How to Make a WordPress Website from Scratch in 2017
WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) in use today, used by millions of websites globally. Although it was first designed for blogs, it has risen in popularity and is now a versatile and flexible platform that can be used to create almost any type of website you can think of. It is incredibly easy to use and has a community of users who are willing to help and support you with any problem you might have. Additionally, WordPress is completely free so there is no cost attached to using it.
If you are looking to create a new website or to make an existing one more personal, you can use WordPress to do so. In this article, we will discuss how to make a WordPress website from scratch in 2017 so you can get started with the process easily and effectively.
The Essentials
Before you start making your website using WordPress, you should have a basic understanding of what it is and how it works. If you don’t know anything about WordPress or CMS systems, take some time to learn the basics. You can start by reading the documentation and learning the terminology – things like ‘posts’ and ‘pages’ that you will encounter. Additionally, you should take the time to familiarise yourself with some of the more popular blog posts on WordPress so you can add real life examples to your discussions when teaching others how to use the tool.
Step 1: Register a Domain Name
If you are new to the world of website building, you should first ensure that you have a valid domain name. A domain name is the address of your website – the url (uniform resource locator) that you will use to reach it – e.g. www.example.com. Domain names must be unique, easy to spell and easy to remember. Additionally, they should be as brief as possible – generally no more than 3-4 words. It is also a good idea to register your own.com domain name as opposed to using a free domain name from a popular web host like bluehost.com.
Step 2: Install WordPress To Your Web Host
Once you have registered your domain name, you should have the option to connect it to your web host. Your web host will be the server or platform that hosts your website – in other words, it is the place where your website data is stored. For the purposes of this tutorial, we will use HostGator, a popular web host that is very affordable and has a 45-day money-back guarantee. To install WordPress to your web host, follow these simple steps: