Approximately 455 million live websites use WordPress, i.e., 35% of all websites. The platform's versatility and diversity make it a top-notch choice for brands to create a WordPress website. That is why learning how to build a WordPress website for your business is important.
WordPress is an incredibly efficient website builder for blogs and eCommerce shops. As an entrepreneur in the digital age, you cannot afford a lack of online presence. Knowing how to use WordPress is an excellent starting point for website creation and content management systems (CMS).
If you are looking for a guide on how to build a WordPress website, you have come to the right place. This article curates the simplest steps to use WordPress and make a WordPress website in an hour or less.
Table of Contents
How to Build a WordPress Website in 12 Easy Steps
How to build a WordPress website requires proper planning and patience. You must be meticulous and ensure your strategies align precisely with your goals.
Follow this detailed step-by-step process on how to make a WordPress website.
1. Set Your Purpose
Have a well-defined purpose. A website can have multiple goals to achieve, including the following:
- Showcasing your talent
- Finding clients for your services
- Sharing educational materials
- Online marketing services
- Earning money online
Note the purposes that match yours and add your unique goals for your site. Defining your website’s purpose is crucial before building one to avoid as many mistakes as possible. It is a big project, so you should take the time to set your goals. This way, you can veer from mistakes that may hamper your workflows.
2. Pick Your Website’s Domain Name
There is a chance your choice of a domain name may already be taken. In this case, you need backup names.
Go through the brainstorming process carefully. Websites are a critical part of your brand name and reputation. When you decide on a name, it must match your brand and its values. It must also be final so you do not have to switch domain names after your business page goes live. It is a clever choice not to change it further.
A memorable domain name contributes to a successful online presence. Consider these when choosing a domain name:
- Your domain name should be easy to recall, recognize, and claim.
- It has to be as precise and short as possible.
- Try to keep away from numbers and hyphens.
- Ensure it identifies your brand.
3. Get a Website Host
Next, purchase a hosting plan. Hosting is where all your website data will be stored and organized.
Ciril Sreedhar, Project Manager at Sreyas IT Solutions, recommends: "Select a dependable hosting provider to guarantee maximum speed and uptime."
How to Use WordPress: Best Web Hosting Options
Several managed WordPress hosting providers have robust data security and backup.
You can consider the following popular and efficient website hosts according to your business site’s needs:
- Bluehost: The official partner of WordPress, Bluehost offers best-in-class hosting services to business and professional users. It supports automated updates and web management tools for enhanced user experience (UX).
- WP Engine: One of the older managed hosts of WordPress, it provides dedicated, shared, and cloud-based hosting services with high-quality security. WP Engine is especially great for hosting several WordPress websites that get traffic.
- Hostgator: An affordable hosting provider with speed, security, and unlimited email addresses.
- Cloudways: With Cloudways, you will get the latest MYSQL database and PHP versions.
- Kinsta: While relatively pricier than other hosting choices, Kinsta is the wise option if you prefer user-friendliness. It is also a powerful managed host for a WordPress website, offering auto-scaling for unexpected traffic spikes.
- Hostinger: This is a cost-efficient choice for hosting hundreds of sites.
- GreenGeeks: It is best for eco-friendly entrepreneurs and website owners.
- Nexcess: This is an effective hosting platform for website staging.
- Siteground: You can migrate your eCommerce shops easily and quickly with Siteground.
- Flywheel: This is another web host that offers easy website migration.
- Scala Hosting: This gives the most freebies for WordPress websites.
4. Register Your Domain Name
On the one hand, a web host runs the servers where your websites are hosted and go live. On the other hand, a domain registrar specializes in buying and registering domain names.
While most web hosts offer domain registration for convenience and at a higher price, alongside hosting services, it is advisable to buy domains from a company specializing in domain registration.
It makes sense not to mix up your purchases for a better WordPress website creation experience and future maintenance.
