Many people find themselves overwhelmed when trying to build a website with WordPress, and rightly so. WordPress might seem easy, but with so many features and ambiguous ways of doing things, it requires experience to create a process that can be used repeatedly.
In this article, I'll share my WordPress website-building process, from choosing a domain name to launching a website. Whether you’re new to web development or just looking to refine your skills, this guide will help you get started.
WordPress is a powerful and flexible content management system (CMS) that allows you to create and manage websites without needing to know how to code.
There are two versions of WordPress: WordPress.org and WordPress.com.
In this guide, I’ll focus on using WordPress.org, as it offers the most flexibility and control.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to building your first WordPress website. Follow these steps, and you’ll have your site up and running in no time.
The first step in creating your WordPress website is choosing a domain name. Your domain name is the web address where people will find your site, so it’s essential to pick something easy to remember, easy to spell and on-brand.
Also try to keep it short and avoid using numbers or hyphens, as these can confuse visitors. You can get a domain name from a trusted domain registrar, I recommend using Namecheap or GoDaddy, they have advanced search features that help you search for the perfect available domain names.
After choosing a domain name, you’ll need to select a web hosting provider. A hosting server is where your website’s files will be stored and served to visitors, it’s ideal to purchase your domain name and hosting plan from the same provider as it simplifies setup and maintenance.
In terms of which hosting provider to go with, look for a hosting service that offers reliability, good customer support, and scalability.
Popular hosting providers for WordPress include Bluehost, SiteGround, and WP Engine. These providers offer one-click WordPress installation to simplify the setup process, which is why so many people use them.
Once you’ve secured your hosting and domain name, the next step is to install WordPress. Most hosting providers offer a simple one-click installation for WordPress, but you can also install it manually if needed.
The installation process involves downloading WordPress from WordPress.org, uploading it to your server, and following the on-screen instructions to complete the setup. If you’re unsure how to do this, check out our detailed guide on how to create a website.
Your WordPress theme determines the look and feel of your website. There are thousands of free and premium themes available on the WordPress Repository and on marketplaces like Themeforest.
Themes cater to various industries and purposes, to find one that fits your industry and website concept, you can search based on keywords.
popular theme development studios
When choosing a theme, consider the design, customisation options, and how well it aligns with your brand.
Some famous theme development studios include Elementor, Elegant Themes, and StudioPress. Once you’ve selected a theme, you can install and activate it from the WordPress dashboard.
After activating your theme, it’s time to customise it to match your brand. WordPress themes usually come with customisation options that allow you to change colours, fonts, layouts, and more.
The majority of WordPress themes also ship with a page builder, the most popular of which is Elementor. So, you’ll need to learn how to customize themes built with it.
Some older themes rely on the theme panels on the WordPress dashboard or WordPress Customiser, which provides a live preview of your changes. It is important to study your theme’s documentation to grasp how to work with it fully.
Before customising your theme, we recommend creating a wireframe. A wireframe is a visual representation of your website. This allows you to save development time due to costly revisions. It also acts as a single source of truth for how you communicate your brand on your website.
For more information on how to design your website, read this article on how to create a website.
Plugins are tools that extend the functionality of your WordPress website. Whether you need to add a contact form, improve your site’s SEO, or create an e-commerce store, there’s a plugin for almost everything.
Most WordPress themes ship with a set of plugins that cover most of the functionality your site needs, but sometimes that’s not enough.
Some essential plugins to consider include Yoast SEO for search engine optimisation, Contact Form 7 for form creation, Wordfence for security, and WooCommerce if you plan to sell products online.
You can install plugins directly from the WordPress dashboard by navigating to “Plugins” and clicking “Add New.”.
Every website needs a few key pages to function properly and provide essential information to visitors.
Pages like Home, About, Contact, and Blog are a staple across many websites. Thankfully, most themes come with these pages in their importable demos.
Aside from these pages, you can also create others for specific purposes and include relevant content that engages your audience.
In WordPress, you can create a page by navigating to “Pages” in the WordPress dashboard and clicking “Add New.” Remember to use headings, images, and other elements to break up the content and make it easy to read.
Content is the heart of your website. It determines how users perceive your brand and influences their actions while on your website.
With all the pages created and designed, replace all the demo content with your copy. Use relevant keywords naturally throughout your content and include internal links to other pages on your site.
