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Make Your Own Website in 3 Easy Steps

Decide on the platform you want to use for your website.

First and foremost, you must choose the platform on which your website will be built.

What exactly do I mean when I talk about a "platform?"

When I began working in web development in 2005, the majority of websites were built using HTML (code), CSS, and PHP. Each of them took a long time to perfect and required a lot of practice.

As a result, a common misconception is that building a website from the ground up needs extensive knowledge of coding and design.

A website may now be created by anybody in 2022 thanks to content management systems (CMS) like WordPress.

An easy-to-use CMS (website building platform) allows you to design and manage your own websites, rather than developing a website from scratch using HTML, PHP and other coding languages like JavaScript or Perl.

Popular Platforms for Site Construction in 2022

From W3 Techs and BuiltWith, I was able to get an idea of the most popular content management systems.

It's easy to see that WordPress powers more than half of all active websites on the web.

Why are they a better choice than other options, then?

Why not use a website builder like Wix or Weebly?

 

1. It's completely free (no recurring subscriptions, open-source)

Unlike website builders or web design tools, WordPress doesn’t cost a thing to download, install, or use. A vast developer community has created stunning free themes and templates, making it simple to get started quickly. It was made by web developers.

2. It's very adaptable and easy to use.

Adding your own material is as simple as using Google Docs, which most people already have access to. Small company websites, e-commerce sites, and everything in between may be readily accommodated by WordPress with free add-ons. Add contact forms, subscription forms, and picture galleries to your website with the help of WordPress "plugin" extensions. It's all really straightforward, too, as you'll see.

3. Your website will be "responsive." As a result, it may be used on smartphones and tablets as well.

A responsive website is one that looks fantastic on whatever mobile device (smartphone or tablet) you create. A web developer is not necessary in this case.

4. Communal support is offered for those in need.

When you need support, you may obtain it quickly since so many individuals use the site (webmasters, small-business owners, bloggers). You may obtain free assistance from their support page, or you can hire thousands of WordPress developers from their website.

WebsiteSetup.org was also made using WordPress. Examples of my homepage and "blog" page are shown below:

The Homepage of Your Website

Creating a blog page on your website is simple and straightforward.

Is there an alternative to WordPress that is as good?

Because of its flexibility and scalability, WordPress is the most popular platform for building websites. There are several competitors, including Wix, Squarespace, Drupal, and Joomla.

Shopify is a good option if you want to open an online shop. With its focus on ecommerce, it's an easy-to-navigate website builder. to get your online store up and running.

Then what?

You don't have to go hunting for WordPress at this point. Installing or downloading it is not necessary at this time.

The following steps must be completed in order for your website to be properly set up:

Step 1: I'll show you how to choose a domain name and locate a place to host your website.

I'll walk you through the process of setting up and customizing your WordPress website in Step 3. Make no fear; I'll guide you through it step-by-step and provide you with a lot of visual aids.

Step 2: Locate a Domain Name and a Web Host for Your Website.

To be clear, this guide relies on donations from the public. We may get a commission if you click on one of our links. We appreciate your support.

In order to launch a new website, you will need two things: a domain name and web hosting.

Hosting and a domain name are required in order to use WordPress. A cup of coffee a month is still less expensive than the total cost of the two services.

Having your own domain name rather than using a free one that belongs to someone else gives you a more professional appearance (for example, yourbusiness.my-free-website.com.)

To ensure that your website is up and running at all times, you should choose a reliable hosting provider (very important for everyone who visits your pages.)

What are my options for registering a domain name and setting up web hosting?

As a web server and domain registrar, I've mostly utilized www.Bluehost.com.

They provide a free domain name with their website hosting, which costs less than the price of a movie ticket ($2.75/month) (a nice perk to have).

It's possible to test various web hosting services or even host your site yourself, but it's a time-consuming and frequently ineffective procedure, and you may not be able to meet the needs of your customers. So, rather than overspending, choose a reputable web host instead.

There are several advantages to having a domain name of your own, including the ability to acquire a professional email address like yourname@YourWebsite.com, which is more professional than a typical Yahoo or Gmail address.

Got a domain and hosting already? In Step 3, I'll walk you through the process of putting up a site of your own.

Should I go with a generic or a catchy domain name?

The following are a few guidelines to bear in mind while selecting a domain name:

• If you're creating a business website, your domain name should be the same as your firm's name.
• YourCompanyName.com is a good example. The domain YourName.com might be a good alternative for creating a personal website.
• I chose to use WebsiteSetup.org for this website (WebsiteSetup).

However, a huge variety of domain extensions (the final portion of the URL, such as dotcom or dotorg) have recently been introduced, ranging from dotblog to dotparty.

What's the finest piece of advice I can give? In most cases, it is advisable to stick with more popular extensions like.com,.net, or.org unless your website's name perfectly describes it.

Additional advice is welcome in the selection of my domain name.

There are a few factors to consider while deciding on a domain name:

Can it be trademarked? For example, poetryacademy.com or poetryfall.com are much superior choices if you're creating a website dedicated to poetry than best-poetry-website.net.

