How to build a WordPress website: Complete step-by-step guide

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The idea of learning how to build a WordPress website can be overwhelming, especially if you’ve never dabbled with website builders in the past. However, with an abundance of resources and tools available today, the process has never been easier. And we’re here to help.

In this article, we’ll guide you through the basic steps you need to take as you set up a WordPress website for yourself, and explore the cost considerations you should keep in mind before you start. 

We’ll also share a few case studies to help you understand what kind of websites are possible with WordPress.

Planning your WordPress website

We’ll discuss the technical aspects of how to build a website with WordPress shortly. But first, let’s briefly discuss the most important step: strategic planning. 

To build a website with WordPress, you must identify your website’s intended purpose, structure, and target audience. Here are some questions to ask yourself to define your site’s purpose:

• Target audience: Who is your target audience? Determine who you’re targeting, then tailor your content and design to resonate with them.
• Visitors’ action: What action do you want visitors to take? Do you want them to contact you, subscribe to your newsletter, or make a purchase?
• Unique selling proposition: What makes your website unique? Identify what sets you apart from competitors in your niche.

Once you know your website’s purpose, it’s time to plan how you’ll deliver your message. 

The following tips can guide you on how to make a WordPress website structure:

• Start with essential pages like Home, About Us, and Contact. See other essential pages you might need for your business website below:

• Organize your pages in a logical flow — all of them should be easily accessible from the homepage
• Brainstorm the type of content you’ll create for each page — it can be text, images, or videos

How to build a WordPress website from scratch

The steps involved in how to make a website with WordPress may seem overwhelming. However, WordPress’s functionalities are easy to understand and navigate.

Here’s a quick roadmap on how to build a WordPress website from scratch:

1. Choose a domain and hosting provider

2. Install WordPress

3. Select a theme

4. Customize your theme

5. Add plugins

6. Create essential pages

7. Set up a blog (optional)

8. Add ecommerce functionality (if required)

9. Optimize for SEO

10. Ensure website security

11. Launch your website

12. Maintain and update your website

In the following sections, we’ll explore each step in detail and provide clear instructions on how to use WordPress to build a website.

Choose a domain and hosting provider 

Your domain name is your website’s identity on the internet. Consider a name that reflects your brand, is easy to remember, and is relevant to your niche. 

Once you’ve decided on a domain name, register it through a domain registrar. This involves searching for availability and purchasing your desired domain.

Install WordPress

After successfully setting up your domain and hosting, the next step is to install WordPress. Many hosting companies provide simple, one-click installations in your control panel or dashboard. 

Follow the provider’s instructions to install WordPress on your domain. After installation, access the WordPress dashboard to customize your website.

Learning how to build a WordPress website for a small business is made a lot easier thanks to the platform’s vast collection of built-in themes and plugins.

Custom WordPress website development and design

Businesses that require unique features that are not available in built-in WordPress templates often encounter certain limitations. However, you can bypass these limitations by customizing the WordPress website. 

Unlike pre-designed themes, a custom WordPress site is created from scratch to meet specific needs.

Here’s an example of a custom website created to fit the company’s corporate identity:

Website customization can include distinct designs, functionality, user experience aspects, and more. 

This level of customization can require advanced skills, so it may be worth working with a reputable WordPress development company. These specialists can craft custom themes and also provide bespoke plugins to meet your website’s specific needs.

Select a theme

To design your website, you’ll go through the process of selecting a suitable theme and customizing it to suit your brand’s needs. WordPress gives you access to a vast library of free and premium themes that cater to diverse needs and aesthetics. When choosing a theme, keep the following factors in mind:

• Design: Does the overall aesthetic of the theme resonate with your brand and target audience?
• Functionality: Does the theme offer the features you need, such as contact forms or ecommerce functions?
• Responsiveness: Is the theme mobile-friendly and adaptable to different screen sizes?

Select Appearance on your WordPress menu to select a theme to add to your website: 

Alternatively, you can manually upload a theme file in a zip file:

Divi by Elegant Themes is an excellent example of such a tool. Divi is more than just a WordPress theme — it’s a complete website-building platform that replaces the standard WordPress post editor with a vastly superior visual editor.

Whether you’re a design professional or a newcomer, Divi empowers you to create spectacular designs with ease and efficiency.

Customize your theme

You can customize your theme to make your website represent your brand’s identity. Here are the key ways you can tailor your theme to suit your brand’s needs:

• Design your layout: Many themes offer built-in options to adjust the layout —for instance, you can rearrange sections or modify the number of sidebars —  so be sure to explore these options to find a layout that best suits your content and user flow
• Choose your color scheme: Select a color scheme that aligns with your brand identity and complements your content — but don’t forget visitors still need to be able to read your content easily
• Add a logo: Ensure your logo integrates into your theme’s design, is clearly visible, and maintains consistent sizing across different devices 

Add WordPress plugins

If you want to know how to build a WordPress website, you need to get familiar with plugins. They can help you with everything from page loading speed and user experience to turning your site into an ecommerce store.

