Create a WordPress Website in 7 Easy Steps

Are you looking to host your first WordPress site? Don’t know how to create a WordPress website? Then you’ve come to the right place.

In this post, we’ll show you how to create a WordPress website in just a few simple steps.

Even if you’re a complete beginner, don’t worry! This WordPress website guide is written specifically for you! We’ll walk you through each step in detail.

Before we get started with the steps to make a WordPress website, let’s first discuss why WordPress is the best option. After all, there are lots of options for building a website. So, why WordPress?

Why Choose WordPress to Make a Website?

Of all the website builders out there, WordPress has some distinct advantages that have made it the most popular one. The most important is that WordPress is completely free and open-source. Meaning you can freely use and modify it to your heart’s content.

As a result, WordPress gives you a level of control over your site that most platforms don’t. Everything is in your hands, from the looks and design to the features. It doesn’t matter whether you want a small blog or a massive online store, WordPress is versatile enough to handle it all.

WordPress.org vs WordPress.com – Which One to Choose?

Before we get started, it’s crucial to understand that there are two versions of WordPress. Despite having the same name, they work quite differently.

The first is WordPress.org, which is free software for creating and managing websites. In other words, it is a Content Management System (CMS) that offers you complete control over your website. As a result, you’ll be able to learn how to start a blog, an e-commerce store, a company website, and more.

The other version is WordPress.com, which is quite different. This WordPress version is a web-based platform that will host your website for you. As a result, it’s a lot easier to use. However, it’s also quite limited, and you don’t have much control over your website.

When we talk about how to create a WordPress website, we’ll be using WordPress.org. Don’t worry if you’re wondering how difficult it is to use WordPress. With a little effort,  It may help you create a website that looks and functions exactly the way you want it to.

With that said, let’s move on to how to create a WordPress website.

Create a WordPress Website (Step by Step)

Step 1: Getting a Domain Name And Web Hosting

Before you can learn how to make a WordPress website for beginners, you’ll need a domain name and web hosting for your website.

In case you didn’t know, a domain name is the internet address for your website. It helps internet users in finding your website.

When you go to google.com in your browser, you use Google’s domain name to find the website. Similarly, pickupwp.com is our website’s domain name.

Choosing a Good Domain Name

Before you go ahead and buy a domain name, there are a few things you should think about. Because the domain name represents your website’s identity, you’ll want to be careful while choosing one.

When choosing a domain name, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Keep it simple and short: Nobody wants to type a long, complicated domain name into their browser. As a result, it’s critical to make sure it’s simple to remember and write.
• Make it suitable for your website: Of course, the domain name must also convey the purpose of your website. It should be relevant to your content in some way.
• Keep it unique: Your domain name must be unique in order for visitors not to confuse your website with others.
• Choose an appropriate extension: There are various types of domain name extensions, such as .com for commercial, .org for organizations, .biz for business, and others. Make sure the extension you choose is relevant to the purpose of your website.

After considering these factors, you should have no difficulty choosing the ideal domain name for your site.

While a domain name is simply your website’s address, hosting is where your site is hosted.

Basically, web hosting is storage for all of your website’s files. Visitors can access your site once they’ve been stored there. As a result, selecting good web hosting is a critical step in creating your WordPress website.

Types of Web Hosting Services

You’ll discover that there are various types of hosting services available. Once you understand these, you’ll be able to choose the type of hosting that best meets your needs.

• Shared Hosting: With shared hosting, numerous websites share the same IP address and server resources such as memory, hard disk space, and bandwidth.
• VPS (Virtual Private Server): With the VPS plan, you’ll get a portion of the server’s resources. You’ll share the server with other VPS users, but the number of users will be limited compared to the shared plan.
• Dedicated Hosting: A costly plan in which all server resources are devoted to a single user. It’s ideal for large businesses with a high volume of internet traffic.
• Managed Hosting: Managed WordPress hosting is a service in which the hosting company takes care of all of your hosting needs. With this, you won’t have to bother about things like setup, management, problem-solving, etc.

