Websites are very significant in today’s community and culture. With a website, an organization will have an online presence and will help establish credibility. However, making a website may be intimidating for some. Hence, the introduction of WordPress.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is one of the most popular site-building packages. It is free to download with numerous add-ons and plugins for specialized functionality. Some notable plugins include SEO plugins for optimizing content, coupon plugins for adding deals in your web posts, contact form plugin for creating a simple communication form, and caching plugins to improve the speed of your site. Coupon plugins, for one, are great additions to websites to increase sales by converting leaving visitors into customers. You can provide discounts or deals to convince them to make a purchase!
But these are just some from thousands of plugins you can add. Contributing to WordPress’s popularity is its inclusion of a feature for novice users. Even with little or no knowledge of programming, a user can start to set up their site.
Starting your WordPress Site
Now that you know that no degree of programming is necessary to create a WordPress site, you may feel more confident. To help you further, here are some important details.
Working with WordPress
Before you begin working with WordPress, you must select a Domain name and a hosting provider. A domain name would be a gateway for your audience to reach your site. With the proper domain name, you will protect your brand, generate traffic to your website and improve search engine rankings. On the other hand, a hosting provider renders the technologies and servers for your website to be viewed and accessed on the Internet.
Installing WordPress
There are various ways of installing WordPress. Some hosting services include WordPress in their packages. With these providers, WordPress is already installed, and you can start with selecting a theme for your site. If your chosen hosting provider does not include this, you need to download the latest version of WordPress, upload your files in the webserver, create a database, and then configure and install WordPress.
Working with WordPress
After the successful installation of WordPress, it is now time to familiarise oneself with the admin dashboard for better management of your site. Through this, you can customize your site and control what your audience can view.
Then the fun begins with choosing a theme. These are ready-made layouts that users can select with each theme addressing different types of websites. It also includes a set of fonts, features, and widgets. An important note when choosing a theme is to ensure that it is compatible with all browsers and devices for a flawless look of your website.
Other things to consider are the following:
Simple and Responsive Themes are the Best
A clean and simple website will effectively convey your message to your audience while ensuring the simple management of your website as well. There are themes with additional features but looks simple and clean for your audience.
Look for a Mobile Responsive Theme
Select a responsive theme that presents your website on all types of devices with varying sizes. This would prevent your audience from interacting with your site on a specific kind of device only.
Take your Budget into Consideration
Free themes are available, although it is not fully customizable, it includes the basic functionality and compatibility with different plugins. While paid themes are fully customizable but differ in prices depending on their features, it usually includes upgrades and support as well that are helpful for maintenance.
Fit your Theme with your Skills
If you have knowledge in web programming, it is safe to work with themes that you can code and customize to your heart’s content, otherwise better stick to themes with tools that can let you customize your site with no coding required.
Support for Plugins
Upon selecting a theme, it comes together with some plugins depending on the theme it is directed to. For instance, eCommerce themes may come with shopping cart features and support for eCommerce plugins. Nonetheless, you have to research if the theme supports other plugins that you may need to make the most of your website.
With WordPress’ numerous features, themes, and plugins, even novice users can create a successful and interactive website. But to make it work, one must remember to keep it simple for your audience. The look and how it behaves in different devices is also a matter to consider. You may also choose from paid or free themes but ensure that the features are suited to your skills as well. Finally, your WordPress theme must support numerous plugins as these are essential features of a site to give it a boost. Follow these tips and you’re guaranteed to an easier and more manageable start for your WordPress site.