Decided you want to create a website with WordPress? Good choice. There’s a reason why it powers a huge chunk of the Internet’s websites. It’s a great content management system (CMS) for both novices and experts alike, giving you far more control over the look and feel of your website than many alternatives. Its plethora of free themes of plugins also can’t be beaten.
But it can be intimidating to someone unfamiliar with everything. So this step-by-step guide on how to create a website using WordPress should help you get started. Let’s dive in.
1. Register a Domain and Get Hosting
Everything starts with a name, your online journey is no exception. So be sure to choose a domain that reflects who you or your business is. Best practices are to keep it short and memorable, with a recognizable top-level domain such as .com. For example, I want to start a business and finance-related blog and I pick a domain Businesstofinance for my blog. Next is deciding where your website will live. There are myriad web hosts online, but make sure you pick one that you can easily sync to WordPress, otherwise it’ll be a hassle.
You can choose to register your domain somewhere different from your web host.
2. Choose a WordPress Theme
Once your site has a name, hosting is set up, and WordPress is installed and ready to go, it’s time to decide on the design of your site. WordPress makes it so easy with themes. There are thousands to choose from, and you can easily customize them to fit your vision. Many free options are also available, so you’re sure to find something that fits your budget. Just make sure that the theme comes from a trusted developer and is updated often. If a theme hasn’t been updated in a while, don’t use it. Regular updates are required so that it doesn’t become vulnerable to malware and other common threats.
3. Pick Your Plugins
Another enormous appeal of WordPress is its plugins. Without these, adding functionality to your site would be a pain if you don’t have much technology. With WordPress plugins, you can do it with the click of a button. Whether you want to add forms, comment filtering, SEO functionality, or anti-malware software to your site, you will find a plugin for it. Like with themes, check that the developer is trusted and that the plugin was recently updated before you add it to your site. Otherwise, your site could be left vulnerable to malicious actors from the get-go, which is the last thing you want.
Conclusion
And there you have it! Launching a WordPress site is not all that complicated in the end. You can have a website ready to go in just a few hours and get your name out there. Create good quality content and start your site.