It’s important to remember that each hosting service has its own advantages and disadvantages. As a result, you’ll need to evaluate your website’s needs, such as server space, bandwidth, security measures, and so on.

How to Buy Web Hosting for Your WordPress Site?

It’s a lot easier than you think to get web hosting since companies have worked hard to make the process as simple as possible. The best way to get a WordPress website up and running is to choose a hosting service that WordPress has officially recommended.

In this WordPress guide, we’ll be using Bluehost. It not only provides high-quality hosting, but it also has a 1-Click WordPress Install option that will make things much easier later on.

1. Visit the Bluehost Site

Open the Bluehost.com website in a new window and click on the Host Your Site button to get started.

2. Select a Hosting Plan to Start a Blog

Next, select the hosting plan. If you’re a beginner, go with the basic plan, which will cover all of your site’s essential needs.

Once your website takes off and starts generating a lot of traffic, you might want to consider upgrading to the premier version of your hosting plan, which has more advanced features that are better suited to dealing with the high volume of traffic.

3. Input a Domain Name

You’ll need to register a new domain if this is your first time using WordPress. Choose an extension from the drop-down option next to the name you want to use. You may select from various domain extensions, including.com,.net, and.org, to mention a few.

Bluehost will examine the domain and tell you if it’s available when you click the Next button. If the domain name is available for use, you can proceed with the registration procedure. If not, you’ll have to choose a new name.

4. Register a Bluehost Account and Hosting Option

Create Your Bluehost Account

First, fill in your account information. Make sure you use your best e-mail address because that is where Bluehost will send your login details and account information:

Bluehost Account Information

Second, select your Bluehost web hosting plan’s duration:

Choosing a more extended plan lets you lock in a lower price, but you will have to pay everything in advance.

Choose Your Package Extras

Third, under Package Extras, you may select several extra services for your blog:

Enter Your Payment Information

Finally, just provide your payment information, read and accept the terms, and click the Submit button.

Congratulations!

You’re now a proud and happy member of the Bluehost community, along with your domain name and web hosting plan!

5. Set your password

As the final step in registering with Bluehost, you’ll create a password once you’ve entered your payment information.

Step 2: Install WordPress on Your Hosting Account

Now that you have your domain name and hosting ready, you can start installing WordPress software. It is the most important step in making a WordPress website.

Don’t be worried if this seems like a difficult step. Using a hosting service like Bluehost or Siteground will make the process much easier.

When you buy a web hosting plan from the best WordPress hosting providers, you’ll get the WordPress Auto-Install option. If not, you can always get a One-click WordPress Install option.

Here, we’ll walk you through the Bluehost setup process. To start, go to Bluehost.com and select the Login option from the top menu. After that, log in to your hosting account using the email address and password you received earlier.

When you log in, the Bluehost dashboard will look like this. To create a WordPress site, go to the sidebar and select My Sites.

Now, click the Create Site button in the top-right corner. All you have to do now is enter your Site Name and Tagline before clicking Next.

After that, you’ll need to select a domain. Select the domain name you chose when you created your Bluehost account from the drop-down under the Domain field and click Next.

That’s it. Bluehost will now install WordPress for you automatically. Just wait till it’s finished, then save your login details.

Step 3: Log Into WordPress Dashboard

Fortunately, Bluehost and some other top WordPress providers provide a direct link to your site’s login page.

When you click the Log into WordPress button, you will be sent directly to your WordPress dashboard.

However, you might not want to log into your hosting account each time you want to use WordPress. So there is another option: the WordPress login URL.

The WordPress login URL is your domain name followed by /wp-login.php. Your login URL should look like this: https://example.com/wp-login.php. Replace example.com with your domain name and enter it into your browser. Then you’ll see the WordPress login page.

After that, enter the WordPress login credentials you received earlier.

Next, you’ll be able to access your WordPress Dashboard, where you may manage your website. The dashboard looks like the image below.

Here you may do everything from writing posts to managing users to customizing your website. All of the options are neatly organized in the sidebar on the left.

