How to Create a WordPress Website in 5 Minutes
If you’re looking for a way to make money from home, you’ve probably considered exploring the lucrative world of online selling. There are plenty of ways to generate cash using platforms like Shopify and Strikingly, but if you’re looking to create a passive income stream you could do a lot worse than going with the tried and tested method of creating a WordPress website.
Why WordPress?
It’s one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) around, currently powering over a quarter of all web sites on the internet. It’s incredibly flexible and user-friendly, making it an ideal choice for people looking to get into web design or blogging. If you’ve ever used WordPress, you’ll know how painless it is to get up and running with a fully-fledged blog or website in no time at all. You’ll also know that it’s ridiculously affordable (even free versions available) making it a genuine no-brainer for bloggers or anyone else looking to make money online.
5 Minutes to a Semi-custom Theme
If you’ve ever crafted a website using WordPress, you’ll know how incredibly versatile it is. The platform offers a staggering amount of choices for site design, with lots of premade themes to choose from. If you’re looking to create a quick and easy to navigate blog or website for your business, you could do a lot worse than choosing one of these pre-designed themes.
Setting Up a Blog or Website
A blog or website built using WordPress is far from perfect the first time you launch it. There will be a few bumps in the road along with some adjustments to be made. However, with a little bit of elbow grease, research and patience, you’ll be able to launch a functional blog or website in no time at all.
Choosing a Domain Name
If you’ve ever set up a WordPress site, you’ll know how crucial it is to choose a catchy and appropriate domain name. Ideally, you’ll want a.com,.net, or.au domain name because they’re some of the most popular generic top-level domains (TLDs). You could always purchase a custom domain name through a provider like Google Domains, but for the sake of simplicity, we’ll use one of the above mentioned TLDs.
Pick a Hosting Provider
When setting up a WordPress blog or website, one of the most crucial decisions you’ll need to make is choosing a hosting provider. There are a variety of options to choose from, so it’s essential that you do your research before making a decision. For beginners, WordPress recommends using a shared hosting plan from a hosting provider. This option offers the advantage of low cost and a user-friendly control panel. You’ll also need to decide whether you want to use a free or premium version of WordPress.
Pick a Payment Processor
Once you’ve got your domain name and web hosting set up, you’ll need to decide which of the many available payment gateways to use. There are tons of options to choose from, including PayPal, Stripe, and others. Before making a decision, do your research and see which one is most suitable for your needs. Ensure that the company is PCI compliant and offers good support.
Installing WordPress
With your domain name and web hosting setup, it’s time to install WordPress. You’ll need to use the one-click installer from your hosting cPanel to install WordPress onto your website. It’ll ask you for a few details, including the name of your site and the e-mail address where you’ll be posting updates (this will also be your log-in for the admin area of your site).
Once WordPress is installed, you’ll need to take a few minutes to configure it to your needs. You can do this by clicking the Settings button in the dashboard and going to the General section. Here, you can update the site’s name and e-mail address, configure the site’s login details, and choose your site’s theme. From here, you can click on the Appearance tab to get started customizing the design of your site. You can upload a logo, set the background color and image, and choose the header for your site. You can then click on the Design tab to access WordPress’ built-in design tools. This will allow you to fully customize the layout of your site.
Creating Your First Blog Post
Your first blog post will form the backbone of your blog or website. It’s a good idea to write a few drafts of these posts before you finalize them. This will help you to establish a voice and ensure that your readership knows what to expect from your content.
Once you’ve got your first blog post written, it’s time to publish it. Your post’s content will be loaded onto your web page along with a tiny bit of HTML, styling, and metadata. This will make it much easier for readers to find your content. To get started, click on the Posts button in the dashboard and you’ll see your blog post. From here, you can click on the Publish button to publish your post and start generating revenue.
Adding Money to Your Account
As we mentioned above, WordPress is an incredibly affordable platform and it’s almost impossible to purchase a premium plan without getting a significant discount. It’s generally accepted that you can make money online with a free version of WordPress through various methods including affiliate marketing, displaying ads, and taking surveys. As a beginner, you might want to consider exploring the lucrative world of affiliate marketing. You’ll be able to create your own customized affiliate dashboards where you can promote products that you find valuable. You can even make money online without any special training by simply using well-known affiliate marketing platforms like Commission Junction, Easy Commission, and affiliate programs from eCommerce giants like Shopify and Amazon.