How to Create a WordPress Website on Your Localhost
In today’s world, where almost everyone has access to a computer, the ability to create a blog or a website and share your thoughts and ideas with the world is more accessible than ever before.
Whether you’re an accomplished writer or designer, or you simply enjoy sharing your opinion with others, creating a website where you can express your creativity is more achievable than ever before.
If you’re looking to create a personal website or blog, WordPress is the ideal solution. Launched in 2007, WordPress is a free, open source content management system (CMS) that allows you to build stunning websites and blogs with ease.
What’s more is WordPress is constantly being updated and developed to make building websites and blogs even more seamless and enjoyable.
Choose Where You’ll Host Your Blog
One of the first things you should do when preparing to create a WordPress website is to choose where you’ll host your blog. Since WordPress is a CMS, it operates on a server (computer) and allows you to select the physical location that will house your blog. This location can be either on-site (within your own network) or off-site (on a remote server).
There are numerous benefits to hosting your blog on a remote server. With an off-site blog, you’re free to move it anywhere you please. If you choose, you can even run multiple sites from a single remote host. Off-site hosting is ideal for people who want to blog about a variety of topics because it provides complete freedom of movement. You can also use a tool like Cpanel to manage your site(s) from a single dashboard.
On-site hosting is convenient because you’re able to use the WordPress dashboard to administer your site. However, you’ll need to have a powerful computer or server to pull off on-site hosting. If you plan on featuring videos or other large file types, like images, you’ll need to look into dedicated hosting as well. If you do decide to go this route, make sure to invest in a quality video camera to capture those precious moments beautifully.
Create Your Blog
The next step in creating a WordPress website is to create your blog. While it’s ideal to use a tool like WordPress to create your blog, you’ll need to have some basic HTML knowledge to pull it off. In this tutorial, we will show you how to create a basic WordPress website from scratch so that you can begin exploring the world of blogging.
To get started, visit the WordPress website and click on the Get Started button. This will take you to the WordPress dashboard. From here, you’ll need to choose a Blog Name and a Plan. The Blog Name is the name you’ll use to identify your blog. The Plan refers to the level of commitment you wish to make to the platform. The Plan can range from Free to Pro.
Once you’ve made your selection, click on the blue Continue button.
You’ll then be taken to the WordPress menu where you can choose from a variety of free blogging platforms. If you’re looking for something more robust, like incorporating videos, engaging social media, or selling and displaying products, you’ll need to move to a premium plan. However, if you just want to write and get your thoughts out there, the free plan is ideal.
Install WordPress To Your Hard Drive
The next step in creating a WordPress website is to install WordPress to your hard drive. To do this, simply follow the on-screen instructions. Be sure to note the URL (web address) of the WordPress installation once completed. You can then use this URL to access your blog whenever you’re ready.
If you’ve opted for on-site hosting, you’ll need to visit your hosting provider and input the details for your blog into a specific area of their website. Once this is done, you’ll be able to click on the Activate button and begin using WordPress.
Configure Your Blog To Your Taste
Once you’ve installed WordPress to your hard drive, you’ll need to configure your new blog. To do this, visit your WordPress dashboard and click on the Settings button. This will bring you to the WordPress Settings screen. Here you can make numerous changes to personalize your blog. You’ll want to look into the following areas:
- Appearance
- Reading
- Discovery
- Comments
- Navigation
- Sorting
- Reading Time
- Meta
As you make changes to your WordPress Settings, you’ll notice a small change at the top right corner of the WordPress dashboard. This is the Settings Screen –> Overview screen.
From here, you can always return to the Settings menu and make further edits to suit your needs. Remember, the more you edit, the more you’ll discover about WordPress and its capabilities. Explore the Settings menu and make your blog the best it can be!
Create Your First Post
Now that you have a blog set up and ready to go, it’s time to write your first post. In this tutorial, we will walk you step-by-step through the process of creating your first blog post so that you can begin exploring the world of blogging.
To get started, visit your WordPress dashboard and click on the Post button. This will take you to the WordPress Post screen. Here, you can make numerous changes to the content and appearance of your blog post. Be sure to click on the Save Draft button at the top right to save your changes.
Then, using the Discussion panel (below the Post area), you can leave a comment to introduce yourself to the blogging community. Feel free to include a link to your blog or social media accounts in your comment if you’d like. This will help potential readers find your blog if they’re searching for information on your topic.
Make Every Post An Event
Every post on your blog can be an event, an announcement, or a press release. This means that you can use the post section of your blog to tell the world about something amazing that happened in your life or to share information about a brand new product you launched or business you started.
When you choose this theme, you’ll notice that the post section allows you to write a variety of content in a chronological order. You can use the publishing date as a guide to inform the content of your post.
For example, if you write about a new product you launched or an exciting announcement you made, you’ll want to write about it next season (in the future). If you write about an event that happened in the past, you’ll want to write about it in the present tense. This is because events, by their nature, happen in the present. When you write in the present tense, you’re telling the reader the story as it is happening. You can’t change the past, but you can write about it in the present tense to create a better understanding of what happened.
Curate An Awesome Blogroll
An important step in creating a successful blog is to have an awesome blogroll. A blogroll is a list of blogs that you subscribe to and regularly read. When other bloggers write about topics you’re passionate about, you’ll want to make sure they know about your blog. The best way to do this is to curate an awesome blogroll.
To get started, visit your WordPress dashboard and click on the appearance button. This will take you to the Settings screen for WordPress –> Blogger. Here you can connect your blog to various platforms like Twitter, Tumblr, and LinkedIn to begin sharing content with your followers. While you’re at it, you can also connect your blog to Google+ so that your readers can share your content on social media with the click of a button.
Then, using the Dashboard widget area, you can place a widget on your site to display your curated blogroll. This will keep your readers informed of your latest publications and allow them to find new blogs to follow.
Find Niche Blogging
Now that you have a blog set up, you may want to explore the topic areas that you’re passionate about and see if there are any niches within those topics that you can dive into. If you’re looking to write about fashion, for example, you may want to explore wearable technologies or the fashion industry itself. If you want to write about lifestyle, you may want to consider exploring the design industry or the art of living comfortably.