How to Make a Personal Website in WordPress?
It is said that a personal website is the New Blogger. Is this really true? Well, maybe not entirely. What is a personal website?
A personal website, or “professional blog” as it is often called, is a site that is dedicated to one person or a brand. The term “personal website” is usually used in reference to blogs, but it can also be applied to websites that are not. A personal website is a site that you maintain, largely, for yourself, or for the purpose of advertising or marketing a product or service. On a personal website, you are in complete control of the content, design, and functionality of the site.
Why Make a Personal Website?
You may ask yourself, “Why should I make a personal website? Aren’t blogs pretty much what I need?” Well, not necessarily. A blog is a content-driven website with a predefined subject matter and structure. While a blog can certainly be useful, creative, and, at times, even entertaining, it can still be considered a “professional” or “business” website because of its structure and content focus. On the other hand, a personal website is all about you. It is a site that you create for the purpose of sharing your ideas, stories, and, perhaps, even things that you find interesting or amusing. It could be, in other words, a site that you use to express yourself creatively or, for another meaning of “personal”, a site that you use to share your life with others. As you can see, there are numerous ways that a personal (or creative) website can be useful, so it would be a mistake to consider a blog as the only alternative. A blog can certainly be a part of your personal website, but it is not a requirement. Your creative ideas, stories, and insights can be presented in any format that you choose.
How Do I Make a Personal Website?
The first step to making a personal website is to decide what you want it to be used for and how you want it to function. Do you want to use it as a blogging platform or a more traditional website with features that allow for more functionality and customization? There are many different WordPress themes and plugins that you can use to fit your needs and the look and feel of your website.
If you are looking for a blogging platform, then you may want to consider using a free blog service like Blogger or WordPress.com. If you have a budget and are looking to create a more traditional website, then look no further than the WordPress platform. WordPress is a very powerful and versatile tool, and it is, in fact, one of the most popular content management platforms available. In addition to this, there are tons of free and premium WordPress themes and plugins that you can use to customize the look of your site.
Planning Is Key
As with any big project, whether it is a book, film, restaurant review, or software product, you cannot just walk into a studio and say, “Here, make me a website.” In a similar fashion, you cannot just stroll into a library and ask for a book on writing or blogging. You have to have a plan, and you have to work toward that plan. To that end, you should put some serious thought into what you want your personal website to be used for, how you want it to function, and, most importantly, what content you want to share. That is the basic building block of any website; it is content, content, and more content!
Start Small
Doing website work takes a lot of time. It is not something that you can do overnight, or even over the course of a few days. That is why you have to be smart about how you approach this. You cannot just throw together a quick website and then show it to people. This is almost certainly a waste of time and, as a result, bad for business. You have to be smart about how you approach this project and take your time with it. This is why, as a general rule, you should start small. Just a simple page, maybe with some basic styling, is all you need to begin with. Once you have a simple page, you can add more content, more functionalities, and more features. This way, you can gradually build up your website over time.
Pick A Subject
Once you have put together a plan for your personal (or creative) website, the next step is to pick a subject. This is almost as important as the content that you choose for your site because it is the content that will dictate the structure of your site, as well as the kind of functionality that you can include. For example, if your content revolves around money or dating, then you may want to consider using a free blog service like Blogger or WordPress.com. If you are looking for a more traditional website with features that allow for more functionality and customization, then look no further than the WordPress platform. WordPress is a very powerful and versatile tool, and it is, in fact, one of the most popular content management platforms available. In addition to this, there are tons of free and premium WordPress themes and plugins that you can use to customize the look of your site.
Curate A Niche
Once you have picked your subject, the next step is to curate a niche. A niche is a “small market or segment” within the larger market for a product or service. It is a way of targeting a specific group of people who have a common interest in the subject matter of your site. For example, if you are a fashion blogger, then you might want to consider focusing on women’s fashion or men’s fashion, rather than general fashion. Women’s fashion and men’s fashion each have their own sub-niches, which you can explore in-depth using Google Trends. You can use this tool to determine exactly what your target audience (or “eyeballs”, as they are often called in the digital marketing world) is interested in.
Create A Plan
The next step is to create a plan. A plan is something that you write down, in advance, to help you follow a set of steps, achieve a goal, or carry out an action. The plan can be as simple as a list of tasks that you need to complete or, if you are a more creative person, you can use it to organize your thoughts and what you want to achieve. Ideally, you should write down your plan, in advance, in a place that you can easily find it when needed. You can also add due dates and checkpoints along the way to ensure that you meet the deadlines and follow the plan.
Get Inspired
The last step, and perhaps, the most crucial step, is to get inspired. You need to find a way of inspiring yourself, which is why you should take time out of your day, every day, to look around and find things that inspire you. This could be an image of something breathtaking, an article that you read that shifted your thinking, or a video that made you laugh or cry. In short, it could be anything that made you feel another way about something. Whatever it is, you need to find a way to inspire yourself and, ultimately, create content that is both creative and valuable.