WordPress has become the world‘s most popular content management system (CMS), powering over 40% of all websites. With its user-friendly interface, active open source community and seemingly endless options for customization, it‘s easy to see why WordPress has gained so much traction since its initial release in 2003.
In this ultimate beginner‘s guide, I will provide you with a complete overview to get your first WordPress website up and running from start to finish.
A Brief History of WordPress
WordPress was created in 2003 by co-founders Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little as a fork of an existing open source project called b2/cafelog. The goal was to create a CMS that was both easy to use and completely customizable through plugins and themes.
Within a few years, WordPress was powering millions of sites and a huge community of developers began creating themes and plugins to extend WordPress in every possible direction. Prominent tech blogs like Mashable and TechCrunch chose WordPress for their sites which brought further attention.
Major releases over the years have introduced new features like a graphical editor, custom post types, multi-language support, customizer menus and theme options. With agencies, bloggers, ecommerce stores and more choosing WordPress, the community has grown exponentially.
Today WordPress powers over 60 million websites which includes 36.7% of the top 10 million sites on the internet. From hobby blogs to Fortune 500 company websites, WordPress can scale to meet the needs of almost any project.
WordPress Concepts For Beginners
Before we dive into actually installing WordPress itself, let me clarify some of the key concepts, components and terms you‘ll encounter:
Open Source – WordPress source code is publicly available for anyone to access and modify under an open source license. This fosters collaboration and rapid innovation.
PHP/MySQL – Under the hood, WordPress is built using PHP scripting language and MySQL database to dynamically publish content. No coding knowledge needed as everything works out of the box.
The Loop – The PHP code that displays your posts is called The Loop. It essentially queries the database and displays the post content.
Plugins – Plugins extend the core features of WordPress by adding custom functions like lead capture, social sharing buttons, better SEO and more.
Themes – These control how your site looks and allow you to customize your site design and layout quickly.
Widgets – Many themes feature widget areas which allow you to add features to site areas like your footer or sidebar.
Now that the basics are covered, let‘s compare the two ways most people get started with WordPress.
WordPress.org vs WordPress.com
The first decision when starting with WordPress is choosing between the free WordPress.com or self-hosted WordPress.org. Here is how they compare:
WordPress.com
- Free basic blogging service hosted on WordPress.com. Limited options.
- Cannot install plugins or themes. Needs upgrade for eCommerce.
- Easy setup as it hosts the site and handles updates.
- Makes money through premium upgrades with more features.
WordPress.org
- You host on own domain and server space, full control and features
- Completely open source version downloadable from WordPress.org.
- Ability to customize with thousands of plugins and themes.
- Handles higher traffic sites, ecommerce stores etc.
- Requires more effort and hosting costs but provides the most flexibility.
For most users who want unlimited possibilities with their site, WordPress.org is the best choice. Let‘s go through how to get set up.
Step 1 – Choose Your Domain Name
Your domain name is your unique site address that web visitors will type in their browser to access your site, like yoursite.com. Some tips for choosing a good domain:
- Be Memorable – short and easy to spell names work best.
- For Your Niche – for a dog blog, doggietreats.com is a better name than randomtechblog902.com
- Be Strategic For SEO – having keywords related to your niche can improve search rankings. For example – tastycakedishes.com
As you are getting started, here are some of the most popular domain extensions:
The most recognizable .com – seen as credible and authoritative
- .net – neutral web address when .com unavailable
- .blog – explicitly says it is a blog
- .co – popular alternative with startups and tech brands
Once you settle on your domain name, head over to a domain registrar site like Bluehost, GoDaddy etc. and search for domain availability. If your preferred name isn‘t available, you may need to try variations until you find something suitable.
Domain names can cost between $12 – $15 a year depending on the top level domain extension and registrar promotions. For first timers, start with registering for 1 year as you test our your site.
Step 2 – Setup Web Hosting
Now it is time to get the actual web server space where all your site files will be stored and hosted.
When it comes to WordPress hosting, there are 3 popular options:
Shared Hosting – This is the most budget-friendly option starting at less than $5 / mo. Your site lives on a server with hundreds of other sites. Limited resources can mean slower performance though.
WordPress Hosting – Tailor-made server configurations to specifically enhance WordPress performance. Prices start around $5 to $10 per month.
VPS or Dedicated Servers – Pay for an entire virtual server or physical server fully dedicated just to your site. Much higher performance but also more expensive.
For new sites, we recommend WordPress Hosting from sites like Bluehost, SiteGround or Kinsta. These plans are optimized with caching technologies, regular backups, integrated WordPress features and enhanced security built-in.
Plans start around $5 to $10 per month for the first year depending on which host you choose. As your audience grows over time, upgrading is quite easy making it very scalable.
Here are some of the top hosts for beginners:
Below are the key steps to sign up for website hosting:
- Compare Hosts and Choose a Plan – After deciding on web host, select an appropriate shared or WP plan. An annual plan usually saves you 10-30%.
- Select a Domain – Either register a new domain or connect one you already own
- Account Details – Provide your account and payment info
- Verify Signup – Wait a few minutes for the host to provision your account
And that concludes the preparatory steps! Now let‘s move on to actually installing WordPress.
Step 3 – Install WordPress
With your domain name registered and web hosting account created, we can proceed with installing WordPress using an auto-installer.