Does it stick in the mind? It is far simpler to remember domain names that are short, snappy, and obvious. Visitors may forget your domain name if it is too vague, lengthy, or spelled in a peculiar manner.

Is it memorable? You want a domain name that is easy to pronounce, reflects your or your company's identity, and stays in people's minds when they hear it. Even if there are more than 200 million registered domain names on the globe at any given time, don't let that discourage you.

When it comes to domain names, there's just one rule: if you like it, go for it!

Then what?

Think beyond the box to come up with a memorable domain name for your website, company, or blog. Do some creative thinking.

Your site hosting and domain name should be protected. Bluehost.com is a good choice for this, but any reputable web host would do.

A quick tutorial on how to get started with Bluehost has been put up by me (which hosting package to choose & how to install WordPress).

Create a Website and Begin Designing in Step Three

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or recommendations about this tutorial.

1. Create a WordPress blog

WordPress may be installed in two ways, one of which is much simpler than the other.

1. Wordpress' one-click installation is the best way to get your website up and running.

Almost every reputable site hosting company now offers a one-click WordPress installation.

The "one-click installation" will be found either in the account creation process or in your account management panel if you choose to sign up with Bluehost or any other comparable hosting provider.

It's important to know how to install WordPress on Bluehost, for example, and the following are the procedures you need to follow:

1. Go to Bluehost.com. 2.

2. Select a web hosting package (the cheapest plan is sufficient).

3. Type in your domain name, if you have one.

4. Fill up your details and choose the duration of your hosting (you may eliminate the "Extras"), and then click "Submit."

5. Register for an account by making a purchase and completing the checkout process.

6. Installing WordPress is as simple as logging into Bluehost and selecting "one-click WordPress install."

If you can't find it, check out this guide: Bluehost: How to Install WordPress.

 

2. INSTALLING IT YOURSELF (if your web hosting company doesn't offer a simple method to install it)

To manually install WordPress if one-click installation isn't available (for example, certain hosting providers don't offer it), follow the steps below:

1. Manual WordPress Installation (Click to Expand)

2. Select a Theme (Free or Paid) for Your Website.

Next, WordPress themes and how to utilize and tweak them will be the focus of our next phase.

WordPress themes are reusable design templates that streamline the process of customizing the appearance and feel of your site.

Fortunately, WordPress offers a wide variety of themes. More than 8,000 free themes can be found in the official WordPress theme repository.

You don't have to leave WordPress in order to access the themes you want.

Go to Appearance > Themes, and click the huge + symbol that reads "Add New Theme" to add a theme.

Use the search box to find a theme that matches your website's style.

You may get a preview of any theme by clicking on it in the list and reading its details and preview page.

Install a theme by clicking the Install button in the Details & Preview tab when you've found one you like.

Activate the program when the installation is complete by clicking the Activate button that replaces the Install button.

If you can't find what you're looking for in the official theme directory, there are a number of premium theme marketplaces to consider, including:

• Creative Works
• ThemeForestMarket
• MOJO's Marketplace
• Aesthetic Designs
• Themify
• StudioPress

3. Increase the Information Volume (Pages and Posts)

For site personalization to work, you must first have some material online.

After all, it's difficult to make improvements to your website if there is nothing to show for it. Depending on the topic of your site and your objectives, the kind of material you want will vary.

Nearly every website contains the following pages:

• Homepage
• On the front page, you will see a section titled
• Send us a message

Consider the needs of your visitors while determining which pages to include. The visual material, such as images, will also have to be taken into consideration.

Some WordPress themes have pre-made page templates for common page types, which makes your life a little bit simpler. Others, on the other hand, provide more than one page layout choice.

Appearance > Customize is the place to find them.

We're going to build a website using Twenty Twenty-One, the newest default theme for WordPress. Under Homepage Settings, you may choose a static page as your homepage. Choose a page from the drop-down menu to be your website's homepage.

If you'd like to have your most recent blog entries appear on your homepage, you may check and choose the option "Your most recent posts."

Make sure you're happy with your choices by hitting Publish in the top left corner.

Your site may now be expanded with more content. To do this, navigate to Pages > Add New on the main dashboard.

The Gutenberg editor is used by the Twenty Twenty-One theme, so I can now add page names and content.

Images and formatting may be added to this page.

In order to add more pages to your website, just repeat this procedure.

4. Take Care to Organize Your Website Logically.

Think of your website as a collection of books.

The more material you add to your website, the more significant your website structure becomes.

While you're learning how to build a website, learn to organize your website in such a manner that visitors can easily find what they're looking for and navigate around it.

In this case, the menu system is critical. It's time to make your pages visible to your site's users after you've finished creating them. It is possible to do so under the Appearance > Menus section.

Give your new menu a name and click Create Menu to get things started.

A menu will appear on the left from which to choose what to include. After checking the boxes for the pages you want in the menu, just click Add to Menu to add those pages.

If you choose, you may reorganize menu items by dragging and dropping them under other ones, as seen below. Once you're happy, choose where you want this menu to display on the menu bar (in this case, the Primary menu).

