A Beginner’s Guide on How to Create a WordPress Website

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A Beginner’s Guide on How to Create a WordPress Website

Creating a website using WordPress can seem like a daunting task. We’re here to help with this beginner’s guide on how to create a WordPress website.

Hoping to learn how to create a WordPress website?

After all, it powers a majority of websites on the Internet today. It’s one of the most versatile platforms out there. It has more plugin support and themes compared to options like Wix or Squarespace.

Unfortunately, it can seem quite intimidating for some people. Don’t worry, we’re here to help. Continue reading our step-by-step list below to learn how to create a WordPress website for beginners:

Picking a Plan

Starting a WordPress website requires you to pick one of two options: deciding between WordPress.com or WordPress.org. Both are free but there are a few subtle differences between them.

WordPress.com allows you to start for free, providing a free domain and hosting plan, but you can opt to pay for premium features. WordPress.org is free as well but finding and pay for a domain name and hosting is all up to you. The latter also requires a lot more tinkering and plugins, which makes it the less user-friendly choice between them.

If you want to make a website using WordPress and you want to keep it simple, the .com version already offers all you need. It’s the simplest WordPress for beginners. For those aiming for a professional, fully customised, high-end site, it’s better to go with the .org version.

WordPress Hosting and Domain Name

Did you go with a plan from WordPress.com? If you did, you don’t have to worry about hosting or domain name. You can get both from the free service but these are quite restrictive.

For a commercial website, you’ll want more a dedicated hosting service, managed services, a unique domain name, and more. You can only get that by signing up with WordPress.org.

Of course, this does mean you’ll need to pay for hosting services and a domain. If you’re on a tight budget, you can get a shared hosting plan or a VPS. For those with a bigger budget, it’s better to get a dedicated hosting plan.

Installing WordPress

If you’ll use any hosting provider other than the one provided by WordPress, you’ll need to install it on your PC or Mac. You can also get it on your mobile device too. The best way to install WordPress is to do so through your hosting provider.

Depending on your hosting provider, you’ll have to go down to your settings and then applications. From there, select WordPress and install.

After installing, you’ll go through a process to get your site started. More importantly, you’ll have to set up your domain name. If you already bought a domain name, you can integrate it into your WordPress site here.

Keep in mind that if you used managed WordPress site services, you won’t have to go through most of this process.

Selecting a Theme

Your site is, on paper, ready to launch. However, it will look as plain as paper. Your next step is to pick a theme and this will determine how it looks and how pages behave.

There are free themes to choose from. However, this is not the optimal route. Picking free themes means you risk having a site that looks like millions of others.

Instead, opt for a paid WordPress theme. Premium themes will cost you but you get more customization options. Some might have better options for plugin and widget support too, which helps make your site more efficient and more beautiful.

Finalising Pages and Posts

The next step is to finalize your pages. You’ll want a homepage, About Us, Contact Us, and a page dedicated to your products or services. Don’t forget to add a page solely for blog posts.

Those are the five main pages to start with. However, don’t limit yourself to those starter pages. You can later add pages to highlight your team, customer reviews, affiliate programs, and more.

Don’t forget to keep your blog section updated. Blog posts will keep your site active and boost your SEO efforts. A blog also provides endless opportunities to keep pumping out content people can revisit and backlink to.

Add Plugins

Every professional WordPress website needs a few plugins. You’ll need a plugin to manage on-page SEO, for example, and plugins to help you manage comments, promote social media accounts, and optimize images.

There are even plugins that help you build your site from the ground up, such as Elementor or Divi. The good news is that these plugins don’t even require deep coding knowledge. You can use Divi to redesign a WordPress website with simple drag-and-drop methods.

Other plugins will help you run your business. You’ll need plugins for better signup forms to build your email list, for example.

Customise Your Site

Page speed is one of the first things to work on. People will abandon a site if pages take over 3 seconds to load. The best products or web design can’t save a website that can’t retain visitors.

Use tools like a heatmap to study the most clicked or viewed sections of your site. You can use the information to further edit pages and put important sections in people’s lines of sight.

More importantly, you’ll need to hire professionals to further help you improve your website. They have the tools and experience to analyze every aspect of your WordPress site and identify areas that require improvement.

Analyze and Improve

After going live, you’ll need to keep coming back to your analytics tools and study different metrics.

Study details like the conversion rate of your landing pages, the speed of important pages, and the strength of backlinks leading to your content. This does mean you’ll need to invest in professional tools like SEMRush and SpyFu. It’s also a good idea to hire professionals to run regular audits for your site.

Now You Know How to Create a WordPress Website

Learning how to create a WordPress website can feel intimidating at first. This step-by-step guide keeps the process in order and you can always revisit this list when you feel a little lost.

Fortunately, you don’t have to look further. We’re here to guide you through the process by providing some of the best hosting packages. Don’t hesitate to check out our managed hosting services right here!