How to Build a WordPress Website in 6 Simple Steps [Beginner’s Guide]

What if I told you that you can create a WordPress website yourself, within 30 minutes? That’s right – this guide will walk you through easy steps on how to build a WordPress site on your own, even if you don’t have technical expertise.
Let’s get started! 

What is WordPress, and Who is It For?

WordPress is a widely used content management platform with a whopping 43% market share. It lets you create and manage websites and blogs without knowing how to code. In fact you don’t need any experience to create your own website.

On top of everything, WordPress is open-source and free – meaning you don’t have to pay anything to use WordPress on your website.

Being the largest CMS platform on the Internet, WordPress is suitable for beginners as well as experts looking to set up a website quickly. It suits portfolio, business, and e-Commerce websites and blogs.

WordPress has over 10,257 free themes anyone can install on their website, depending on their requirements. Themes are pre-designed layouts of websites that you only need a click to install. 

To sum up, if you’re looking to create a website yourself without much technical knowledge, WordPress is the way to go.

Below, we will explore how exactly you can create your WordPress website yourself by following the six (6) simple steps.

How to Build a WordPress Website Yourself?

Follow these six (6) steps to set up your WordPress website quickly and easily. You do not need any prior knowledge, skills nor experience to create your own website. It’s just few clicks and install almost everything. 

Step 1: Choose a Hosting Plan and Domain Name

Your website’s data must be stored somewhere on the Internet. That’s where Hosting providers come in. Bluehost is one of the Hosting Providers. But its address will be needed for anyone to access it on the internet. That’s what we call a Domain Name.

Example of a Hosting provider is Bluehost and example of a domain name is www.blogruns.com 

Both these are the essentials of any website on the Internet.

A wide variety of hosting services are available to use. But we recommend Bluehost Hosting  since it’s beginner-friendly, affordable, and reliable. On top of that, Bluehost offers free domain registration, making it the best solution for your new website.

Bluehost has multiple hosting plans to suit all website needs. But since you’re starting a new website, go for its shared hosting plan called BASIC PLAN;
1. On the product page, click Select under the BASIC plan.

Get the Basic Plan for $2.95 now >

2. Enter your preferred domain name under Create a new domain.

2. Now, click Next and enter your account information like your name, address, and contact details.
3. Scroll down to Package Information and choose between the 12-month and 36-month terms.

4. Lastly, input your payment details and click Submit to make the payment.

Once the payment is complete, you’ll receive an email containing access to Bluehost’s cPanel. You’ll be using this control panel to manage your hosting account.

FAQ: What features do I get with Bluehost’s Basic plan?

Bluehost’s Basic Plan offers all the features you need for your new website, such as;

• a Domain Name;
• CDN integration; 
• SSL certification;
• You get 24/7 customer support;
• 10 GB SSD storage; and
• custom themes.

Step 2: Install WordPress

1. As you receive your cPanel credentials, log in and click My Sites from the left sidebar and click Create Site in the top right corner.

2. Next, click Start Building under WordPress.
3. Enter the essential information, such as your site name and tagline, and click Next.
4. That’s it; the WordPress installation will begin and be ready for use within a few minutes.
5. Once WordPress is installed, click My Sites and select Manage site under your website.

6. Select Log in to WordPress in the upper right corner, and that’s it – you can access your WordPress dashboard.

Step 3: Pick a Theme for your Website

As you access your WordPress editor, the first thing to do is install a theme. WordPress offers 10,000+ free (pre-designed) themes of different types organized in various categories. You can install any of them to suit your website needs.

1. Click Appearance in the left sidebar and select Themes under it.

2. Click Add New next to Themes stock.

3. Select one from the various themes available. Use the Feature Filter for a detailed search. Astra is the most preferred WordPress theme as it’s lightweight, responsive, and highly customizable. However, there are thousands of themes you can try out. 

4. Click Activate under the theme of your choice.

5. Once it’s activated, click Customize to modify the theme.

Step 4: Add Content to Your Site

When editing your website’s theme, you might want to add content to it, such as the purpose of your website, its main heading, etc.

