How do I create my own website or blog on WordPress?
Creating a personal
blog or website nowadays can be fast, easy, and actually quite fun. And it's
pretty cheap too! Especially if you are doing it with WordPress.
Did you know that
WordPress powers almost one-third of all websites?
Don't worry if you
have never created a website before. In this short article, I'll guide you
through the process, and it's going to feel like a breeze.
Step 1. Choose a
Hosting Provider.
Choosing a hosting
provider is going to be an essential step for the well-being of your website or
blog. It can determine whether your website will be fast, secure, and
constantly up and running.
There are a few main
points on which you should base your decision:
Hosting is optimized
for WordPress. If you are going
to create your website with WordPress, make sure the hosting plan you are
choosing is perfectly suited for it. It's going to guarantee you features such
as 1-click WP installation, automatic updates, uptime tracking plugins, and
much more.
Hosting speed. You want your website or blog loading in
milliseconds, so your visitors don't have to linger. Look for newest
technologies like pre-installed LiteSpeed cache plugins, the latest version of
PHP, and SSD's for maximum performance.
Hosting price. With such a competitive market, you
don't have to go for the most expensive company to get the highest quality
hosting. With Hostinger, you can get WordPress hosting plans for only $2,15/month.
99,99% hosting
uptime. This part is important
if you want your website constantly up and running. Check the status reports
and other indicators, whether the hosting provider is delivering on its
promise.
Competent Customer
Support. This part is
especially important for first-timers, but even if you are a professional,
customer support could help you with solving some more complex issues. Make
sure they have a dedicated team for WordPress.
Step 2. Choose a
Domain Name.
The domain name is the
name of your website, which you’ll see in the search bar.
You can be creative
and use any word you wish for a domain name, but it’s best if you use a word or
a combination closely related to your blog or company name.
Make sure it's catchy
and short, so your website visitors can memorize it easily. If you lack ideas,
here are some of the best name generators for your website or blog.
You are free to choose
any domain name extension you like. However, the most popular ones are .com,
.net and .org.
Domain names normally
cost around $10-15/year. I recommend you purchase a domain name together with
your hosting plan, that way you might get a free domain for a year!
Step 3. Install
WordPress.
After you have your
domain name and hosting plan sorted out, you can install WordPress and start
editing your blog.
Don't forget to fill
out all the essential information in your hosting and domain account. The
domain name should be registered immediately after purchase, otherwise, someone
could take it before you.
After you're done, you
can easily install WordPress with one click in your hosting dashboard.
Step 4. Choose a
WordPress theme.
A WordPress theme will
save you some precious time and will have the whole website and design laid out
for you. The only thing you will have to do is customize it.
Some people spend
hours, or even days while trying to choose the best theme before they start
anything. However, you just need something simple to have a head start - don't
overthink your decision.
I recommend choosing
something functional yet not too overwhelming. You won't know what your
visitors like before they come to your website, so don't be afraid to
experiment.
If you are having
trouble finding something that suits your needs, try the OceanWP theme.
It's a trendy and functional theme both for a blog and a personal website. If
that doesn't match your taste, here is a whole list of both the best premium and free themes
for WP.
Changing or installing
a theme is very easy with WP. Just log in to your WP dashboard > appearance
> themes > add new.
Step 5. Customize your
website.
Customizing your blog
or website is, by far, one of the most exciting parts of creating a website.
You can change the layout, menu bar, and add all the essential elements and
pages.
Some themes might not
even require any customizations, by merely installing a certain plugin you will
have everything you need.
If you need some
specific customizations, make sure to check out this tutorial. It goes much more in detail.
You can also start
designing your website a little (or a lot). If you have specific ideas on how
your website should look like, it's a good time for implementing them.
Step 6. Add the
content.
After it's all set up,
you can start filling your website with your unique content. Add pictures,
written descriptions, blog posts, or anything else you wish.
Your content should be
very engaging and targeted for a specific audience. I know it takes time to
make it perfect, but it's totally worth it. There is already a lot of content
out there, make yours stand out!
Step 7. Optimize your
website.
After you finish
setting everything up, it's time to optimize your website. You can start by
running a test through GTmetrix, which will show you
what should be improved.
A few easy things you
can do are:
·
Optimizing your
websites’ images;
·
Enabling caching;
·
Minifying CSS, HTML,
and JavaScript Scripts.
If you want to know
more, here is an excellent tutorial on how to do so.
Bonus tip:
Before you make your
website go live, don't forget to install an SSL certificate on your domain. You
can do that in your hosting panel. It will ensure that your content and your
visitors' data is secure.
And here you have it -
the whole tutorial on how to create your own website or blog. Let me know how
it goes in the comments below; I'm looking forward to it!
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