To view the new menu in action, click Save Menu again and go back to your site's front end.

In the end, you want your site to represent a logical structure that helps visitors find what they need.

5. Additional Personalization Options

A new window will open up with further personalization choices. Look around, and you'll notice that there are a lot more possibilities for customizing your website here. Other sections of your site may be changed, such as:

• The title and tagline
• Colors
• Typography
• The background picture
• Menus
• Widgets

It is possible to customize your blog page as well as your homepage. Depending on the theme you've installed, you'll see a different set of choices.

There are a plethora of plugins for WordPress, both free and paid, to choose from. Plugins are available in the official WordPress plugin directory alone, allowing you to extend your site's functionality in many ways. In addition, third-party markets provide a plethora of other options.

Navigate to Plugins > Add New to install new plugins.

A selection of the most widely used plugins will be shown to you. To locate anything else, use the search function.

Click the Install Now button to begin the process of adding plugins to your site. Wait for it to download, then click Activate to activate it. There is a section in the WordPress main menu called Plugins where you can see and manage all of your site's plugins.

As far as the plugins you should install, there are a number of options to choose from:

The SEO plugin Yoast offers on-page optimization recommendations for every page and post, as well as the ability to adjust Open Graph social network tags. • SEO Yoast

Jetpack includes many tools to boost website performance, optimization, social media integration, digital marketing, contact forms, and site search.

Plugins like Smush reduce the file size of photos submitted to WordPress, freeing up disk space and allowing for faster page load times.

In order to set up an online business, you may use WooCommerce, the most popular WordPress plugin for e-commerce stores. It's all explained in detail here.

Google Analytics may now be seen in your WordPress dashboard thanks to the MonsterInsights plug-in.

Add a page builder plugin to your website's code for even more design flexibility. As a result of these plugins, you may create whole web designs rather than simply individual pages and articles. Among the most common options are:

All-in-one website builder Elementor enables visual website editing, quick load times, and a wide variety of themes.

Another option is Elegant Themes' Divi, which is a simple method to change a website's look and feel.

This page builder plugin is very user-friendly and reduces the time it takes to develop a website.

6. It is possible to create a blog (optional).

A blog isn't necessary for every website. Creating one, on the other hand, might be a smart idea if you want to produce new material often, show off your expertise, and give your visitors something extra.

WordPress requires that you pick a blog page before you can create a new blog post. I've previously mentioned that you may set your homepage to show your most recent content. However, if you like to keep your homepage static and have a separate blog page, you must first build one.

A blank page (Pages > Add New) may be created, renamed "Blog," and published. Then, either under Appearance > Customize > Homepage Settings or under Settings > Reading, choose it as the Posts Page for your blog.

When you save a blog post, it will show up on the page you've selected. Ensure that it is included in your menu!

Go to Posts > Add New to add new blog posts to your website.

In the content editor you used for your pages, this will take you. Add a headline and some text to your blog post. Do not forget to include any necessary photos, headings, or list items. Adding categories and tags, creating an excerpt, and choosing a featured picture are all accessible from the right-side menu.

Click Publish after you're through making changes. Congratulations on completing your first post!

7. An online store may be added (optional).

An eCommerce shop isn't necessary for every website. The following are two common methods for building a website with an online shop.

WooCommerce is the most popular WooCommerce plugin for WordPress.

There are several payment choices, a broad variety of optimal themes, and it can be set up in a matter of minutes. In addition, you may buy a number of extensions to modify your e-commerce site and make it fit a variety of needs.

Follow this tutorial to discover how to integrate an online shop into your website.

Shopify is the most popular alternative to WordPress.

Shopify is a self-contained online store builder that includes everything you need to get your store up and running. Hosting, domain name registration, and a website builder are all included in this bundle.

Shopify is the most widely used platform for creating online stores, and it's easy to see why. Many themes and customization possibilities are available via an easy-to-use builder.

If you'd like to learn more about using Shopify to create an online shop, check out our guide.

8. Configure your secure socket layer (SSL).

Secure socket layer (SSL) technology ensures the privacy and security of any data transferred to and from your website. A pleasant user experience can only be achieved by emphasizing user privacy and security, and SSL is a significant ranking element.

Do the following to ensure that your new website with Bluehost has a current SSL certificate:

1. Log in to Bluehost.com. ' Go to My Sites to see all of your saved bookmarks. Select Site Management from the drop-down menu that appears. On the following page, look for the Security tab. Find out whether you have a Let's Encrypt certificate or a Let's Encrypt certificate under the Security Certificate area. The switch should be flipped to the On position. Re-visit your site to make sure SSL is working properly. In the address bar of your web browser, look for a lock symbol next to the domain name. Begin the process of creating a WordPress website.

It's time to go live with your site now that it's finished. Always verify your settings and review your articles and pages to ensure they are error-free before publishing. Assuming that everything is in order, you may proceed by clicking the Coming Soon Active link at the top of the dashboard.

After that, click the "Launch your site" option, which can be found further down the page.

You may now see your website on the Internet.

Make sure that all of your links function, your text is readable, and your photos are suitably sized (you can use