Now that you installed WordPress on your hosting account and also accessed the dashboard, you’ve technically created your WordPress website. But it’s not complete yet.

Designing your site, adding content, etc., are the steps you’re yet to finish. We’ll show you all the steps in the sections below.

Step 4: Choose a WordPress Theme

Themes control the visual appearance of your WordPress website.

There are many pre-made WordPress themes available for installation on your WordPress website. Some are free, while others are premium WordPress themes that cost money.

Go to your WordPress dashboard and select Appearance » Themes to change your theme.

Here you can see your active theme and other themes you installed.

To install a new theme for your WordPress website, go ahead and click the Add New button.

On the next page, you may search among the 9,500+ free WordPress themes in the official WordPress.org themes directory. You may sort by most popular, most latest, most featured, etc. If you need help selecting a theme, then you can see our guide on how to choose a WordPress theme.

When you hover your cursor over a theme, you’ll see a Preview button. When you click on it, a theme preview will appear, allowing you to see how the design will appear on your website.

Once you’ve selected a theme you like, hover your cursor over it to see the Install button. Click on it, and WordPress will install the theme right away. The install button will then be replaced by an Activate button. To activate the theme, you must click on it.

After installing your theme, go to the Appearance menu and select Customize option.

There will be built-in widgets and customization options depending on the theme you pick, allowing you to adjust your website style. Some common customization options in the Live Customizer are Site Identity, Colors, Menus, Widgets, Homepage Settings, Additional CSS, etc.

At the bottom, you can find the option to show how your website will look on different screens. It’s also important to make sure it looks good on mobile devices.

When you’re happy with how it looks, go to the top and click the Publish button.

Some Best Free WordPress Themes to Get Started

Here are some free WordPress themes you can use to create your first WordPress website.

• Astra: It is one of the fastest WordPress themes. With a total page size of less than 50 KB, it will impact loading speed, resulting in better SEO and user experience.
• OceanWP: It offers 13 free, fully responsive theme demos ranging from personal blogs to eCommerce sites.
• Divi: A highly flexible theme that is feature-rich as well as well-optimized.
• Zakra: A fantastic multipurpose theme with a ton of customization options.
• Neve: This super fast theme comes with many amazing features perfect for small businesses and blogs.

See our hand-picked list of free WordPress blog themes in 2022.

Step 5: Creating Posts and Pages in WordPress

Now that you understand how to create a WordPress website and customize it using free themes, you can start adding content immediately. That is generally done in two ways: posts and pages.

WordPress Posts display in your website’s Blog section. They can be used for all sorts of content, depending on your website’s niche.  They are listed in reverse chronological order, with the most recent posts at the top.

On the other hand, WordPress Pages are for one-time content that won’t be updated or changed. This includes timeless content such as About Us, Services, and Contact Us, which will normally remain the same over time.

How to Create WordPress Posts?

To add content to your website, you will need to know how to create posts. To start, go to your dashboard and click the Posts option in the sidebar. This will take you to the page where all of your posts will be listed. You’ll be able to manage your posts from here.

To create a new post, simply click the Add New button at the top of the page.

This will bring you to the WordPress Post Editor. Here you can add a post title and then add text in the post editor. You’ll also notice some additional options on the sidebar, such as categories, tags, featured images, etc.

When you’re done making the content, simply click the Publish button at the top right corner.

How to Create Pages in WordPress?

Using WordPress to create web pages is also very similar. From your WordPress Dashboard, go to Pages in the sidebar to access the page where you may manage your existing posts. Simply click Add New at the top, as you did before.

This will launch the WordPress Page Editor, similar to the post editor. Here you can add a page title and add text in the post editor and then click the Publish button when finished.

Step 6: Customizing Your Website

Now that you’ve created some content for your website, you’ll be able to customize and show it to your visitors.

Let’s start by making a static front page (also known as the homepage).

Setting Up a Static Front Page

First, go to Settings » Reading page from your WordPress dashboard. Next, Under the Your homepage displays option, click on the static page option and then select Pages you created previously for your home and blog pages.

Don’t forget to save your changes by clicking the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page.

