Having a website is more crucial than ever for small businesses, eCommerce stores, bloggers, and webmasters. A website serves as your virtual storefront, providing a platform to showcase your products, services, or ideas to a global audience.
Your website can be a powerful tool for establishing your online presence, attracting potential customers, and engaging with your target audience. Learning how to create a website with WordPress is not difficult.
Get started by following these essential first steps:
- Identify website goals and choose a platform
- Choose a domain and hosting provider
- Design your website
- Customize your website
- Learn about plugins
- Learn about WooCommerce
- Secure your website
- Learn about promoting your website
Identify website goals
Learning how to create a website starts with deciding its primary purpose. You’re creating a website for a reason. Maybe it’s to sell a product or a service. Or maybe you need a place to put your ideas.
Given the time and the money you put into getting a website up and running for your business, it should be a means to an end. But, of course, that end is decided by you, whether it’s building your email list, selling your products on your e-commerce store, or gaining clients. Ask yourself a few questions before you begin to create a website:
- Why do you want to build a website?
- What features will your website need to be successful?
- What will take center stage?
- How will you define success relative to your website?
There’s no right or wrong answer to these questions! As long as they’re meaningful to you and actionable.
Key benefits of using WordPress as a platform for website creation.
Our advice? Try WordPress. We think it’s better than Wix, Weebly, Shopify, or Squarespace, because it gives you control over each aspect of the web building process. WordPress isn’t just a website builder. It’s the leading content management system (CMS), powering over one-third of the web.
When it comes to creating a website, WordPress stands out as a leading platform that offers numerous benefits. As an intuitive and user-friendly content management system, WordPress empowers even non-technical users to build professional and visually appealing websites with ease. With its vast library of themes and plugins, WordPress provides unparalleled flexibility and customization options, allowing you to tailor your website to suit your unique needs. Moreover, WordPress is highly scalable, making it suitable for both small blogs and large eCommerce websites. Its robust community support and regular updates ensure that your eCommerce website remains secure and up-to-date.
In addition, WordPress is search engine friendly, facilitating better visibility in organic search engines’ results. Its robust community support ensures that you have access to resources, forums, and updates, further enhancing your website’s performance and security. Embrace the advantages of WordPress and unlock the potential for success in your online journey.
Get ready to create a WordPress website that captivates your audience, delivers valuable content, and achieves your goals!
Choose a domain and hosting provider
The first step in starting your WordPress journey is to register a domain name and secure web hosting. Consider a reliable web hosting provider like Bluehost, which offers seamless integration with WordPress. With Bluehost, you can easily register a domain name that reflects your brand and select a suitable hosting plan that aligns with your website’s needs.
When you choose Bluehost for your website hosting, we’ll install WordPress with a single click.
Tips for buying a domain name
Now, it’s time to let the creative juices flow by choosing a domain name. Selecting a domain name and hosting it are crucial to building your website because they represent your online identity. But first, let’s break down what a domain name is. A domain name is your website’s address. Otherwise known as a URL. For example, the domain name for bluehost is bluehost.com.
How to choose a domain name – When you are considering your domain name options, think of keywords, phrases, or slogans that will help your brand stand out from the competition. You want your domain to be short, catchy, and easy for users to remember so they have no problem typing it into a web browser.
Related: How to choose a domain name for your business or website
Take Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Apple for example. They’re more than just successful brands. They’re successful domains! Each domain is unique, easily recognizable, and easy to pronounce.
Using a domain name generator is an excellent resource to make sure that your domain name isn’t currently in use. It can also provide creative alternatives, like using a different top-level domain (TLD). A TLD is a domain extension. In other words, it’s what follows the “dot” after the end of a web address. The standard TLDs are .com, .org, or .net. But you can also consider creative TLDs like .me, .io, .xyz, .bio., and .blog.
Tips for choosing a website hosting plan
After you decide on the best domain, you’ll want to find the right website hosting plan.
But why are there so many hosting options? A reliable web host like Bluehost offers a variety of hosting plans to cater to websites of all sizes. Think of hosting plans as the online “home” for your site. You’re essentially renting a space for your website to reside and the size of your home depends on your individual needs. With all hosting plans, you can enjoy essential features like site security and maintenance, as well as services to help you build a website in the first place.
When you’re choosing a WordPress hosting plan that’s right for you, there are a number of factors to be conscious of:
- How many websites do you want to create?