Here is a list of domain name service providers where you can get your website name:
Since these sites specialize in registering domains, they have stronger credibility, better control over your URL structure, and improved SEO features.
When you reach one of these domain name registration websites, simply key in the domain name you want to buy in the search bar. You will find out if the name is available.
5. Determine What Kind of Website You are Creating
Keep these in mind when understanding how to build a WordPress website:
- The target markets of your business site
- Your product and service offers
- Your portfolio and customer testimonials, if available
- All available contact details
- The need for a blog section
- The purpose of the business website—is it mainly an eCommerce store or informative web pages?
6. Install WordPress
After buying your domain name and hosting plan successfully, your next task to make a WordPress website is downloading and installing it on your server.
The steps are similar across all hosting providers. They are as follows:
- Head to your host’s landing page and navigate to the login section.
- Enter your account ID and passcode.
- Once logged in, select WordPress to get started.
- Proceed to install WordPress on your website.
You will be rerouted to the host’s dashboard. You can activate your website by clicking “Launch Your Site” or continue and save to do it later.
If you select to launch instantly, your WordPress site will be marked “published.”
7. Point Your Domain to Your Host
Here is a quick recap of how far you are into how to build a WordPress website:
- You have bought a domain name and registered it.
- You have completed the signup with a hosting plan.
- You have installed WordPress on your web host.
Now, it is time to put them together and point your domain to your host so that when people follow your URL web address, they will be redirected to your website.
Ensure your host provider has provided you with the correct “nameserver” settings. You can check the configuration on the domain registrar.
8. Select and Install a WordPress Theme
The best website design trends speak volumes about your brand and your company’s integrity. Stanford research shares that 75% of online users admit to judging a business’s credibility based on its website design.
That is why choosing the WordPress theme most suitable for your website structure, business type, and branding is vital.
You have two options:
- A premium or paid theme
- A free WordPress theme
Either is available in different marketplaces and offers versatility. WordPress itself has a wide range of themes. You can find them under the “Themes” section.
If you are learning WordPress, you may opt for a free theme. However, as you progress in improving and optimizing a more complex business site, it is recommended to use a paid theme.
With a paid version, you will get more freedom, flexibility, and functionality options.
After finding your preferred theme, you can:
- Navigate to your WordPress dashboard.
- Go to the “Appearance” section.
- Click on “Themes.”
- Download file.
- Activate.
You have uploaded the theme and set it for use. Customize your theme to spruce up your site’s look and make navigation more convenient for visitors.
A WordPress theme impacts content presentation and UX, which are crucial for SEO; it dictates the site’s layout, design, and functionality, affecting how easily users and search engines can access and interpret the content.
Tim Volner, CEO at Poieo Dev, emphasizes that "UI/UX and site performance should be the two key considerations when building a WordPress website, which also helps improve SEO."
Proper theme selection ensures better mobile responsiveness, faster loading times, and optimized on-page SEO elements, which can significantly enhance search engine ranking and user engagement.
Derek Robinson, Chief Marketing Officer at Top Notch Dezigns, adds: "Page loading speed is of utmost importance, because a slow-to-load WP website fails to deliver a good UX and falters on the SEO front, too."
9. Install the Necessary Plugins
Install easy-to-apply and implement plugins based on your website needs, business type, industry, and niche.
According to Arif Gangji, President and CEO of Neon Rain Interactive: "Choosing the right builder and plugins for a WP site is crucial to avoid bloat, speed issues, and security risks." Fabricio De Felippe, CEO of Tuxdi, agrees and adds: "Clearly understand the features and functionality you need, and whether a plugin supports these or if you need custom development."
Check out these beneficial plugins you can consider when making a WordPress website:
- Yoast SEO (Free): This set of optimization tools helps boost your website’s position in search engine results pages (SERPs). In addition, it allows you to add OpenGraph data and XML Sitemaps to make creating and posting SEO-friendly pages easier.
