How To Create A Simple WordPress Website
How To Create A Simple WordPress Website
How To Create A Simple WordPress Website
Why should I make a WordPress website?
WordPress is free-to-use and is the largest website development tool in the world. A massive 34% of websites are made using WordPress. No matter the type of website you are trying to make, WordPress will have your back. WordPress can adapt to any content, website and customization, you can truly create anything with this. Garner brand awareness like never before and also attracts newfound traffic to direct straight to your website. At Hello Online, we know that WordPress is ideal for SEO and can make your brand explode in popularity! This is our guide on how to create a simple WordPress website!
What do you need to get started?
To get started with WordPress you will need;
- A Domain name – The name of your website, preferably the name of your brand
- WordPress hosting – The provider that holds your space on the internet, keeps your site running
- Time, the more you invest, the more results you will experience, with time, of course
How to create a simple WordPress website
To get started with making a WordPress site, you will need to have a domain name and a hosting client. In this instance, we recommend using Bluehost, which offers free domain names and affordable hosting.
In our case, we will be using Bluehost, so we will need to navigate to the Bluehost site and find the ‘Get Started’ button. After selecting this button, you will be shown multiple plans that are perfect for web-hosting. After selecting the perfect plan for you, the site will then ask you to enter a new or existing domain name. Click next and then type in your payment information.
Once entering your payment details, you will receive an email with your login to your web hosting control panel (cPanel) After your email arrives, you can then use your details to log into cPanel and head to the website section and click onto install WordPress. After clicking, select your domain from the pop-up on where to install WordPress. After a couple of minutes, the installation will complete and you will be taken to a screen with your WordPress login URL and password.
Congratulations! You have officially made yourself a website!
You are well on the way to knowing how to create a simple WordPress website!
Selecting a theme
Furthermore, after making your site, one of the first things you’d probably want to do is change the theme. To change the theme, visit the WordPress admin dashboard and find appearances. From here, select themes and click ‘add new’. From this screen, you can look for and select themes that you would want for your site.
However, some themes are only for certain types of websites, like shopping stores as well as blogs. Determine what site you are trying to make, and select a theme that corresponds to your idea. Having a website designed for news posts matched with a theme that is designed for blogs or fashioned is destined for disaster. This is due to the theme template not being able to match up with the content you are trying to add. A fashion theme will not like the idea of having news stories being filled into it, it will reject the ‘blocks’ and make the site appalling to look at. (Blocks – information or interaction sections of a page or blog that you can add predetermined data to, for example, an image gallery or a calendar. A block is the main way to add customization to your posts and pages.)
Adding Content
The two default contents you can add to any WordPress site are posts and also pages. Pages are where visitors will navigate, to find your content or information. Examples of this are home pages, contact us pages, etc. The other type of content available, posts, are part of a blog and are displayed newest first and oldest last. To make a page. navigate to pages and press add a page, from here you can make numerous pages for all the pages you would want on your site. For example, a home page, blog page as well as a contact page would be necessary for a site. After finishing up, press publish, and the page will be live.
To add blog posts, go to posts and select add new, then write a blog post. After writing your post, press publish and the blog will go live to whatever page you establish to be your blog page. To change the blog and home pages for your site, navigate to settings, reading and then find ‘Front Page Displays’. From here, click on the static page box, then from the dropdowns, select the home page you made to be the front page and the blog page you made for the posts page. Click save changes and you have managed to set up your home and blog pages!
Navigation Menus
Navigation menus are made for guests to navigate through your website better, with ease. Help them find the content they are looking for with the least difficulty possible, this will also help with SEO. But this post is not focusing on that.
To add a navigation menu, visit appearance and then menus. From here you can enter a name for the menu that you want to make. After thinking of an appropriate name, select create. You will then have an empty navigation menu that WordPress has made for you. Somewhere on the screen you will be able to see the pages you have created, click on the boxes beside them to add them to your menu. You can change the order of the menu by dragging your pages atop or below each other.
After you have done this, you will need to select a display location. Under the menu settings, you will find the option to set your menu as a footer menu or as a primary menu. A footer menu will appear at the bottom of the screen and is much harder to find than a primary menu. So in this instance, select the primary menu, and then save.
The next time you now visit your site, you should see a navigation menu at the top of your screen that has all of your pages contained.
Plug-Ins
The final section of this post will be dedicated to plug-ins. Plug-ins are tools that can improve your site drastically. They can alter your site a small bit to your preference, but they can also totally change your entire site if you so wish. No matter what you are looking for, there will always be a plug-in for you. With thousands of plug-ins by thousands of similar creators, you are bound to find something perfect for your site.
To add a plug-in to your site, find the plug-in’s icon, hover over it, then select ‘add new’. From here you can search, look for, filter, browse and install any plug-in that you want or that catches your eye. Plug-ins are the best way for you to get your site how you want it, and can easily put you above the competition!
In summary
After following these steps, you will be well on your way to having a successful website! Just do not forget that popularity does not tend to happen overnight. You will have to build it from the ground up to get the attention it deserves. The more time invested into your site, and your idea, the more likely it will be that it becomes successful. Base your website around something you enjoy doing, and watch the hours fly by! With this guide, you should be able to create yourself the website of your dreams and know how to set it up. But the hardest part, the personalization, is now your job. Take your time, and do not expect results within a day, it will come, just give it some time to develop and breathe. After getting some traction, you could even start SEO, but that is for another time. For not congratulate yourself, as you now know how to build a simple WordPress website! Enjoy your site!
For more information regarding what we can offer you at Hello Online, check out our Web Design in Nottingham / Web Design in Derby Pages.
Still undecided? Check out our why WordPress is the best CMS for SEO post, for even more reasons to get started with WordPress!