Here are the simplified steps to install WordPress on cPanel hosts like Bluehost:
- Go to cPanel and Under "Software" click on "WordPress" icon
- In the next screen choose your domain from drop down
- Click next and it is installed! Quite easy indeed.
Once WordPress finishes installing (just a minute or two), your site is live with the default theme.
You can access your WP admin dashboard using your-domain.com/wp-admin and logging in with credentials emailed to you.
This is the behind-the-scenes area where you can create content, add plugins, change themes and manage your whole site!
Step 4 – Setting Up Your WordPress Site
Pick Your Theme
Without any customization, your site looks pretty bland and boring. Let‘s start by changing that default theme!
Themes control your site‘s overall design, layout, style and feel. Thankfully there are thousands of free WordPress themes available allowing you to easily match your vision.
To add a new theme:
- Go to Appearance > Themes in your dashboard
- Click Add New
- Search for themes either by category, name or keyword
- Find an appealing, well-reviewed responsive theme and click Install
- Click Activate once it finishes installing
That‘s it! But don‘t stop yet…
Personalize Your Theme
Most likely you need to tweak a few settings to personalize your theme. Things like:
- Site title & tagline
- Colors
- Page layouts
- Menus
- Homepage sections
- Widget areas like footer
- Blog feed settings
Every theme handles customizations differently. At a minimum I recommend:
- Add site title, tagline and logo
- Set up primary navigation menu
- Configure homepage layout with a home page builder or index settings
Refer to your specific theme documentation for exact steps tailoring it to your brand.
It does take some trial and error but every change gets you closer to a site you are proud of!
Install Essential Plugins
While themes help customize design, plugins enhance functionality. They allow you to easily add things like:
- Contact forms
- Social sharing buttons
- Popups and slide-ins
- Image sliders and galleries
- Secure login options
- Better SEO
I always recommend 3 must-have WordPress plugins to start with:
Yoast SEO – optimize webpages for search rankings
WPForms Lite – add contact forms, surveys and more
Akismet – blocks comment spam
There are plugins for literally anything you want to achieve on your site – just search the directory based on your needs!
Import Sample Content
Depending on your theme, you may be prompted to import some sample content so you can quickly populate your site while you work on adding your own unique posts and pages.
Sample content generally includes:
- Dummy posts showcasing common post formats like images and galleries
- Pre-built page templates to use across your site
- Navigation and footer menus to simply editing
- Custom widgets like callouts and buttons
I like to edit and experiment with sample content components while learning a new theme rather than deleting them. Ultimately replace the content over time as you publish your own great posts!
This concludes the basics of setting up your site for the first time.
Step 5 – Publish Your First Post
Now it is finally time to start creating your own content. In WordPress, there are two main content types:
Posts – For time sensitive content like blog updates. Shows in reverse chronological order on blog pages and post archives.
Pages – Static content like About or Contact pages. Can manage order manually since it is not date based.
The following walkthrough covers the simple process of your first blog post or article:
- Go to Posts > Add New
- Add a title that clearly summarizes the topic
- Write a draft introduction in the paragraph block editor
- optionally add images, tags, categories etc.
- Once satisfied, click Publish!
Congratulations on publishing your first ever blog post!
The process is quite similar for other post types like photo blog entries, announcements etc. Give yourself a pat on the back!
Now the next step towards an actual site strategy.
Step 6 – Create an Editorial Schedule
Generating site traffic and an audience requires consistently publishing content over an extended period of time.
The key is to create an editorial calendar or content schedule that maps out:
- What topics you will cover
- Types of content like reviews versus tutorials
- Preferred publication dates spaced out
This bird‘s eye view lets you plan ahead and gives a sense of structure.
If you already have a large backlog of content (say from a move to WP), still have an organized system for when each piece goes live.
Here is an example weekly editorial schedule:
| Day | Content | Word Count | Author |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 10 Tips for Adopting Shelter Dogs | 1500 | John |
| Wednesday | The 5 Best Dog Parks in Springdale | 900 | Tina |
| Friday | 12 Must Have Toys for High Energy Puppies | 2000 | Tina |
To start, identify at least 10-20 potential post ideas and slot them into your calendar using a publish date 1-2 weeks in advance. Bulk writing or getting friends to guest contribute goes a long way here!
Step 7 – Promote Your Website
You‘ve created a great site filled with quality content. But how will anyone find it, right?
Promoting a new website requires a combination of:
- SEO – On-page and site optimization to improve Google rankings
- Social Media – Establish a presence on networks like Facebook and Twitter to gain followers
- Guest Posting – Reach out to similar sites to contribute content driving backlinks
- Local Listings – Register your site on directories related to your business niche and location
Too much for new site owners? Just focus on one area at a time. Over several months, these compounding efforts will steadily grow your site traffic.
Follow my guides on beginner WordPress SEO and social media marketing to get started the right way.
The most rewarding feeling is when total strangers organically find and engage with your site!
Further Learning Resources
I hope this complete guide gives beginners the right foundation and overview before starting any kind of WordPress website project.
Here are a few reputable resources for learning more:
Courses: LinkedIn Learning, Udemy
Top Podcasts: WordPress Weekly, WP Mainline
Books: WordPress All In One For Dummies, Professional WordPress Plugin Design and Development
Armed with this resource, you are now ready to join the millions of happy site owners powered by WordPress. Wishing you much success!
