WordPress makes the most popular way to make a website, so you have definitely made a great decision. Almost every people love WordPress due to its flexibility and community, and also it is open-source. WordPress has many extensions to customize your site’s look and functionality without requiring special technical knowledge. Even WordPress is easier for people without any coding knowledge and without requiring any special technical knowledge. By following the below-mentioned steps, it will be easier for you to get started with your first WordPress project.
Choose your domain name
The permanent address for your WordPress site on the Internet is your domain name. Every website needs a domain name for the people to access your site. Domain name plays a vital role in branding, so you need to put some thought into getting it right. You can use your own name, like yourname.com, when you are building a personal portfolio, and if you already have your business name, you can use it as websitename.com. The name itself (e.g. ‘Buzinessware’) and the domain name extension (‘.com’) are two parts of your domain name. If you are not doing any of these two names, you should brainstorm to come up with the perfect name.
There are many domain name extensions where ‘.com’ is the most popular and more acceptable to use a different extension. Remember that one person can only own a specific domain name at a time. So once the name is registered, no one else can register on the same name. You can purchase your unique domain name but doing a proper search.
Purchase web hosting
You need web hosting to make your website accessible when someone visits your domain name. By purchasing web hosting, you rent spaces on a computer to power your website. You can find hosting at all price points, but it is totally fine to choose cheap WordPress hosting if you are just getting started with WordPress. Over time you can always upgrade as your site grows, so to get started, choose your plan and purchase it. Once you have purchased your hosting, you must point to your domain name by editing your domain’s nameservers.
Install WordPress
After having your hosting, you have to install the basic WordPress software. By using a dedicated website installer, you can even make the process easier. If you log in for the first time after purchasing, you will get a simple wizard to install the WordPress software. After installing WordPress, you can access your dashboard by visiting yoursite.com/wp-admin. Login to the site with the username and password that you entered in the WordPress installer wizard. Once you are done with this process, it is all set to make your WordPress site your own.
Choose your WordPress theme
WordPress offers thousands of themes for you to choose from, so it might be a little confusing for beginners to choose from. Your website appearance is completely controlled by your site’s theme. Choosing the WordPress theme is an important consideration to make your website look more professional and be easy to navigate. The theme you choose should match the purpose of your WordPress site.
Some themes boast many features and support, so by considering all the requirements, you should choose them. To check out different themes, you can look into two places such as WordPress.org theme directory for free WordPress themes and ThemeForest for premium WordPress themes. You can also find many premium themes that developers sell directly. After finalizing the WordPress theme, you can install it on your site by going to Appearance, themes and adding new. Even after installing and activating your theme, you can further customize its looks using the WordPress Customizer. You should click on Appearance and select customize to customize your theme using a simple interface and a real-time preview to access the customizer.
Must have WordPress plugins
The power of WordPress comes with a huge collection of plugins this is because it helps you to add new functionality to your site. The theme controls your site’s looks where plugins add new functionality to your site. From small features to big features, WordPress plugins offers various features for your site. Though there are many free and premium plugins, they can be divided into two rough categories like must-have plugins and niche-specific plugins. No matter what the site is about since Every WordPress sites need must-have plugins.
It is unnecessary to have niche-specific plugins, but you might need them to flesh out your site. These plugins add functionality that is specific to your requirements. Some must-have plugins are backup plugin, security plugin, SEO plugin and caching/ performance plugin. These plugins are essential and must-have plugins for everyone to create a site in WordPress. The free plugin will be available at WordPress.org, and for a premium plugin, you can install it by uploading a zip file.
Add your content
So far, you have completed with the foundation of your site. Install the WordPress software, set up themes and plugins to set your site up for success. Once you are done with this, you are ready to add your content. A good spot to add your content is to start up with your site’s core pages.
Add more plugins as needed
As you have seen above, there are some must-have WordPress plugins that all sites need. Other than this, you also need some other plugins that are specific to your site’s requirements. You can find some plugins that will add helpful functionality to your site at this stage. Most plugins are 100% free and have a limited free version and additional functionality.
Summing it up
You might know how to purchase and get started with your WordPress site by now. If you made it to this point, you should now have to work on WordPress and also try to learn about it to grow the website even more attractive. You can follow the steps as mentioned above to get started with your WordPress properly and easily to make your own websites.