1. To add content to a page or post, click the Add block button and click your preferred block, such as the paragraph, image, or video block.

2. You can add your preferred text if it’s a paragraph or heading block. If it’s an image or video block, click Upload to add your desired media files to your website.

3. Once you’ve added the desired content to your website, click Publish or Update in the top right corner.

Step 5: Customize Your Website

Your current theme may not be optimized to fit your website’s needs. So, it’s worth customizing its different elements, such as its Header, Footer, Categories, Sidebar, Menus, and Widgets.

1. Access your WordPress dashboard, hover on your website’s name on the top, and click Visit site.

2. Click Customize from the top menu.

3. Select the element you want to modify and edit the details.

Step 6: Install WordPress Plugins

Once you’re done customizing your website, it’s time to install some WordPress plugins.

Plugins not essential but greatly help expand your website’s functionality. Want better SEO optimization? Get an SEO plugin. Want to add forms to your website? Get a forms plugin. (You get the point).

That said, here are a few suggested WordPress plugins you can install:
YoastSEO – for SEO optimization.
WPForms – add forms to your website.
WooCommerce – turn your website into an e-commerce store.
Elementor – create beautiful pages for your website with a visual editor.
Redirection – ensure there are no broken links on your website.

1. Access your WordPress editor to add a plugin to your WordPress website.
2. Click Plugins in the left sidebar.

3. Click Add New.

4. Search for your desired plugin and click Install. Once installed, select Activate, and that’s it – the plugin is ready for use.

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People Also Asked

Below we answer the most frequent questions regarding setting up a WordPress website.

How can I add images and videos to my WordPress site?

To add images and videos to your WordPress website, view a page or post and click the Add Block button with the Plus icon (+). Search for and select the Image or Video block.

Next, click Upload or select Media Library to add content to your site. Alternatively, click Insert from URL to add your desired video or image through its link.

How can I manage users and roles on my WordPress site?

To manage users and roles on WordPress:
1. Log into your WordPress dashboard and click Users from the left sidebar.
2. Click Edit under a user to manage the user’s roles, name, and contact information.
3. If you want to create a new user, click Add New and enter the new user’s details.

Do I need to know HTML and CSS to create and customize my website?

No! With website creation programs like WordPress available, you don’t need to know HTML or CSS to customize your website. You can edit and modify your website from the WordPress dashboard. Since various WordPress themes are available, you can get any desired feature on your website.

How can I back up and restore my WordPress site?

A good way to backup and restore your WordPress website is through a backup plugin like UpdraftPlus. Once you install this plugin, access your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups from the left sidebar.

Here, you can create your website’s backup. To restore your website, scroll down to Existing Backups and click Restore.

How can I optimize the performance of my WordPress site?

Below are the most effective ways to improve the performance of your WordPress website:
1. Choose a fast hosting provider like Bluehost.
2. Use the latest WordPress and PHP versions.
3. Install a lightweight and responsive theme.
4. Only keep the plugins you use.
5. Use a website caching plugin.

How do I make money from my WordPress website?

The most effective way to make money from your WordPress website is by publishing value-adding contents to grow an audience.

You can then monetize the audience by displaying ads and marketing affiliate products. You can also sell products through your website.

Get a Website & Design it now >

Where can I get the Cheapest Website Hosting Plan? 

There are many web design and hosting platforms in the world but the best price you can get is $2.95 from Bluehost. That price is for a complete website with all WordPress features and tools. You’ll get a free annual hosting plan. That’s the best available on the market so far when you compare it with other platforms like GoDaddy and iPage. 

Get Bluehost’s best web design and hosting plan now. 

Key Takeaways

Creating a WordPress website is simple – so simple that you can do it yourself. Here are the main steps involved:

Purchase a hosting service and domain name. We recommend buying these from Bluehost.

Install WordPress on your website through Bluehost.
Install a theme on your website, add content, and finalize the customizations.

Lastly, install your desired plugins to expand your website’s functionality.

Get the Basic Plan for $2.95 now and start building your website using the above steps.