WordPress will now use the Home page as the front page of your site and the Blog page to display your blog posts.

Set Up Comments Settings

WordPress comes with a built-in comment system that allows users to leave comments on your posts. This is excellent for increasing WordPress user engagement, but it also makes it a target for spammers.

To fix this, you’ll need to enable comment moderation on your website.

Go to the Settings » Discussions page from your WordPress dashboard and scroll down to the Before a comment appears section. Next, check the box next to the Comment must be manually approved option.

Don’t forget to save your changes by clicking the Save Changes button.

Create Navigation Menus

Navigation menus allow users to browse different pages or sections on your website. WordPress includes a powerful navigation menu system, which your WordPress theme will use to display menus.

Let’s create a navigation menu for your website.

First, go to the Appearance » Menus page. Give your navigation menu a name and click the Create Menu button.

WordPress will now create a navigation menu for you. But it will be blank at the moment.

After that, select the pages you want to include in your menu and click the Add to Menu option.

You’ll notice that the empty space in your navigation menu has been filled with the pages you’ve chosen. You can reorder the menu items by dragging them up and down.

You must now choose a display location. Your WordPress theme defines these locations. Most WordPress themes include a primary menu that shows at the top of your website’s header.

Finally, click the Save Menu button to save your navigation menu.

You may now see the menu in action by going to your website.

Step 7: Adding Features With WordPress Plugins

Of course, we can’t talk about how to create a WordPress website without mentioning plugins. WordPress Plugins are similar to apps for your website. They customize and add features to your WordPress site.

There are currently over 59,000 free WordPress plugins available. Premium plugins are also available from third-party websites such as WPEverest and CodeCanyon.

How to Install WordPress Plugins?

Installing WordPress plugins is similar to installing themes. You can install WordPress plugins directly from your WordPress dashboard.

First, you need to visit the Plugins » Add New page inside your WordPress admin area.

Next, find the plugin by typing the name of the plugin in the search bar. After that, you will see a bunch of listings like the example below:

Since in our search, we were looking for OptinMonster, which is the best WordPress lead generation plugin, we’ll click the Install Now button next to it.

WordPress will now download and install the plugin for you. After this, you’ll notice the Install Now button will change into the Activate button.

Go ahead and click on the Activate button to start using that plugin on your WordPress site.

Some Essential Plugins For WordPress Website

Here is our list of essential plugins you should install on your site immediately.

• WPForms: This allows you to add a contact form on your WordPress site.
• MonsterInsights: Connect your website to Google Analytics to learn how people find and use your site so you can keep them coming back. For more, check our guide on how to add Google Analytics to WordPress.
• Elementor: Best drag and drop page builder plugin in which you can create beautiful-looking web pages with absolutely zero codings.
• Yoast SEO: Improve your WordPress SEO and get more traffic from Google.
• WP Super Cache: Free WordPress caching plugin that helps improve your website speed.
• PushEngage: It helps you in increasing website traffic by letting you connect with visitors after they leave your website.
• UpdraftPlus: Best WordPress backup plugin, which helps you create automatic scheduled backups of your website.
• Sucuri: Help you in protecting your website from hackers and malware.
• WooCommerce: You can easily turn your website into an online store in just a few clicks.
• OptinMonster: It helps you get more email subscribers and optimize website conversion rates with dynamic popups, modals, and other smart personalization features.

For more plugin suggestions, check out our list of must-have WordPress plugins for WordPress websites.

Conclusion on How to Create a WordPress Website

That’s it! You’ve just learned how to create a WordPress website!

The cool thing about the process presented here is that you can do it by yourself and don’t have to hire anyone.

Making a website with WordPress as your platform is the most budget-friendly solution available.

If you want to learn more about what to do with your website once it’s launched, here are some of our other guides that help tackle this:

• 23 Proven Ways to Increase Your Blog Traffic for Free
• How to Submit WordPress Website to Google Search Console
• Move From Blogger to WordPress in Easy Steps

I hope this resource has been helpful. If you’ve enjoyed it, consider sharing it with someone who might find it helpful too.