- What kind of files and creative will you be using on your website that might impact the amount of storage you’ll need?
- Do you need a high level of customization, security and reliability?
For most business owners, shared web hosting is the way to go. It’s more cost-efficient, because you’re sharing hosted space with several customers. Plus, security and maintenance updates are managed by the hosting company.
That said, there are also options for dedicated and VPS hosting that give you more control over your own designated space. So it really depends on what hosting package fits your needs.
Installing WordPress with Bluehost
The beauty of Bluehost is that it simplifies the process of installing WordPress on your hosting account. Once you sign up, the WordPress installation comes automatically, saving you time and effort. Bluehost’s seamless integration ensures that you can dive straight into building your website without any technical hurdles.
After the installation, you can access your WordPress website by logging into the WordPress admin dashboard. Simply enter your login credentials, and you’ll be greeted by a user-friendly interface where you can manage every aspect of your website, from customizing the design to creating engaging content. The WordPress admin dashboard puts you in control, empowering you to shape your online presence with confidence and ease.
Accessing WP Admin with Bluehost
When you log into your Bluehost account manager, the first thing you’ll see is your homepage.
Click on Hosting. This will take you to an overview of your hosting plan and the sites you currently own.
If you click on the three dots to the right of your site, you’ll be able to login to your website. It will take you straight to your WP admin!
Choosing a website design and theme
You probably have no idea how to start if you’re not a website designer. Luckily, WordPress has hundreds of customizable themes for you to choose from! And if you’ve selected Bluehost as a web host, WordPress is automatically installed for you. So you don’t have to worry about the installation process. You can immediately pick a theme.
Selecting the right theme for your website is crucial as it sets the tone and establishes the visual identity of your online presence. A well-chosen theme can captivate visitors, convey your brand’s personality, and enhance user experience. It’s essential to invest time in finding a theme that aligns with your website’s purpose and appeals to your target audience.
Related: How to choose a WordPress theme
When exploring WordPress themes, you have two primary options: the official WordPress theme directory and premium theme marketplaces. The WordPress theme directory offers a vast collection of free themes you can easily browse and install directly from your WordPress admin dashboard. On the other hand, premium theme marketplaces like ThemeForest provide a wide range of professionally designed, feature-rich themes for a fee.
As you evaluate themes, consider factors such as design, responsiveness, customization options, and user reviews. The design should be visually appealing, reflecting your brand’s aesthetics and creating a positive impression. Ensure that the theme is responsive, meaning it adapts seamlessly to different devices and screen sizes, providing an optimal user experience. Customization options are essential to tailor the theme to your specific needs without requiring coding expertise. Lastly, user reviews and ratings should be taken into account to gauge the desired theme’s reliability, performance, and support from the theme developer.
Remember, choosing the right theme is an investment in your website’s success. Take the time to explore various options, compare their features, and envision how they align with your brand. By selecting a theme that resonates with your audience and supports your goals, you’ll be on your way to creating a visually stunning and engaging website that leaves a lasting impression.
How to install a WordPress theme in WP admin
Let’s get on the same page first: the homepage of your WP admin.
Next, hover over Appearance in the left menu. It will open another menu with three options.
Choose Themes. This will take you to an overview of the themes you’ve already installed.
There are two options for you to add a new theme. Either click on the large square with the plus sign in the center of the page. You can also click on Add New. This button is between the title and the search bar at the top of the page.
You’ll be taken to an overview of all the available themes.
Here, you can scroll until you find one that suits you! If you hover your cursor over a theme, you’ll have the option to Preview what the theme looks like, or immediately Install it for your website.
After you’ve clicked on Install, the theme will install and be available in your Themes overview.
However, it’s not yet used on your site. To do so, simply click on Activate after you’ve clicked on Install.
Customize your website using WordPress Customizer – or – WonderSuite by BlueHost
Option 1: WordPress Customizer
The WordPress Customizer is your gateway to personalizing your website and giving it a unique touch. It provides an intuitive interface that allows you to make real-time changes and see the results instantly. With the Customizer, you have the power to customize various aspects of your site and truly make it your own.
Start by customizing the site’s title, tagline, and logo. These elements play a significant role in brand recognition and establishing your website’s identity. Choose a compelling site title and tagline that accurately represent your brand’s essence. Additionally, upload a professional logo that reinforces your visual identity and makes your website easily identifiable.