- Security Plugin (Free and Pro): An example is Securi. This will secure your website from malware threats and attacks, among other cybersecurity issues and intrusions.
- W3 Total Cache (Free): This is for enhanced server performance, reducing page load and download times significantly. Also, alongside Yoast SEO, it helps advance your rank on search pages.
- Elementor Page Builder (Free and Pro): This enables you or your WordPress outsourcing provider to design web pages without coding. Elementor offers various facilities you can easily use for live and visual page-building.
- Google Analytics Plugin (Free and Pro): Get an analytics plugin, like Analytify and Jetpack, to monitor your site’s performance. A premium account comes with unlimited features, including:
- User visits tracker
- Site popularity rate
- Visitor engagement
- Visitor insights
- Per page and post-performance monitoring
- Social content performance and comments tracker
- Backup Plugin (Free and Pro): A backup plugin, such as Updraftplus, is an excellent solution for downtimes, crashes, and unusual activities on your site.
- WP User Frontend: You can create profiles, product descriptions, contact forms, and customer posts with this plugin. It also lets you manage subscriptions to your updates effortlessly.
- WP Project Manager (Pro): Manage your teams, tasks, and projects through collaborative work using WP Project Manager.
- weMail: Send newsletters and other automated emails with weMail. You can automatically collect leads and add subscribers to your list with weMail on your WordPress dashboard.
There are more than 55,000 WordPress plugins. Install the most useful ones according to the purpose and requirements of your business pages.
10. Set up Your Web Pages and Add the Menu
Your site’s structure will vary depending on your brand. From this structure, you can build web pages. Begin with the basics, such as:
- Company profile
- About page
- Brand’s mission, vision, and goals
- Products and services page
- Gallery page
- Portfolio
- Customer feedback
- Contact page
Follow the same process to create each page:
- Navigate to the “Pages” section.
- Click on “Add new page.”
- Set up and configure the specific page.
- And then publish the page.
To create a menu for every web page:
- Go to “Appearance.”
- Create a menu.
- Set up and update.
- Save menu.
Arranged web pages and menus are factors for excellent navigation and overall UX.
11. Configure the General Settings
After completing the preceding ten steps, customize your WordPress website’s general settings to help run it smoothly.
Navigate to “Settings,” and then click on “General.” In this section, you can:
- Give your site a title
- Add a tagline
- Edit your URL address
- Key in an email address
- Update user roles and permissions
- Format the time zone and date
Next, click the “Writing” option to set up the post categories and their default format.
Under the “Reading” section, tailor how you want each web page displayed on the end-user’s interface. Tick what you want to show on:
- The homepage
- Every blog post
- Post summaries
- The SERPs
12. Set the Permalink Structure
To finalize how to build a WordPress website for your business, site its permalink structure.
The permalink is essential for search engines to index your website and for users to visit your site without hassle.
You can use Yoast SEO to modify your site’s automated permalink accordingly.
Key Takeaways on How to Build a WordPress Website
When building a WordPress website, apply David DeLeon’s, Founder of KingsGuard, advice:
- Understand demographics, interests, and browsing behaviors to guide design and content.
- Clearly define your goals, whether it’s sales, showcasing work, or community building.
- Ensure smooth navigation, readable content, and quick load times.
- Create engaging blog posts, videos, and interactive elements to boost SEO and credibility.
- Select a theme that matches your brand, focuses on responsive design, and avoids clutter.
- Protect your site with strong security and regular backups.
- Increase visibility with keyword optimization, meta descriptions, and linking strategies.
- Maintain fast load times and smooth functionality with regular updates and optimizations.
- Use analytics to monitor traffic and user behavior for ongoing improvements.
- Ensure the site is usable for all, including those with disabilities, with features like alt text and keyboard navigation.
Remember that building a website does not stop at its activation and launch. You have to keep evolving your WordPress website and update it with content regularly so it's continually optimized for search engine visibility, for which hiring services of a web development company may be your best bet.
