How to Create a WordPress Website for Beginners
WordPress is the most popular PHP-based content management system (CMS) in the world, receiving over 23 million downloads and powering over 16% of the worlds’ websites. With its simplistic UI and flexibility, it’s the perfect platform for beginners to experiment with and build their first website.
If you’re looking to dive in and build a website with WordPress, this article will guide you on how to create your first WordPress website from scratch, step by step.
Step 1: Sign Up
The first step to creating a WordPress website is to sign up. Simply navigate to https://wordpress.com/ and click Sign Up (or Get Started if you’re on mobile). You’ll then be presented with the Sign Up page where you can enter a username and create a secure password. Don’t worry, we’ll be covering basic security a few paragraphs below.
As a beginner, you’ll want to go with the free account. This will give you unlimited use of the WordPress platform with no limitations on how many sites you can create, how many posts you can create, or how much text you can enter into your posts.
Step 2: Choose A Theme
Now that you have a free WordPress account, it’s time to choose a theme. When we say theme, we’re referring to the design of your website’s overall look. There are hundreds of beautiful and customizable themes available, from which you can pick the one that suits you best.
There are several things you should consider when choosing a WordPress theme. First, make sure the theme looks like a professional, polished website. This will impact your visitors’ experience and keep them coming back for more.
Also, ensure that the theme works properly across all devices and browsers, especially mobile devices. You’ll want to make sure all devices and browsers display the site the same way, otherwise, you’ll have a bad user experience.
Step 3: Configure Your Site
Once you’ve chosen a theme, it’s time to configure your site. Simply enter a desired domain name for your site in the General section (ex. blog.example.com) and click Save Changes. Now, you’ll be presented with a confirmation screen where you can click Confirm. This registers your site and lets you begin using it immediately.
You can also add more domains to your account by going to your dashboard and clicking on Settings. You’ll then be able to add an API key for the domains you own.
Now, it’s time to customize your site with relevant content. To do this, navigate to Appearance and click on the Reading tab.
Here, you can enter the content for your site’s front page, about page, and blog posts. Make sure to grab the attention of your visitors with a great opening sentence (for the about and blog pages) and a strong call to action (for the front page).
Once you’ve finished the opening sentence, you’ll have a brief description of what the page is. Feel free to edit this area to add more information about what the page is and why it’s important.
Step 4: Install WordPress
With your site now configured, it’s time to install WordPress onto your server. Simply go to your hosting providers’ website and click the install WordPress button.
Once installed, you’ll be presented with the Dashboard screen where you can enter a welcome message and set up your blog. Choose a password for the newly created admin account and click Change Password, Save Changes, and click Dashboard to get to your new WordPress site.
This completes the installation of WordPress. However, before we move on, it’s important to secure your WordPress install. This will protect your site from being hacked or damaged by another person or entity.
Navigate to Settings and click Security. Here, you’ll be able to set up a security key that will allow you to login to your WordPress site in the event that you lose your password. You can also change the login URL to something more secure like https://loginnb.wordpress.com.
Step 5: Launch Your Blog
Now that your WordPress site is set up, it’s time to launch your blog. Simply go to Dashboard and click Start a Blog. You’ll then be presented with the Choose a Blog Name screen where you can enter a blog name for your site.
On this screen, you’ll also be able to choose a signature photo for your blog. Once you’ve chosen your photo, click Save. This will then bring you to the Publish screen where you can add content to your blog.
You can also add more blogs to your account by going to your dashboard and clicking on Settings. From here, you can set up a blog name for each domain you own.
Step 6: Add More Domains
If you have several domains registered under your username, it’s time to add more domains. Simply go to Dashboard and click on Settings.
Here, you’ll be able to add additional domains that are registered under your account. This is useful if you own multiple blogs or websites that you wish to monetize. To add a domain, simply enter the domain name in the appropriate field and click Save Changes. Now you can continue with the setup of your new WordPress sites.
Step 7: Setup Email Automattic Free Account
If you’re interested in monetizing your blog, it’s time to setup email automation with the free account you created above. Simply go to Settings and click on Email. From here, you can select the different campaigns you wish to use (e.g., grow with blog.example.com, find me more customers with customer.example.com, etc.) and enter the emails of your subscribers/ users in the field below.
You can opt-in or opt-out of emails from your list and you can manage your email campaigns from here as well.
Step 8: Customizing Your Analytics
If you’re looking to analyze the performance of your blog, it’s time to customize your analytics. Simply go to Settings and click on Analytics. Here, you can enter your site’s tracking ID. This is a uniquely identifying string of characters that will allow you to login to your Google Analytics account and perform various tasks, such as viewing detailed analytics or analyzing traffic via Google Maps. To create a tracking ID, simply go to Dashboard and click Settings. On this screen, you’ll be able to enter a tracking ID that belongs to your website.