Best WordPress Website Building Tutorials
WordPress is the most popular blogging platform with a whopping 27% of the web population currently making use of it. In 2020 alone, WordPress sites saw a massive 39.9% rise in terms of average daily traffic, trumping even the huge growth of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
Since its inception in 2005, WordPress has become a synonym for blogging, but that doesn’t mean setting up a blog using this platform is the same as creating a fully-fledged website. While WordPress is easy to use and offers a wealth of features out of the box, this simplicity comes with a price — it is rather lacklustre when it comes to SEO.
Why Should You Build A Website Instead Of A Blog On WordPress?
A blog can be a completely free and independent entity, existing apart from the website it is published on, but a website is owned by a single entity and serves a single purpose — to bring in customers and make money.
Building a website is a more involved process than simply throwing up a blog on WordPress, and it is a process which requires research, planning and a willingness to put in the extra effort needed to make sure that the finished product is up to scratch and is going to perform as anticipated.
The good news is that even if you decide that you want to go the extra mile and build a professional looking website rather than a tawdry blog on WordPress, you can still do so and get all the benefits that come with having a web presence. Keep reading for some top tips on how to build a profitable WordPress website.
How Do I Start Building A Website?
If you’ve decided that you’d like to build a website for your business rather than just using WordPress to throw up a blog, the first thing you’ll need to do is register your chosen domain name(s). Don’t worry, this is a very straightforward process and can be completed in a matter of minutes.
To help you along the way and provide some much needed guidance, we have compiled a list of the top ten features that you should look out for and make sure are packed into your website’s design.
Even if you decide that you’d like to go the extra mile and build a professional website rather than a tawdry blog on WordPress, you can still do so and get all the benefits that come with having a web presence. Keep reading for some top tips on how to build a profitable WordPress website.
1. Typography
When it comes to setting up a website, the typography is one of the most basic yet fundamental aspects which affect the look and feel of the entire site. The good news is that with web fonts you don’t have to worry about fitting all your letters into neat rows as there is often “overflow” built into the typeface — this means that when there isn’t enough room to display all the letters of the alphabet, the remaining characters are pulled down and bunched together to form a unique word or phrase. For example, the font Gotham has a built-in feature where the “O” in the word “Online” will actually form a question mark.
When choosing a web font it’s important to think about the look and feel of your website, how many different types of files you’ll need and what browsers you’re planning on supporting. If you’re planning on using a font that’s already been uploaded to a popular font library like Font Awesome or Google Fonts, make sure that the developer providing the font has given you the rights to use it for commercial purposes.
2. Navigation
Your website’s navigation is very important as it will dictate how easily your audience can navigate your content. When designing your website’s navigation, bear in mind the words of Yoda: “You must look at each step, not just the end result.” This means that you can’t simply jump to the end of the alphabet or click on the first link you come across because you’re ultimately aiming to provide the best and most convenient experience for your audience.
Instead, start by identifying the most important keywords or phrases that are relevant to your business and then work your way through the alphabet (with a little help from an experienced SEO consultant if necessary). Once you’ve got your navigation sorted, test it out by temporarily removing some of your content (such as product images) and then comparing how well your navigation works without the content to how it works with the content. If there is a significant difference, you’ve got some extra text that needs to be removed or additional text that needs to be added to make the navigation clearer.
3. Graphics
Similarly to the typography, your graphics will also affect the look and feel of your website but in a different way. Instead of using typefaces, you’ll be relying on images to create your website’s design — this is because when an image is loaded into a page, it instantly makes the entire page more visually appealing, grabbing the attention of browsers like Google and making your content easier to find.
There is a wide variety of stock photography websites which you can use to source images for your blog or website. Be sure to look for images with a high resolution so that you don’t end up with blurry text when scaling down your website’s pages to fit on a mobile device (such as an iPhone).
4. Colour
The colour of your website will depend on your target audience as well as your brand colors. If you are targeting a more “traditional” audience and are looking for a safe choice, go with grayscale because it is the most “traditional” of colors and it works well for most brands and industries alike. However, if you’re looking for a more unique approach and are willing to break with tradition, you can use colour to your advantage by picking a single colour and using it throughout the entire site.
The great thing about colour is that you can use it to create contrast and emphasis when used in conjunction with other design elements (such as typography). For example, if you use a dark blue colour for the navigation links on your site, the words “Searches” and “Products” will pop out at the viewer.
5. Layout
When discussing the layout of your website, you’re talking about the way that the content is structured and presented. You can have the most amazing content in the world but if the structure of the page doesn’t work for the way you want your content to be presented, then it’s all for nought. When laying out your website’s content, it’s a good idea to break down the different parts and work your way up from the smallest details to the largest. Start with the headline, followed by the sub-headline and then go from there.
For example, you may want to start with a bulleted list for the most important facts about your product or service because you think that these are the most crucial details for your target audience to know. Then you can move on to your first image or video and follow up with more information.
6. Content
The final piece of the puzzle is your content. This is everything from your written words to your images and videos — this is what your audience is going to be engaged with most of all. When it comes to the content, you want to ensure that everything is relevant, concise and well-written. Take your time and be sure to do your research — this is what will make or break your content strategy.
Above all else, make sure that your content is easily shareable. If you want customers to spread the word about your business, make sure that they can easily share what they’ve learned about you with their social media followers. To help you along the way and provide some much needed guidance, we have compiled a list of the top ten features that you should look out for and make sure are packed into your website’s design.
Even if you decide that you’d like to go the extra mile and build a professional looking website rather than a tawdry blog on WordPress, you can still do so and get all the benefits that come with having a web presence. Keep reading for some top tips on how to build a profitable WordPress website.