WordPress allows you to easily install plugins directly from your dashboard. In the left-hand navigation menu, hover over Plugins and click Add New. You’ll also see a search bar where you can enter keywords to find specific plugins:

Once you click on your chosen plugin, click the Install and activate button on the next screen to install it.

You can also manually upload plugins. Download the desired plugin as a zip file from a third-party source or the WordPress directory, then simply click the Upload Plugin button on your dashboard:

You can drag the zip file into the file upload field on the following screen:

Here are some categories of the best WordPress plugins to consider for your website:

• SEO: These plugins help you optimize your website for search engines like Google and can improve your ranking in search results and drive organic traffic 
• Marketing: Marketing plugins provide tools for building email lists and capturing leads
• Security: These plugins are crucial for protecting your website from malware, spam, and hacking attempts
• Caching: Plugins under this category can improve website performance by storing frequently accessed data, leading to faster loading times for your visitors

How to make a WordPress ecommerce website

When learning how to make a WordPress ecommerce website, there are some key aspects to pay close attention to. These include:

• Choosing the right ecommerce plugin: The right ecommerce plugin turns your website into a powerful store.
  
  Omnisend, a popular email marketing plugin, provides a variety of distinct functions and allows you to create targeted email campaigns for your ecommerce business.
  
  You can get inspiration for ecommerce plugin selections from successful WooCommerce online stores.
  
  However, it’s important to consider your specific needs and desired features before diving in. This will guide you toward the plugin that best suits your WordPress ecommerce website.

• Ensuring website security: Protecting your ecommerce store is important.
  
  To accomplish this, you must implement stringent security measures. This includes implementing an SSL certificate, which encrypts sensitive information during checkout.
  
  You also need to update your WordPress core and plugins to patch any security vulnerabilities.
• Optimizing for user experience: An efficient website hinges on a user-friendly interface.
  
  This means prioritizing an easy-to-navigate layout that allows customers to navigate with ease. Use clear menus, category structures, and prominent search bars for a smooth user experience.
  
  Customers appreciate websites that are easy to navigate. However, a simple layout is insufficient: you also need to provide detailed and informative product descriptions and include high-quality images to empower customers to make informed purchasing decisions.
  
  Speed is another crucial component of user experience. Ensure your website loads quickly to offer a seamless and pleasant browsing experience.

After launching your website, you’ll need effective marketing strategies to reach your target audience. 

You can utilize WordPress email marketing plugins like Omnisend to create marketing campaigns to engage customers. The Omnisend plugin integrates with WordPress, making it quick and easy to set up.

Adding content to your website

One way to master how to build a WordPress website is by creating high-quality and engaging content to attract visitors and convert them into paying customers. 

Investing your effort in creating quality content lays the foundation for a thriving online presence. Let’s explore what adding content to your website involves.

Create essential pages

WordPress allows for unlimited pages, and some are fundamental to every website. These include your Home, About, and Contact pages, which visitors will expect to see.

Businesses can add more pages like Products or Services to showcase their offerings in detail. You can build and edit these pages on the WordPress editor.

To add a new page, navigate to the Pages section on your dashboard’s left side:

Adding a new page will prompt a blank page editor to launch as seen in the image below.

Once you create a page, you can use the content blocks to add paragraphs, headings, images, and more. Simply drag and drop them into the editor to structure your page.

You can bold, italicize, and personalize your text using the formatting options. You can also adjust the font size, color, and alignment to enhance readability and visual appeal.

Creating your website’s essential pages is just the beginning. You’ll then need to optimize them for search engines to attract organic traffic. Here are some basic SEO practices to keep in mind: 

• Incorporate relevant keywords into your page titles, content, and meta descriptions
• Write compelling descriptions that summarize your page’s content to entice visitors to click on your website in search results
• Use descriptive filenames and alt text for your images to make your content accessible to search engines
• Create links within your website that connect related pages

Launch and maintain your WordPress website

After following the steps on how to build a website with WordPress, you have reached the crucial stage of launching it. There are a few final considerations to ensure a smooth launch:

• Launch your website: First, test your website before putting it live and ensure it looks and functions well across different devices, including tablets, smartphones, and computers, as well as across various browsers, such as Safari, Firefox, and Chrome.
  
  Navigate to your WordPress dashboard once you’re satisfied with how your website functions. Go to Settings and then Reading.
  
  There, look for the visibility status. In the image below, you’ll see it says, “Discourage search engines from indexing this site.” Change that setting to allow search engines to index your site and make it discoverable.

• Maintain and update your website: Once your website is live, regular maintenance is important.
  
  This involves updating content and checking for broken links. It also includes optimizing images for faster loading times and monitoring site performance.
  
  Use plugins to identify and fix broken links and 404 errors. For example, Broken Link Checker can scan your website and report any dead links.
  