For design ideas, check out our top design trends for websites in 2021! And make your website as unique and authentic as it possibly can be!
Why should I make a WordPress website?
WordPress is free-to-use and is the largest website development tool in the world. A massive 34% of websites are made using WordPress. No matter the type of website you are trying to make, WordPress will have your back. WordPress can adapt to any content, website and customization, you can truly create anything with this. Garner brand awareness like never before and also attracts newfound traffic to direct straight to your website. At Hello Online, we know that WordPress is ideal for SEO and can make your brand explode in popularity! This is our guide on how to create a simple WordPress website!
What do you need to get started?
To get started with WordPress you will need;
- A Domain name – The name of your website, preferably the name of your brand
- WordPress hosting – The provider that holds your space on the internet, keeps your site running
- Time, the more you invest, the more results you will experience, with time, of course
How to create a simple WordPress website
To get started with making a WordPress site, you will need to have a domain name and a hosting client. In this instance, we recommend using Bluehost, which offers free domain names and affordable hosting.
In our case, we will be using Bluehost, so we will need to navigate to the Bluehost site and find the ‘Get Started’ button. After selecting this button, you will be shown multiple plans that are perfect for web-hosting. After selecting the perfect plan for you, the site will then ask you to enter a new or existing domain name. Click next and then type in your payment information.
Once entering your payment details, you will receive an email with your login to your web hosting control panel (cPanel) After your email arrives, you can then use your details to log into cPanel and head to the website section and click onto install WordPress. After clicking, select your domain from the pop-up on where to install WordPress. After a couple of minutes, the installation will complete and you will be taken to a screen with your WordPress login URL and password.
Congratulations! You have officially made yourself a website!
You are well on the way to knowing how to create a simple WordPress website!
Selecting a theme
Furthermore, after making your site, one of the first things you’d probably want to do is change the theme. To change the theme, visit the WordPress admin dashboard and find appearances. From here, select themes and click ‘add new’. From this screen, you can look for and select themes that you would want for your site.
However, some themes are only for certain types of websites, like shopping stores as well as blogs. Determine what site you are trying to make, and select a theme that corresponds to your idea. Having a website designed for news posts matched with a theme that is designed for blogs or fashioned is destined for disaster. This is due to the theme template not being able to match up with the content you are trying to add. A fashion theme will not like the idea of having news stories being filled into it, it will reject the ‘blocks’ and make the site appalling to look at. (Blocks – information or interaction sections of a page or blog that you can add predetermined data to, for example, an image gallery or a calendar. A block is the main way to add customization to your posts and pages.)
Adding Content
The two default contents you can add to any WordPress site are posts and also pages. Pages are where visitors will navigate, to find your content or information. Examples of this are home pages, contact us pages, etc. The other type of content available, posts, are part of a blog and are displayed newest first and oldest last. To make a page. navigate to pages and press add a page, from here you can make numerous pages for all the pages you would want on your site. For example, a home page, blog page as well as a contact page would be necessary for a site. After finishing up, press publish, and the page will be live.
To add blog posts, go to posts and select add new, then write a blog post. After writing your post, press publish and the blog will go live to whatever page you establish to be your blog page. To change the blog and home pages for your site, navigate to settings, reading and then find ‘Front Page Displays’. From here, click on the static page box, then from the dropdowns, select the home page you made to be the front page and the blog page you made for the posts page. Click save changes and you have managed to set up your home and blog pages!
Navigation Menus
Navigation menus are made for guests to navigate through your website better, with ease. Help them find the content they are looking for with the least difficulty possible, this will also help with SEO. But this post is not focusing on that.
To add a navigation menu, visit appearance and then menus. From here you can enter a name for the menu that you want to make. After thinking of an appropriate name, select create. You will then have an empty navigation menu that WordPress has made for you. Somewhere on the screen you will be able to see the pages you have created, click on the boxes beside them to add them to your menu. You can change the order of the menu by dragging your pages atop or below each other.
After you have done this, you will need to select a display location. Under the menu settings, you will find the option to set your menu as a footer menu or as a primary menu. A footer menu will appear at the bottom of the screen and is much harder to find than a primary menu. So in this instance, select the primary menu, and then save.
The next time you now visit your site, you should see a navigation menu at the top of your screen that has all of your pages contained.
Plug-Ins
The final section of this post will be dedicated to plug-ins. Plug-ins are tools that can improve your site drastically. They can alter your site a small bit to your preference, but they can also totally change your entire site if you so wish. No matter what you are looking for, there will always be a plug-in for you. With thousands of plug-ins by thousands of similar creators, you are bound to find something perfect for your site.
To add a plug-in to your site, find the plug-in’s icon, hover over it, then select ‘add new’. From here you can search, look for, filter, browse and install any plug-in that you want or that catches your eye. Plug-ins are the best way for you to get your site how you want it, and can easily put you above the competition!
In summary
After following these steps, you will be well on your way to having a successful website! Just do not forget that popularity does not tend to happen overnight. You will have to build it from the ground up to get the attention it deserves. The more time invested into your site, and your idea, the more likely it will be that it becomes successful. Base your website around something you enjoy doing, and watch the hours fly by! With this guide, you should be able to create yourself the website of your dreams and know how to set it up. But the hardest part, the personalization, is now your job. Take your time, and do not expect results within a day, it will come, just give it some time to develop and breathe. After getting some traction, you could even start SEO, but that is for another time. For not congratulate yourself, as you now know how to build a simple WordPress website! Enjoy your site!
For more information regarding what we can offer you at Hello Online, check out our Web Design in Nottingham / Web Design in Derby Pages.
Still undecided? Check out our why WordPress is the best CMS for SEO post, for even more reasons to get started with WordPress!
For design ideas, check out our top design trends for websites in 2021! And make your website as unique and authentic as it possibly can be!