The Customizer also enables you to customize the layout, colors, fonts, and background of your own website pages. Select a layout that suits your content structure and enhances user experience. Experiment with color schemes that align with your brand’s aesthetics and evoke the desired emotions. Choose fonts that are easy to read and reflect your brand’s personality. Lastly, set a background that complements your overall design and adds visual interest.
Enhance the functionality of your website by adding widgets and menus and integrating social media. Widgets allow you to add useful elements such as a search bar, recent posts, or a contact form to your sidebar or footer. Create menus to improve navigation and make it easy for visitors to explore your site. Integrate social media buttons to encourage sharing and expand your online presence.
With the WordPress Customizer, the possibilities for customizing your website are endless. Take advantage of this powerful tool to create a visually appealing, user-friendly, and engaging online presence that truly represents your brand.
Option 2 (Highly Recommended): WonderSuite by Bluehost
WonderSuite by Bluehost is a comprehensive digital co-pilot that simplifies the process of setting up a website using WordPress. It offers a range of products designed to guide and empower users throughout their website-building journey.
- WonderStart provides a personalized onboarding experience that seamlessly integrates user inputs into the website creation process.
- WonderTheme is a versatile WordPress theme that allows users to showcase their websites effectively.
- WonderBlocks is a library of customizable block patterns and templates tailored to suit the specific needs of each user.
- WonderHelp is an AI-powered guide that offers step-by-step instructions within the site builder, eliminating the need for external searches.
- WonderCart is an eCommerce feature that maximizes online sales with cross-selling and upselling functionalities.
With WonderSuite, users can confidently create a stunning website that reflects their vision and captivates their audience, without the need for coding or design skills. It streamlines the website setup process, making it effortless, personalized, and exceptional.
Learn more about WonderSuite, our easy WordPress website builder today.
Creating posts, pages, and managing website content
In WordPress, understanding the difference between posts and pages is essential. Posts are typically used for blog-like content, where you publish articles, news, or updates in chronological order. They are listed in reverse chronological order on your website’s blog page and can be organized into categories and tags. On the other hand, pages are more static and are used for static content like the About Us, Contact, or Services pages. They are not organized by date and provide timeless information.
Creating and formatting engaging content in WordPress is a breeze with its user-friendly editor. The editor offers a familiar interface, similar to a word processor, where you can compose your content, add headings, format text, and create lists. Use this powerful tool to craft compelling articles that captivate your audience. Remember to keep paragraphs short, utilize bullet points, and use subheadings to enhance readability.
Enhance your content by adding images, videos, and other media elements. Visuals play a crucial role in engaging readers and conveying information effectively. Insert relevant images and optimize them for web use to maintain fast loading times. Embed videos from platforms like YouTube or Vimeo to provide dynamic content. Additionally, consider using infographics, charts, or diagrams to present data or complex information visually.
Organize your content by utilizing categories and tags. Categories help in structuring your content and creating a logical hierarchy. Choose broad topics that your content falls under and assign appropriate categories to each post. Tags, on the other hand, provide more specific descriptors for your content. They enable visitors to find related articles easily and improve overall website navigation.
With WordPress’s power, you can create and manage compelling content seamlessly. Whether you’re publishing blog posts or creating informative static pages, utilize WordPress’s features and flexibility to engage your audience and deliver valuable information in a visually appealing manner.
Extending website functionality with plugins
WordPress plugins are powerful tools that expand the functionality of your website. They are like add-ons that can be installed to enhance specific features or add new capabilities to your WordPress site. Plugins offer endless possibilities, allowing you to customize and optimize your website according to your unique requirements.
When it comes to essential plugins, there are a few categories that every website owner should consider. Firstly, security plugins help protect your site from potential threats and vulnerabilities. They offer features such as firewall protection, malware scanning, and login security to keep your website secure.
SEO plugins, such as Yoast SEO, are crucial for optimizing your site’s visibility in search engine results. Yoast SEO plugin allows for keyword optimization, sitemap generation, and meta tag management.
Performance optimization plugins help improve your site’s speed and load times, ensuring a smooth user experience. They can cache your content, minify CSS and JavaScript files, and optimize images. Social sharing plugins make it easy for visitors to share your content on social media platforms, boosting your own website traffic’s reach and engagement.
How to install a WordPress plugin
Again, let’s head to the homepage of your WP admin first.
