I recently took up a project to create a website for an organization using WordPress. However, I was new to WordPress and had to do my research on it before starting development. During research, I noticed that there is very little documentation about WordPress sites creation and hence to help beginners like myself I am writing this blog on how to get started with WordPress.
What Is WordPress?
WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems(CMS) especially for bloggers, freelancers and small business owners who want to create various types of sites such as membership sites, ecommerce sites, forums, learning management systems and more. It implements a drag and drop methodology for creating sites, and though it has quite a learning curve, it is much easier than creating a website with traditional coding tools such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript. You can customize it using various inbuilt themes and downloadable plugins to implement the functionality that you want. In this comprehensive guide, I will walk you through the process of creating a WordPress website from scratch and hosting it for the world to see.
1: Register a Domain Name
The first step in creating a website is to register a domain name. The domain name is the address people will use to access your website for example, www.yourwebsite.com. When choosing a domain name you should ensure that it stays true to your brand so make sure to research for the best domain for your business. There are many domain registrars to choose from but I would recommend using reputable ones such as Google Domain and Namecheap. Also consider the top-level domain extension that is best for you, for example .com, .org or any other one that will align with your goals better. After deciding a domain name, you'll need to purchase it which is pretty straightforward in the domain registers mentioned above.
2: Choose a Web Hosting Provider
After securing your domain name, the next step is to choose a web hosting provider to store your website’s files and make it accessible on the internet. You’ll want to arm yourself with information before making a final decision. First, learn about the different types of hosting available to determine which is the best for your unique situation. Next, decide which host best fits your budget and has the most features. Good features to look out for include guarantee for almost 99% uptime, security patches and updates, provision of security licenses, emails, backups, staging sites and good security. Some popular web hosting providers for WordPress include BlueHost, WP Engine and SiteGround.
3: Install WordPress
Most web hosting providers offer a one-click WordPress installation feature, making it easy to set up your WordPress site especially if you chose WordPress dedicated hosting. Once you have signed up for a hosting plan, log in to your hosting account’s control panel(cPanel) and locate the WordPress installer. Follow the on-screen instructions to install Wordpress on your domain and you’ll be set. You will also need to create an administrator account with a username and password to log in to your WordPress dashboard.
4: Choose a Theme
WordPress offers a wide range of free and premium themes that determine the design and layout of your website. They allow you to customize colors, the layout, fonts, and other design elements to match your branding or style. Once you've installed WordPress browse through the WordPress Theme directory or third-party theme marketplaces like ThemeForest to find a theme that suits your brand identity and website goals.The key factors to include while deciding on a theme include: responsiveness, customization options and user reviews.
5: Customize Your Website
Once you’ve installed a good theme the next step is customization. You can customize your website by replacing theme placeholders such as logos, text and changing colors, fonts and the overall layout if necessary. WordPress provides a user-friendly interface with a built-in customiser tool that allows you to make visual changes to your website in real-time. You can also make use of plugins such as Elementor to add additional functionality to your website, such as contact forms, images and social media integration among many other things.
6: Create and Publish Content
With theme customisation and overall website design done, it’s time to create and publish content that will engage your audience. For this, I’d recommend the installation of the Elementor plugin. This utilizes a block-based editor, which allows you to easily add text, images, videos and other media types to your pages and posts.You can start with a few basic pages like the Home Page/Landing page, About Us page to tell your audience more about yourself or your business and a Contact Us page where you'll showcase the various methods in which people can reach you. Write compelling blog posts, create informative pages and showcase your portfolio to attract visitors to your website.
7: Search Engine Optimisation
With posts and pages published and ready for an audience, you need to ensure that search engines like Google route people to your site and this is done with the help of plugins such as Yoast SEO and Rank Math.
How to Set Up Yoast SEO
- Install and activate it through the plugins menu.
- Configure it through the configuration wizard in SEO by setting up basic settings like site type, personal details, search engine visibility and more.
- Optimize your page content by editing posts using the Yoast SEO meta box to set the SEO title, meta description and focus key phrase.
- Regularly check and improve SEO scores and keep the plugin updated. This plugin will help you optimize your website for relevant keywords, meta descriptions and social media previews. Also remember that SEO won’t work if you don’t build high-quality content for your website.
8: Set Up Analytics
Now that your website is all set and you have an audience, you need to track its performance and try to understand your audience’s behavior. This is where Google Analytics will come in handy.
How to Set up Google Analytics
- Sign up for Google Analytics with your Google account and select on start measuring and follow the steps to set up your account.
- After setting up you'll get a unique Tracking ID
- Add this Tracking ID to your website by using a plugin like Google Site Kit.
- Verify tracking by going back to your Google Analytics dashboard and check the real-time report.
- Set up goals. Navigate to the admin area in Analytics and set up goals to track specific user actions for example, product purchase or form submission.
Once set up, it provides valuable insights into your website traffic, including the number of visitors, page views and conversion goals. The data collected will be very key in identifying areas for improvement and in making informed decisions in order for your website to grow.
9: Secure Your Website
Your website now has real users and some of their sensitive data as well as yours might be stored on there. To ensure the safety of this data, you must safeguard your site. You can do this by installing security plugins such as WordFence and Sucuri to monitor for malware and other vulnerabilities. Another thing you may consider doing is enabling HTTPS encryption by installing an SSl certificate mostly sourced from your web hosting provider in order to secure data transmission between your website and visitors’ browsers. It is also essential to regularly back up your website to prevent data loss in case of server crash or a security breach. This can also be done through your web hosting provider or through plugins such as UpdraftPlus that facilitates scheduled backups of your web files.
Conclusion
WordPress development may look scary from afar but by following this guide your experience will be much better and don’t worry if this looks overwhelming at first, with practice, it becomes much easier. With patience and practice, you’ll have a professional looking WordPress site up and running in no time.
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