You can also start publishing blogposts if you have a blog, these are exceptional at getting your website more traffic and exposure.
For more details on writing content that aligns with your brand, check out our article on website branding.
A well-organized navigation menu helps visitors find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. To create a navigation menu in WordPress, go to “Appearance” > “Menus” and click “Create a New Menu.”
Add the most important pages to your menu and arrange them in a logical order. You can also create dropdown menus to group related pages together, making navigating your site easier.
You’ll need to create a navigation menu for both the header section of your website and footer.
Once you’re satisfied with the navigational structure, hit publish and test it on different devices to ensure its functionality.
Before launching your website, take some time to configure the basic settings in WordPress. Go to “Settings” in the dashboard and review options like site title, tagline, timezone, and search engine visibility.
These settings can significantly impact your site’s performance and SEO, so make sure everything is set up correctly.
Permalinks are the URLs that lead to your pages and posts. A clean and consistent permalink structure is crucial for SEO and user experience. In WordPress, you can set up permalinks by going to “Settings” > “Permalinks.”
Choose a structure that makes sense for your content, such as “Post name,” which uses the title of the post in the URL. Avoid using default options like “Plain,” as they aren’t SEO-friendly.
A contact form is essential for allowing visitors to contact you. Many plugins are available for creating forms in WordPress, with Contact Form 7 and WPForms being two popular options.
These plugins allow you to create custom forms and embed them on your contact page or other site areas.
Page builders like Elementor also ship with their own form solution, so if that’s available, there’s no need for an additional plugin.
The most important thing is to make sure your form is simple, easy to fill out, and includes essential fields like name, email, and message.
With every set, you’ll need a way to gather data about the users of your website, everything from which country they are from to how long they spend on each page and the actions they took while browsing.
Google Analytics is a powerful tool for tracking and analysing your website’s traffic. By setting up Google Analytics on your WordPress site, you can gain deep insights into how visitors find your site, what pages they visit, and how long they stay.
To add Google Analytics to WordPress, use a plugin like “Site Kit by Google” or manually insert the tracking code into your site’s header.
This data will help you make informed content and marketing strategy decisions.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is critical for getting your WordPress website to rank in search engine results and by default WordPress does not have efficient SEO features.
To properly optimize your website for search engines, start by installing an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math, which comes with a ton of features like custom meta title and description for all pages, keywords optimization suite, the ability to set a featured image for different social media sites, sitemaps and SEO score.
Once you install an activate an SEO plugin, you are normally greeted with a setup wizard which helps you configure basic SEO across your WordPress site. After the setup, edit each page on your site and add all relevant meta tags as well as keywords.
Additionally, ensure that your site is mobile-friendly, has fast loading times, and uses clean, readable URLs. Internal linking is also important—link to other relevant pages within your site to improve navigation and boost SEO.
Once you’ve completed all the steps above, it’s time to launch your website! Before going live, double-check that all content is in place, links are working, and there are no errors.
Make sure your site is mobile-friendly and test it across different browsers to ensure everything looks and functions as expected.
When you’re ready, announce your launch on social media, email your subscribers, and start driving traffic to your new site.
If you’re still unsure where to start with building your WordPress website, our team at Take2Elevate can help. We offer professional web design and development services tailored to your needs. Contact us today for a consultation, and let us help you create a stunning WordPress website.
Building a WordPress website can seem overwhelming at first, but by following these steps, you can create a functional and professional site that meets your goals.
From choosing a domain name to launching your website, every step is crucial to your success.
Take your time, plan carefully, and don’t hesitate to seek help if needed.
With WordPress, the possibilities are endless, and your website can grow and evolve along with your business.
Yes, WordPress itself is free to use, but you’ll need to pay for hosting a domain name, and any premium themes or plugins you want to use. WordPress.com offers a free plan with limited features, but WordPress.org requires a hosting service.
Yes, you can create a free website using WordPress.com. However, the free version comes with limitations, such as a WordPress-branded domain name and limited customisation options.
The cost of a WordPress website can vary depending on your needs. Basic expenses include hosting (starting from £3-£10 per month), a domain name (around £10-£15 per year), and premium themes or plugins (which can range from £20 to several hundred pounds). For a detailed breakdown, check out our article on how much a website costs.