On the left, you’ll see the option Plugins. If you hover over this, it will open a little menu with three options.
Choose Add New.
You’ll see an overview of all the plugins you can download. Feel free to use the tabs: Featured, Popular, and Recommended to browse through everything WordPress has to offer!
If you want to install a plugin, simply click on Install Now.
When it’s installed, you’ll see the button change to Activate. If you click on Activate, your new plugin will work on your site!
Most plugins have configuration settings that you can access from the “Plugins” or “Settings” menu, allowing you to customize their behavior according to your preferences.
Take advantage of the vast array of plugins available to enhance your website’s security, improve SEO, optimize performance, and encourage social sharing. Carefully select and configure plugins that align with your goals and ensure that they are regularly updated for compatibility and security. With the right combination of plugins, you can extend the functionality of your WordPress site and take it to new heights of success.
Fill in the blanks with content and create a superior user experience
A user-friendly website is key to attracting and retaining visitors. When users have a positive experience navigating your site, they are more likely to stay longer, engage with your content, and convert into customers or loyal readers. Ensuring a seamless user experience is crucial for the success of your website.
Responsive design and mobile optimization are essential elements of a user-friendly website. With the increasing use of mobile devices, it’s vital that your site looks and functions well across different screen sizes. Responsive design allows your website to automatically adapt and adjust its layout to provide an optimal viewing experience on smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers. Mobile optimization involves optimizing your site’s loading speed, minimizing large images, and ensuring that navigation is easy and intuitive on mobile devices.
Improving site speed and performance is another crucial aspect of enhancing user experience. Slow-loading websites frustrate users and lead to higher bounce rates. Utilize caching plugins to store static versions of your site, enabling faster loading times. Optimize images by compressing them without sacrificing quality. Minify CSS and JavaScript files to reduce their size and improve loading speed. Regularly update plugins and themes to ensure compatibility and security.
Consider implementing techniques like lazy loading, which loads images and content only when the user scrolls to them, further improving web page speed. Additionally, utilize content delivery networks (CDNs) to distribute your site’s files across multiple servers, reducing the distance between the user and your website’s data.
By prioritizing user experience through responsive design, mobile optimization, and site speed improvements, you create a welcoming and engaging environment for your visitors. Remember, a user-friendly website not only boosts engagement and conversions but also builds a positive brand image and fosters long-term relationships with your audience.
How to create the first page of your website
Alright, let’s start at the homepage of your WP admin.
Next, you’ll want to hover over Pages in the left menu. It will open up another menu with two options.
Choose Add New.
You’ll be taken to a a new page, blank page where you can start adding your content. Good luck!
Consider adding a blog to your site
Blogs are fairly commonplace nowadays. They make it easy to share ideas, develop a brand, and also drive traffic. Because blog posts are a perfect place to work on your SEO by trying to rank for certain keywords. But a blog can also position your brand as an expert on a certain topic.
Just make sure that you write about topics that your audience wants to read. You can create a beautiful space filled with words and images, but if it’s not useful to your visitors then what’s the point?
How to add a blog post to your website
Let’s look at how to add a blog to your website. First, it’s important that you have a theme installed that supports a blog. Luckily, most WordPress themes support blogs.
In the WP admin menu on the left, hover over Posts. It will open another menu with four options.
Choose Add New.
This will take you to an empty post, where you can start writing your first blog post. It’s as easy as that!
Consider adding an online store using WooCommerce
Setting up an online store using WordPress is made easy with plugins like WooCommerce. WooCommerce is a powerful and popular eCommerce solution that seamlessly integrates with WordPress, providing you with all the tools necessary to create and manage your online store. To get started, install and activate the WooCommerce plugin from the WordPress plugin directory. Once activated, WooCommerce will guide you through the initial setup process, helping you configure essential settings such as currency, shipping options, and tax rules.
With WooCommerce, adding products to your online store is a breeze. From the WooCommerce dashboard, you can easily create product listings, including details like title, description, pricing, and images. You can organize your products into categories and assign attributes such as size, color, or material. WooCommerce offers extensive customization options to showcase your products in the best possible light.
Configuring payment gateways is crucial for facilitating secure and convenient transactions. WooCommerce supports various popular payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net. Simply choose the payment gateways that suit your business needs and follow the provided instructions to set them up. This allows your customers to make purchases using their preferred payment methods.
