Want to make a website but you’ve never built one? If you know nothing about building a website I recommend you to build a WordPress website. WordPress is free, open source website building software that is quick to set up and easy to use. With an easy-to-follow tutorial you can create your first business website within hours.
All you need to do to get started is buy a domain name that costs about $10 per year and rent out a web host at less than $10 per month. Once you get a host for your domain name just install the WordPress software in your hosting account and within minutes you can customize your brand new site!
Reasons to Build a WordPress Website
There are many ways to create a website. You can start a website from scratch using HTML and CSS codes. Alternatively, you can also get a website builder to help you design and make a site. If you’re a busy business owner the first option is out of the question. You will want a website builder that is quick to learn and easy to use as well.
One way to make your first website is to use website design software such as DreamWeaver. You can buy the program but it may take you some time to learn and develop your first website. To speed up the creation process you may want to buy a professional template that you can customize so you can get your professional-looking website up pretty quickly.
However, content management systems (CMS) like WordPress is even easier and faster than the website design application. It’s completely free and easy to learn so you can build a WordPress website in less than a day. There are also lots of customizable professional templates or themes and add-ons or plugins that will improve site functionality, such as SEO, squeeze pages, commenting functions and many more.
If you want to hire someone else to design and build a WordPress website for you you can easily find people who can help you. Alternatively, if you just want to do it yourself there are also many people you can ask for help.
6 Steps to Build a WordPress Website
1. Finding a host for your WordPress website. I’m going to recommend Hostgator to help build a wordpress website. There are hundreds out there but this is the one I have used for years and their hosting and customer service is excellent. Once you’ve got your host you need to install WordPress using available installation software.
2. Setting up a static homepage. The homepage of a blog is always changing but you don’t want that kind of set up. You want a website with a static homepage so you need to change the “Reading setting” to a “static page”.
3. Choosing and installing your theme. A theme is what sets the layout of your website. You don’t need to spend forever choosing a great theme because you can always switch later. Once you’ve chosen you’re theme you’ll need to upload and install it. To do that just log into your WordPress dashboard and then click ‘Add New Theme’ under the ‘Appearance’ tab on the left sidebar.
4. Customizing your theme. Almost everyone who installs a WordPress theme will want to customize some parts of the theme. Many themes will come with settings that allow you to customize the header as well as the sidebar, the footer and the colors. You don’t need to have any previous coding or design experience.
5. Adding plugins. WordPress is open source software that opens for editing and additions. These add-ons are often called plugins and you have to choose some that suit your needs. To install a plugin just click the ‘Add New’ link under ‘Plugins’ from the left side menu and choose how you want to add a plugin, then make sure you click ‘Activate Plugin’ to activate the plugin.
6. Adding great content. Once you’ve got your website up and running it’s a must for you to add great content that attracts and keeps visitors on your site. Depending on what you want to use your website for, always offer high-quality information that serves the purpose and that separates you from other website serving the same target audience.