A Comprehensive Guide on Getting Started With WordPress in 2024
So you’re looking to set up a new website. You’ve got a good idea of what your site will be about, what content you’ll have on it, whether you’ll be selling anything, the list goes on. Now to get started with WordPress!
It seems like you’re all ready to begin, right? But wait, what about your platform? If you’re reading this, you’ve probably chosen – or are considering choosing – WordPress. But perhaps you aren’t sure how to begin. Or maybe you just need a refresher on how it works. This article will help make the process easier by taking you step by step on how to get started with your WordPress site.
Step 1: Find the Best Hosting for Your Site
Before you can use WordPress.org, you need a hosting service. You can set up your own server and install WordPress on your computer, but when you’re just starting out, it’s easier to subscribe to a service that already has servers set up and ready to host a WordPress site. Some services are free, and some are paid; we recommend using a paid one as they will provide higher quality services and features.
Not sure which type of hosting or which host to choose? We completely understand (and we’ve been there before, WPExplorer has switched hosts a couple times before finding a perfect fit). There are a few different types of hosting to consider, all with their own pros and cons. You can read our guide on the best WordPress hosting or take a look at our handy infographic showcasing the top hosting options we’d recommend to new WordPress users.
We highly recommend Managed WordPress Hosting, which is when the hosting company fully manages your server for you. Managed hosting offers more features and website resources than shared, and many managed hosts will offer scalable hosting plans so you can start small and upgrade your server as your business grows. We’ve used managed hosting from WP Engine for years and are extremely happy with the quality of our hosting as well as the awesome service from their support team. They offer a great personal plan for new bloggers, as well as amazing premium & enterprise-level plans for high traffic websites.
However, if you’re on a tight budget, then affordable Shared Hosting might be a better fit. It is what most new WordPress users start with since it has enough resources to host a new website. Most shared hosts offer one-click WordPress installation, a reasonable amount of storage & bandwidth, and sometimes a few perks (like Google Adwords coupons or even a free domain name). In our opinion, the best shared hosting plan is from Bluehost. Starting at just $2.95 per month (with our special link), it’s a great option for those just starting out with WordPress.
Step 2: Choose a Domain Name
You probably already have your website name, or a shortlist of names, picked out. That’s great! If you don’t, there are plenty of articles that can help you brainstorm ideas. Just keep in mind your domain name should reflect the purpose of your site and be interesting enough to draw visitors.
The other part of naming that gets somewhat less attention is the domain name. In technical terms, a domain name is the part of a URL that identifies IP addresses (which identify computers or devices on a network) and web pages. More simply, it’s your web address. Every domain name has a suffix, such as .com or .org. You can register any domain name you like that isn’t already taken – for an annual fee. Some hosts will give you a free domain registration for the first year. As part of the sign-up process hosts will also automatically check to see if the domain is available for you to use. But you can always purchase a domain name directly from a registrar like NameCheap or GoDaddy.
After you’ve settled on a domain name, follow your hosting company’s instructions for completing the setup process. You’ll probably need to point your domain name to your host. Just check their online docs or do a quick Google search to find specific instructions. Now the real work begins!
The next steps don’t necessarily have to happen in a particular order. You can now access your dashboard and turn your attention to whatever you feel is most pressing.
At this point, it can be helpful to view your site and have a look through your admin options. This way you know what you have to work with.
Step 3: Customize Your Site Design
WordPress defaults to a particular theme which you can stick with as-is, customize, or change it to a new theme.
Free Themes
WordPress has several pre-installed themes to choose from. To see the directory of free WordPress themes, click on Appearance > Themes. If you click the Add New button, you’ll see a list of free WordPress themes from the WordPress.org directory. From here, you can search for a specific term (like “business” or “blog”) to streamline available options, and if you hover on a specific theme, you can preview or install them.
You can also choose to install a theme developed by a third party. Many reputable sites offer free WordPress themes – WPExplorer included. Installation is a bit different as you’ll need to download the theme. Often this is a .zip with the name of the theme. To install simply go to the theme directory and click Upload Theme button at the top of the screen.
Next, WordPress should prompt you to browse for the theme on your computer. Select your theme file (the .zip we mentioned) and click to install. All that’s left is to click activate in order to use your new theme on your site.
Premium Themes
While free themes are a great way to get started, premium (or paid for) themes are the gold standard. Third-party premium themes offer more variety and often include many more features than the themes you’ll find in the free theme directory.
For example, the Total WordPress theme includes an easy-to-use visual page builder, built-in options for your portfolio, a customizable blog, custom fonts, unlimited color options, and tons more. But most importantly, it includes an easy demo importer you can use to import any of the theme’s live demos. So with just a few clicks, you can have your site design started.
But that’s just one option. There are many premium theme marketplaces where you can purchase a new theme for your website. Themeforest is a good place to start to find a premium theme, with over 11,000 themes to choose from. Or you can browse the many theme collections we’ve put together here at WPExplorer.
After you’ve found, purchased, and downloaded the theme you want, you’ll need to install it (just like we covered in the free themes section). Head over to Themes > Add New to upload, install, and activate. If your premium theme included any bundled plugins, you may see additional prompts or notices to install recommended plugins.