Managing orders is a fundamental aspect of running an online store. WooCommerce provides a comprehensive order management system, allowing you to track and process orders with ease. From the WooCommerce dashboard, you can view and fulfill orders, generate invoices, and update order statuses. You can also manage inventory, set up automated email notifications to keep customers informed and handle refunds or returns.
With WooCommerce and WordPress, you have a robust and flexible platform to build and grow your online store. Take advantage of its user-friendly interface, extensive customization options, and powerful features to create a seamless shopping experience for your customers.
Ensure WordPress security
Website security is of utmost importance to protect both your business and your users’ data. A secure website not only builds trust but also safeguards sensitive information from unauthorized access or malicious attacks. It is crucial to prioritize website security and make it a top priority in your online presence.
B. Implementing essential security measures is the first step in fortifying your website. Start by using strong, unique passwords for all user accounts and regularly update them. Enable two-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security. Regularly back up your website’s files and databases to ensure you can restore them in case of a security breach or data loss. Keep your WordPress core, themes, and plugins up to date to patch security vulnerabilities and benefit from the latest security enhancements.
Security plugins can provide an additional layer of protection to your WordPress website. Popular security plugins like Wordfence, Sucuri, or iThemes Security offer features such as malware scanning, firewall protection, and login security measures. Configure these plugins to block suspicious activities, monitor file changes, and receive notifications about potential security threats. Implement best practices such as limiting login attempts, blocking IP addresses with suspicious activities, and securing your website’s login page.
It’s essential to follow security best practices, such as using secure hosting, implementing SSL certificates to encrypt data transmission, and securing your website’s database. Regularly monitor your website for any signs of security breaches or unauthorized access. Educate yourself and your team about common security threats and stay informed about emerging vulnerabilities to proactively address them.
By prioritizing website security, you can protect your business and your users’ data, instill confidence in your website visitors again, and maintain a positive online reputation. Remember, investing in website security is an investment in the long-term success and trustworthiness of your online presence.
Launching and promoting your website to generate more traffic
Before launching your own WordPress website, performing a final review is crucial to ensure everything is in order. Proofread your content, checking for spelling and grammatical errors. Take the time to review all pages, posts, and media files, ensuring they are correctly formatted and visually appealing. Check for broken links and make sure all internal and external links are working properly. This attention to detail will ensure a smooth and professional user experience.
Once your website is ready to go, it’s time to promote it and drive traffic to your WordPress website. Utilize social media platforms to share your website and engage with your target audience. Create compelling and shareable content that encourages interaction and encourages readers to visit your site. Implement search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to improve your website’s visibility in search engine results. Focus on relevant keywords, meta tags, and high-quality content that aligns with your target audience’s interests.
Consider online marketing techniques such as email marketing, paid advertising, and collaborations with influencers or relevant websites in your niche. Building an online presence takes time, so be patient and consistent in your promotional efforts.
Encourage readers to share your website with their networks and seek feedback from others. Emphasize the importance of user feedback in improving your website and creating a better user experience. Engage with your audience by asking for their thoughts, opinions, and suggestions. Create a sense of community and encourage them to share their experiences with your website.
Launching a website is an exciting milestone, but it’s just the beginning. Focus on promoting your website through various channels, engaging with your audience, and continuously improving your content and user experience. By leveraging social media, implementing SEO strategies, and seeking feedback, you can attract visitors, build a loyal following, and achieve your online goals.
Conclusion: You can create a website using WordPress!
In this article, we explored the process of creating a website with WordPress, catering to small business owners, eCommerce store owners, bloggers, and webmasters. We discussed the importance of having a website and highlighted the benefits of using WordPress as a versatile content management system. We covered the initial steps of registering a custom domain name, purchasing web hosting through Bluehost, and logging into the WordPress admin dashboard.
With WordPress, you have access to a user-friendly interface and extensive customization options, allowing you to create a website that reflects your unique vision. We discussed the significance of choosing the right theme and provided guidance on exploring the WordPress theme directory and premium theme marketplaces. We also touched upon customizing your website, creating and managing content, and extending functionality with plugins.
The possibilities to build a WordPress website are endless, and with the resources and guidance provided, you are equipped to embark on this exciting journey. I encourage you to take action today and start building your website. Remember, every step you take brings you closer to your goals. Embrace the enthusiasm and potential for success that comes with creating a website with WordPress, and enjoy the process of bringing your online presence to life.
