Getting Started with WordPress: A Beginner’s Guide

Since its beginning in 2003 by Matt Mullenweg, WordPress has grown into a secure, stable and user-friendly content management system (CMS), revolutionising how users create and manage websites without needing highly specialised skills. Keeping its signature simplicity and intuitive admin dashboard, WordPress now powers an incredible 40%+ of all websites on the internet. This versatile platform caters to more than blogs; significant corporations and media giants like CNN and The New York Times also rely on WordPress to power their online presence.

We remember first coming across WordPress right at the start, downloading version 1, and using it to power our first blogs. Now those blogs have come and gone, and we’ve tried and failed many more, We have always been drawn to using WordPress. The admin interface never changed; in a way, it doesn’t need to. New features appear, but the basic layout remains unchanged. This made it easier to learn and understand, as new versions would come along but stay the same. In the world of IT, not everything does this, and often, you’d have a completely new format to understand or get your head around.

Also, the wide range of themes that are now available helps make your site unique, and there is a large community of developers building new themes and plugins to make WordPress even more feature-filled and improved. Lastly, WordPress is open source, meaning you can see the source code, and if you have the skills, you can contribute and write new features that get included in updates.

At SiteDesigns.uk, we use WordPress and a theme from StudioPress.com. We’ve used many themes over the last 20 years but stuck with StudioPress over the past 10+ years. Apart from having a wide range of themes that are easy to configure (they even have placeholder copy and images that help you visualise your new website), We’ve found their themes to be very stable. StudioPress themes come in 2 x parts: a Genesis theme, which functions as a parent theme, providing a secure, SEO-friendly, high-performance base for building child themes. StudioPress offers a collection of Genesis-compatible child themes, essentially the design layer on the Genesis framework. Think of it like this: it’s a car chassis, separating you from the car’s internal workings. The child theme you choose from StudioPress is like the colour scheme, seat fabrics, etc. But with this setup, you get a rock-solid site.

Today, we will lead you through setting up a WordPress site.

We’ve used WordPress for nearly 15 years to host our main website and use it for a host of others, including an internal Intranet. This beginner’s guide outlines the essential steps to launch your WordPress website, ensuring you make the most of this influential platform.

Step 1: Establish Your Online Identity with a Domain Name and Hosting Provider

Your domain name is the unique web address representing your brand online (e.g., www.yourbrand.com). Pair this with a hosting provider that offers reliable uptime, speed, security, and customer support, and you’ve got a winning combination. Top contenders include GoDaddy, Namecheap, Bluehost, HostGator, and SiteGround, but my preference is hosting from Cloudways Web Hosting, which offers low prices and great flexibility.

Step 2: Effortlessly Install WordPress

Once you’ve secured your domain name and hosting provider, it’s time to install WordPress. Many hosting providers offer one-click installations, streamlining the process. You can always manually download the software from the official website and follow their comprehensive guide if needed.

Step 3: Stand Out with a Striking Theme

Now that WordPress is installed choose a theme that fits your brand identity and captivates your target audience. With thousands of free and premium themes available, you’re guaranteed to find the perfect match. Explore your options by navigating to Appearance > Themes in the WordPress dashboard. To explore more themes, we suggest StudioPress.com and pick a theme from there.

Step 4: Customise Your Website to Perfection

Once you’ve chosen a theme, tailor your website to suit your unique vision with WordPress’s robust customisation system. Modify colours, fonts, layouts, and functionalities with ease. Access these settings by going to Appearance > Customise, where you can adjust headers, footers, sidebars, and more.

Step 5: Engage Your Audience with Compelling Content

With your personalised website ready, start creating captivating content to engage your audience. WordPress streamlines the process of crafting posts and pages and managing multimedia. To create new content, navigate to Posts > Add New or Pages > Add New in the WordPress dashboard. To get the most out of your site, you’ll need to write on a regular schedule, something that takes practice but is possible.

Conclusion

Though it may seem overwhelming initially, launching a WordPress website is straightforward with the proper guidance. Follow these simple steps, and you’ll have a customised, engaging website. With endless customisation and content management possibilities, your online success with WordPress is just a few clicks away.