwards of hundreds of dollars. When selecting your theme, try to ensure that it makes sense for both the topic of your site and the layout and content you plan to publish.
Among WordPress theme premium WordPress theme choices, you’ll find a set of ready-made options for various topics. These include business, services, beauty, fashion, photography, education, food, and many others. Each of them can become an excellent base for the site that you have always dreamed about.
One of the most popular WordPress premium themes is Monstroid2 – a very lightweight multipurpose theme with a drag-and-drop builder.
Step 6: Install WordPress plugins.
A WordPress plugin is a program written in the PHP scripting language that adds specific features or services to a WordPress website. WordPress plugins provide a lot of customization and flexibility to your WordPress site, as well as valuable features and tools for your visitors.
You may not start out with many plugins, but the more you use WordPress, the more your site will benefit. Some of our favorites include JetPack and Yoast SEO. You can find the Plugins option from your WordPress admin dashboard.
Step 7: Complete your administrative pages.
Important pages include your contact page, about page, privacy, and disclaimer page. Eliminate them before you focus on adding content to your site – after all, it’s easier to add them later when you’ve published all the other, more interesting stuff! These pages also serve to protect both you and your site visitors.
Step 8: Publish your WordPress site.
After publishing the main administrative pages, it’s time to start adding interesting content. Whatever your niche, you want to make sure you add enough quality content for your readers. Make your pages visually rich, and in addition, make it a priority to keep adding new content regularly. If blogging, add at least one image to each post. Not only does this give your readers something to share on social media, it also makes your content more engaging. Whether you decide to add content daily, weekly, or monthly, creating a content calendar will help keep you on track.
Step 9:Marketing!
Marketing your new site is a two-fold effort. First, SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Make sure your pages have relevant keywords in their title, description and body text. Second, take the time to promote your site in every possible way. Free options include using forums on social media sites and emailing regular newsletters. You can also consider guest posting and commenting on blogs, forums and communities to increase your social links and link popularity.
Step 10: Back up your site.
Your content is your most valuable asset, so make sure you back up your site! For your blog, this means backing up your content in case of a crash, so you don’t have to start over. If you don’t back up posts, plugins, and affiliate links, it may take you a while to get back on your feet. If you don’t have time to back up your site regularly, your web host should offer an alternative. HostPapa, for example, offers a fantastic automated website backup service that only takes a few minutes to set up – no need to worry about backing up your site again!
Also, cost is a factor that puts many people on the fence about building a website. Although we mentioned building a website on WordPress initially – which is true because WordPress is free if you don’t opt for additional premium services.
There you have it – WordPress in ten easy steps!