How to Create a WordPress Plugin Website Without Hiring a Developer
WordPress is the most popular CMS (Content Management System) that can be used to build beautiful and functional websites without needing to hire a developer. It is a free and open-source software package that can be downloaded from WordPress.org and is maintained and supported by the WordPress community.
If you’re looking to create a simple but professional-looking WordPress website that you can use to display your products or services, then this tutorial will help you do just that.
Step 1. Get a Domain
You’ll need to purchase a domain name for your WordPress website. You can do this through your hosting service or from WordPress.com, as the latter provides free domain privacy and security through its Let’s Encrypt initiative. You’ll also need to consider what TLD (Top Level Domain) you’ll use for your website. There are lots of options to choose from including.com,.net and.org so you’ll need to investigate which one fits you best. Once you’ve chosen a domain name, it’s time to move on to step two.
Step 2. Install WordPress
Now that you have your domain name, it’s time to install WordPress on your server. If you’re using a Mac or Linux computer, you can use the built-in package manager for your operating system to install WordPress. If you’re on a Windows computer, you can use WordPress.com to quickly install a fresh copy of WordPress on your server.
WordPress is very easy to use and you can install it in just a few minutes. When you launch the installation program, you’ll be presented with three options for WordPress installation. You can choose to install the WordPress blog, WordPress Multi-Site network or the WordPress Classic theme. If you own a WordPress website with lots of content, then the latter two options might be better suited for you. Choose the version of WordPress you need and click on the Install button.
Step 3. Customize Your WordPress Blog
Once WordPress is installed on your server, it’s time to customize your blog. Go to your blog’s dashboard to configure some basic settings. You can access these settings from any page on your blog by clicking on the Settings menu at the top right corner of any page.
You can set the theme (look and feel) for your blog, as well as its color scheme by selecting one of the available options on the Page Color drop-down menu. You can also enable or disable comments on your blog by selecting either option from the drop-down menu. You’ll notice that there’s a Search box at the top of the screen for your convenience. You can enter a keyword or query to quickly find what you’re looking for on your blog’s home page. For instance, if you enter “London”, you’ll be presented with a list of blogs that include the words “London” in their text. This feature is quite useful and will surely save you lots of time when you need it.
To move on to the next step, click on the Preview button on the right-hand side of the page to see how your blog looks.
Step 4. Create a Home Page
After you’ve previewed the settings of your WordPress blog, it’s time to create a home page for your blog. A home page is essentially the most important page on a WordPress website because this is what users will come across when they first visit your site. Its purpose is to serve as your website’s “front door” and to contain all the necessary information for visitors to easily find what they’re looking for.
A typical home page for a WordPress blog might include the following elements:
- The blog’s name
- The blog’s logo
- The blog’s description
- A contact or email address for the blog
- A navigation menu (usually consisting of a few links to other pages on the site)
You don’t need to put much effort into your home page because it will simply be a placeholder for now. You can add more content to it later on when you’ve got the time. You can use one of the many pre-built WordPress themes to create a quick and easy home page or you can use a tool like Graphic Designer to design a unique and professional-looking home page for your blog.
The main purpose of a home page is to serve as your site’s “front door” and to provide visitors with a clear idea of what your site is about. You want to make sure that they know exactly what they’re getting into when they click on a link, visit your site or enter a keyword on a search engine.
Step 5. Install WordPress Plugins
Now that you’ve got your home page set up, it’s time to install WordPress plugins. A WordPress plugin is a piece of software, usually written in JavaScript, that enhances the functionality of your blog. There are lots of WordPress plugins available with additional functionality such as security features, social media integration or SEO (search engine optimization) improvements.
WordPress plugins can be quite useful especially if you’re looking for something specific, so it’s important to try as many as possible. In some instances, you might need to manually connect the various plugins to your WordPress site to make them work properly. This is one of the reasons why it’s preferable to use a tool like WordPress.com to install and configure your WordPress site rather than installing it directly from the source code.
WordPress is a popular blog platform and there are lots of plugins that can be used to enhance the functionality of your blog. If you’re looking to create a professional-looking blog, then you might want to consider using one of the many pre-built WordPress themes or you can use a tool like Graphic Designer to create a unique look for your site.
Step 6. Install a Security Plugin
Lastly, it’s time to install a security plugin to protect your WordPress site and its content from being accessed by unauthorized users. There are two types of security plugins:
- A front-end plugin that enhances your site’s security at the visual level (for example, by adding an extra layer of encryption to your site’s content).
- A backend plugin that operates in the background and that protects your site’s content irrespective of what browser your visitors are using.
Since we’re on the topic of security, let’s take a quick look at WordPress.com‘s Let’s Encrypt initiative for free domain privacy and security. With Let’s Encrypt, all domains registered through WordPress.com are encrypted (masked) using advanced encryption technology, so even if your website is attacked by a hacker, they won’t be able to access your content. This feature is provided by default on all websites registered through WordPress.com and it takes less than two minutes to activate.
WordPress.com and its partners (GoDaddy, etc.) maintain a global encrypted DNS network that makes it impossible for the authorities to seize your domain name in the event of a data breach or hack. This is why it’s preferable to use WordPress.com rather than to register your own domain and set up a self-hosted WordPress blog.
In situations where you don’t wish to use one of the pre-built WordPress themes, you can use a tool like Graphic Designer to design a unique and highly-customizable website for your brand or business. You can use a tool like WordPress.com to launch a free WordPress blog in just a few minutes and if you want to take your blog’s design further, you can use one of the many extensions available for free on WordPress.com to add more features to your site.