How to Build a WordPress Website in 10 Steps
A WordPress website is the simplest and most commonly used way to create a professional-looking blog or website. It can be downloaded and easily configured in just a few minutes. Once you have your basic website setup, you can enhance its functionality by installing various plugins.
WordPress websites are powerful tools for anyone who wants to blog or website. If you’re looking to create a professional impression with your content, then a WordPress website is the simplest and most commonly used way to do so.
In this guide, we will show you exactly how to build a WordPress website from scratch, step by step. Along the way, we will discuss the features and functions of WordPress, as well as the differences between the free and paid versions.
STEP 1: Choose A Name For Your New Blog
To start, you’ll need to choose a name for your new blog. This is where things can get a little tricky because, if you are following this process correctly, you won’t have access to the WordPress dashboard where you can find the name “WP” (for WordPress) and then modify it. So, you’ll have to keep visiting the dashboard and entering the appropriate names for your blog.
You’ll need to type the full Domain name (including the www.) for your blog (for example, yoursite.com) when entering its name in the dashboard. You can choose your own custom domain once you have your blog set up properly.
STEP 2: Install WordPress To Edit Your Blog
Once you have chosen a name for your blog, you can start installing WordPress to edit it. This step requires you to type the following into a box in your web browser:
- https://wordpress.com/
- /en/
- /
- /docs/
- /FAQ/
- /support/
- /edit/?
- /?
You can leave the rest of the fields empty, and then click on the Install Now button. This will download and install WordPress on your computer. You’ll see a dialogue box pop up with a message informing you that your WordPress blog has been installed successfully.
STEP 3: Login To Your New Blog With Your Email And Password
Once WordPress has been installed, you can log in to it with your email address and password. To do this, simply enter your email address and password when prompted and then click on the Log In button.
You’ll now be able to edit your blog’s content and navigate its pages using the dashboard. You can do this by simply entering your password when prompted for security.
STEP 4: Activate Your Blog’s Default Theme (If Free)
If you’re using the free version of WordPress, the default theme is called TwentyFourteen. You can activate it by typing into the dashboard:
- http://wordpress.com/themes/twentyfourteen/
- /admin/
You can leave the rest of the entry fields empty and then click on the Activate button.
This will install the TwentyFourteen theme on your blog and you’ll be able to start customizing it using the available widgets, colors, and fonts.
STEP 5: Configure Themes And Plugins To Your Advantage
You can use additional themes or plugins to further customize the appearance of your blog. The themes and plugins you choose will depend on what you want to emphasis or change about your blog’s design. Additionally, you can use plugins to further automate the setup of your blog and make the process much easier.
There are two types of plugins: those that modify existing features and those that offer new functionalities. The former can be used to maximize the appearance and functionality of your site, while the latter can be used to automate certain tasks or offer additional features.
To edit the appearance of your site, you can use the available themes or create your own custom theme by combining various components of existing themes. You can also choose to use a single theme for your entire site or use multiple themes side-by-side. Themes let you change the color scheme, layout, and the overall appearance of your website without coding.
STEP 6: Import Your Blog’s Posts Into WordPress
Now that you have your basic setup finished, you can start importing your old blog’s content into WordPress. To do this, you first need to export your old content from your blog (using something like WordPress’ own built-in export function or a third-party tool like My Media) and then upload it to your WordPress website. This step is critical because it will determine how your blog’s content is displayed in your WordPress website. If you are importing content without formatting it or using any plugins, then the text will appear as it did in your old blog. Keep in mind: you’ll need to have at least 500 words of content in each post to avoid significant word limits once the content is imported.
STEP 7: Customize Your Site’s Menu
You can use the WordPress dashboard to completely reorganize the structure of your site’s menu. This is a vital step because you can customize the content on each page using the available widgets and create attractive blog posts using the custom post types, custom fields, and page templates. However, if you’re looking for a simple and clean blog menu with no excess content or links, then you should use the TwentyFourteen theme. It offers a neat and clean Blog menu on the left side of your blog’s dashboard.
STEP 8: Create More Effective Posting Titles
When someone clicks on a post’s title, they will be directed to the content within. But often times, the post’s title is not enough information for the reader to understand what the post is about. You can use various tools to create more effective posting titles by taking into consideration the type of content you are posting and the category your post belongs to.
For example, if you are posting about a product review, you can use the built-in Product Review title along with the appropriate keywords to make it easier for someone to find your content when they are searching for relevant information.
STEP 9: Use Heading Tags Effectively
While SEO is not technically part of WordPress, it is a vital part of creating a high-quality blog or website. How you use your Heading Tags will heavily influence how your content is ranked by the search engines. The general rule of thumb is to never use Heading Tags in your posts’ titles, but rather in your post’s content itself. Think of the Heading Tags as the subtitles of your blog post. They will help give additional information about the content you are posting.
STEP 10: Use Subscription Points To Entice Visitors To Stay
If you want to keep your blog’s visitors coming back for more, you can use various subscription options to do so. You can get paid to promote products on your site if you have a monetized blog, or you can use a free tool like Stripe to create a subscription-based service where users can pay to see new content. This is completely optional, but it’s a good way to add another revenue stream to your blog.
Once you have a monetized or sponsored blog, you can use affiliate marketing to promote products (mostly online courses) that you feel is relevant to your niche. To quickly start generating affiliate revenue, you can use a tool like Affiliate Marketing for WordPress which integrates with popular affiliate networks like Click Bank and allows you to track affiliate sales, commissions, and earnings.
You can choose either a free or paid version of WordPress, but the latter offers many more features and is more suited for professional use. Paid WordPress versions are completely stable and secure, and allow you to take advantage of all the available functions, features, and tools.