Customize Your Design
Depending on your theme, you might have additional styling options available to you. This can include custom color settings, fonts, pre-set layouts, etc. It varies from theme to theme.
Typically these options are found in the live Customizer under Appearance > Customize or within a custom Theme Panel elsewhere in your WordPress dashboard. Or if you’ve selected a Gutenberg ready theme, there may be options built into the blocks used when creating your posts and pages. So take some time to review your theme’s documentation or landing page to see what design settings you can use to make your website stand out.
Step 4: Add Plugins for More Features
Depending on both how you’re using your site and on the functionality of your theme, you will likely need to install and activate various plugins. These add to what your site is able to do.
To install free plugins, visit the plugin directory by clicking on Plugins > Add New and browsing for a plugin, or you can install plugins you’ve purchased from other sites by clicking on the Upload Plugin button.
If you’re interested, here are the three key plugins we use and recommend here at WPExplorer.
1. VaultPress (Jetpack Backups): While most good hosting companies offer daily backups as a part of their plans, we highly recommend backing up WordPress on your own just to be safe. We use and love VaultPress as it’s affordable, easy to use, and takes a full backup of your entire site – media included.
2. Akismet: Just like VaultPress, Akismet is a part of premium JetPack subscriptions and we think it’s the best spam plugin for WordPress. Akismet helps filter out spam comments using its own algorithm and comments that Akismet users report. This way you can spend less time monitoring your comments and more time focusing on your SEO and content.
3. Yoast SEO: For any website owner, a good SEO plugin is key. We use and love Yoast SEO. This plugin includes everything you absolutely need to get started on improving your SEO, including sitemaps, default titles/excerpts, breadcrumbs, RSS feed display, open graph meta tags, and on-page SEO tools.
For more useful plugins, check out our plugin collections to find great plugins for maps, bookings, social sharing, translations, and more.
Step 5: Create Key Pages
Unless it’s designed to be a one-page site, every website should have at least a couple of pages. For example, an about page and a contact page. We also recommend a blog page to house your news or posts. But depending on your site’s purpose, you’ll probably want other pages as well. This could be a portfolio or gallery to show off your work. If you have products to sell, you’d want a store page. Keep in mind you may need or want to install plugins in order to add and customize these types of pages.
Home: Your homepage is the first page people will see when they go to your main URL. Some themes are designed so that your blog is your homepage, while others will include a pre-designed homepage as a part of their sample data or as an included Gutenberg pattern. Or always have the option to use a WordPress page builder to create something custom.
Blog: Most websites will have a blog – in fact, many sites are just a blog! Depending on your theme, you may not need to create a blog page, as many blogging WordPress themes are already styled so you can just get to work adding posts. Some, however, do include a custom blog page design or pattern. So if you do create a custom page for your blog, remember that you’ll also need to define it as your blog under the Settings > Reading > Static page as your “Posts page” option.
About: About pages are great for businesses to share company history, mission statements, and team members. Or for independent bloggers to share notes on how they got started, their interests, and their personal story. While not every site needs one, it’s a good page to consider. An about page is a great way to connect with your audience on a more personal level.
Contact: Pretty much every website will have a contact page. It’s fairly simple to create a contact page with WordPress, since there are a plethora of easy plugins compatible with popular themes. At the very least, you can consider using one of these contact form plugins to add a simple form to your footer or sidebar, or a mapping plugin to showcase your locations.
Portfolio: For some businesses, it makes sense to showcase your work, which is where a portfolio is very useful. To create an online portfolio, you can either choose a theme or add a plugin that includes a portfolio custom post type. Custom post types add a new easy to find menu item in your main lefthand WordPress dashboard. These most often work just like adding a blog post. The difference is that they often features custom styles and options specific to their purpose. So a portfolio will typically include options to build galleries, upload videos, or even audio so you can show potential clientele how awesome you are.
Store: Lastly, whether you want to sell your own goods in an Etsy-like shop or recommend items from affiliate stores on your site, you can build an online store with WordPress. Specifically, with the free WooCommerce plugin. Similar to a portfolio, WooCommerce (and other e-commerce platforms like EDD or Shopify) adds a custom post type. This includes custom options for your products such as digital/physical item, product gallery, product variations, coupons, shipping, taxes, and more.
Step 6: Importing and Exporting Content
These tools often get overlooked in discussions about getting started. If you’re new to WordPress but not to blogging or website management, importing and exporting are handy tools to have and easy to do. To move content from an old WordPress website, use the export tool. This will download an XML file of your site content.
To bring in your content from another site, use the import tool. If you purchase a premium theme, it probably came with sample data (in the form of a .xml file) that you can import to help get you started. We recommend using the sample data if you need help figuring out how to use a theme or if you want to import an exact demo (especially when using themes like Total that have tons of sample demos to choose from).
Whether you’re new to owning a website or simply new to WordPress, it can be tough to finally get started with WordPress. Having a guide and other resources is invaluable in situations like that. Using the tools we’ve provided here can help make the process smoother. You’ll have your site up and running quick!
What do you wish you had known when first starting your WordPress website? If you’re starting out now, what would help you feel more confident about it? Let us know in the comments!
