If you’ve put off the decision to Create a WordPress Website for your small business because you expect it to be complicated or time-consuming, don’t worry. Creating a personal website or an eCommerce site is very easy to set up on WordPress. Content Management Platform (CMS). In fact, most people can walk from start to finish in about 30 minutes without advanced technical skills or special training. WordPress is the perfect drag-and-drop website builder.
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Here is a quick rundown of the steps you need to take to launch your WordPress website.
- Pick a domain name.
- Choose a hosting provider & package.
- Install WordPress & choose your theme.
- Learn WordPress Dashboard & pick your WordPress plugins.
- Customize website.
1. Getting Started and Choosing a Domain Name
Before you can start building your website, choosing your domain name is one of the most important things as this is how your audience will find you and identify with your brand.
Your domain name is what people type into their browser to go to your website. While it may be tempting to choose something fun or flashy, choose a domain representing your brand and making it easy for people to find.
Once you’ve chosen your domain, you need to buy your name and choose a hosting company that suits the needs of your website. Since you are building a website on WordPress, it is ideal to choose a hosting provider that offers hosting specifically for the WordPress site. That way, you can buy your domain name and hosting service from the same provider. Fortunately, Bluehost offers both and is recommended by WordPress!
2. Choose Your Package and Set Up Your Hosting Account : Create WordPress Website
Bluehost offers a few hosting plans from our standard WordPress plans to our fully managed WordPress hosting plans. After you’ve set up your domain name, you’ll need to create an account for your hosting plan.
- Enter your personal information in each field, then scroll down to the package lists.
- Choose an option that suits your budget and service needs. Prices vary depending on the hosting provider, but most offer add-ons like additional security features, Tools to improve search ranking and verification of the website.
- Please tick the appropriate boxes and scroll down to enter your payment information. Please take a moment to read the Terms of Use, Cancellation Policy, and Privacy Policy, then tick the box to confirm that you agree to the policy.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to create a password, and you’re ready for step three: select your WordPress theme.
3. Choose a WordPress Theme
If you’ve selected Bluehost as your web host, WordPress will be installed automatically. All you have to do is hit the ‘Sign Up’ button and choose a topic. If you are unsure of what theme you want, don’t worry! You can come back later and change it. If you don’t like the general themes, you can upgrade to one of the premium themes.
The next screen asks if you are building your website for personal or business reasons. We’ll give you specific recommendations to help you create your website builder journal.
4. Learn Your WordPress Dashboard
Now that you are ready to get to work, you should be in the Control Panel or the backend for your new website. This service area gives you control over what your website visitors see when they land on your pages. Some time to learn about the WordPress admin panel by looking at the most features you will be using.
5. Customize Themes and Pages
You are ready to tweak your website with your color options, font styles, and special elements to express your company culture or personality.
You can dive in and write your first post, but it is beneficial to know the features and functions of your website first.
In the left sidebar, you will find navigation links that you can use to customize your website. The best way to get familiar with it is to click on each tab and explore the options.
- Browse the themes; there are paid and free options.
- Customize your theme with colors, headers, and social media buttons.
- Upload photos to inspire your website visitors and add clues about your values and services.
- Create your first blog post and the main page content.
- Add a contact form.
Don’t forget to set up Google Analytics to collect data about visitors to your website and link the Google Search Console to make sure there are no errors.
You can use these five steps to run a WordPress website for your small business. Get your domain name and self-hosted service package at Bluehost today!