  Keeping your website updated is essential for its smooth operation and security. This includes updating the WordPress core program, themes, and plugins. These updates can help with bug fixes, new features, and security patches. All these help safeguard your site from vulnerabilities.
  
  Routine backups are also crucial to prevent website data loss. Consider scheduled backups using plugins or your hosting provider’s backup service.

• Ensure website security: Cyber threats are always evolving, so it’s important to take steps to safeguard your website’s data.
  
  Ensure you use strong, unique passwords for your WordPress login, hosting account, and any other relevant credentials.
  
  Security features like two-factor authentication can provide additional protection. This adds a step to the login process, requiring a single-use code from your phone or email besides your password.
  
  It’s also worth exploring security plugins. They can offer features like malware scanning, login attempt monitoring, and firewall protection, all of which can help detect and prevent security threats.

Website cost considerations

Building and maintaining a WordPress website involves several costs, including domain name registration, hosting, themes, and plugins to improve your website’s functionality.

• Domain name registration: A domain name is your website’s unique address on the internet.
  
  It’s advisable to go for a domain name that matches your business name.
  
  Various domain name registrars like Google Domains or Namecheap offer top-level domains, including .com, .net, and .org, but be aware that prices can differ for different top-level domains.

• Hosting: In addition to buying a domain name, hosting is another factor you need to consider when setting up your website.
  
  While building a site using WordPress.org is free, you still need web hosting to store your files.
  
  The cost of web hosting depends on the hosting service you use. 

• Themes: WordPress provides a vast collection of free themes for different design styles, but paid themes offer greater customization options so you can tweak your website to your taste.
  
  Platforms like Envato Market offer premium themes with advanced customization options for different website categories.
  
  The cost of getting a theme varies and can involve a one-time fee or annual renewals.

• Plugins: Depending on the website functionality you need, you might want to add certain plugins to your website.
  
  There are thousands of free plugins you can choose from the WordPress plugin directory.
  
  Premium plugins often provide advanced features and ongoing support, and their cost varies depending on the type of plugin. 

• Developer fees: Hiring a web developer enables you to create a distinctive, highly personalized website.
  
  WordPress developers often charge on an hourly basis. These rates vary based on factors like experience level. On freelance platforms like Upwork, the typical hourly wage is between $15 and $28.

Case studies and examples

Businesses use WordPress for various goals, including building brand awareness and driving sales. Here are some WordPress website examples that are thriving in different niches.

1. TED

TED is a renowned platform for sharing ideas in the form of short, powerful talks. The WordPress-powered website is a hub for TED Talks, conferences, and educational content. 

What sets TED apart is the diverse range of topics it covers. This includes everything from science and technology to art and social issues.

Like other WordPress websites, TED has an intuitive design that makes it easy for visitors to discover the content. The content is well-organized and easy to find, with clear categories and tags. 

2. 277 Fifth Avenue

277 Fifth Avenue is a luxury residential skyscraper in Manhattan, New York City. Its WordPress website showcases the property’s elegant design, world-class amenities, and breathtaking views.

The site utilizes high-resolution imagery, virtual tours, and blocks of images to keep its content engaging.

The website also features an interactive map that allows visitors to explore the properties and the surrounding areas. 

3. Soothing Scents

Soothing Scents is a wellness brand specializing in aromatherapy products. The website features informative product descriptions, user reviews, and educational content. 

Inspired by successful WordPress websites, here are some expert tips to guide you on how to make a WordPress ecommerce website: 

• Ensure your website is easy to navigate and visually appealing to keep visitors engaged
• With a large and increasing number of users accessing websites via mobile devices, it’s important to optimize your site for all screen sizes
• Provide valuable and relevant content to attract and keep visitors, which will help conversions
• Implement SEO best practices to improve your website’s visibility and attract organic traffic
• Keep your website fresh and up-to-date with new content, products, or services to maintain audience interest and loyalty

How to build a WordPress website FAQs 

1. Can a beginner build a website with WordPress?

Yes, a beginner can build a website with WordPress. The platform offers a wide range of pre-built designs and extensions, making creating any type of website easy.

2. Can I build a WordPress site for free?

Yes, you can build a WordPress site for free by using the WordPress.com platform. WordPress.com offers a free plan with limited features and customization options. However, this is a hosted blogging platform, so probably isn’t what you have in mind.

WordPress.org is the software that you can use to build your own website. The software itself is free, but setting it up to become a fully functional website requires additional aspects that often come with a cost.

3. How much does it cost to build a WordPress website?

The costs for building a WordPress website can vary, depending on your needs. This includes how much you pay for web hosting, registering a domain name, choosing a theme, any plugins or customizations you want, and whether or not you hire experts in design, development, or security. 

4. Is WordPress enough to make a website?

WordPress is capable of building a functional website. It’s a powerful and versatile content management system (CMS) that powers websites worldwide, including blogs, business websites, ecommerce stores, portfolios, and more.