Creating a website can seem like a daunting task, and when you’re on a budget, it might even seem impossible. It will surprise you to learn that building a website doesn’t have to be hard or expensive.
This beginner-friendly guide aims to help everyone who wants to build a website on a limited budget. Here are the steps to take.
Choose your domain name
The domain name is your future website’s URL or address, which people enter in their browsers. Domain names are affordable, paid annually, and usually renewed every year. There are various extensions to choose from, like .com, .net, and .org. The most common one is .com, so it’s best to stick with that.
Tools like Namemesh, Nameboy, and DomainWheel can help you brainstorm ideas for domain names. You only need to enter the subject of your activity, and the tools will generate a list of possible names.
Your domain name should be readable and short, so it’s easier to remember and type. It should be unique. If your company name isn’t available as a domain name, think of something that will make it stand out.
Consider how your business might develop in the future. The domain name should be more general if you expect to expand into new niches. If it’s too specific, you’ll be stuck with that activity. If your products or services are very specific, on the other hand, your domain name should reflect that.
Secure web hosting
To build a WordPress website with the least amount of hassle, opt for services like Bluehost’s Managed Hosting, GoDaddy’s Managed Hosting, or WordPress hosting from GreenGeeks. All of these providers offer great value for money with a good loading speed and reliable uptime. They also have quality customer support, which is essential for beginners.
Now that you’ve chosen a hosting service, you have a site. The next step is to access its admin panel. At the end of the URL, add /wp-admin and log in from there. You’re now in the WordPress Dashboard.
How to use WordPress
From here, you can create posts and pages and publish them. If you’re seeing the dashboard for the first time, though, it might be a bit overwhelming. Look through the different areas at your own pace. Familiarize yourself with the basic features first. You’ll find many useful online tutorials on how to use WordPress, like WP101.
Select a theme
You’ll need a theme to change the website design so it matches your brand, your personality, or both. WordPress has tons of free and paid themes. The WordPress.org theme directory is the best choice for free themes.
To make sure your site is as safe and visually appealing as possible, review the theme descriptions, check the rating and the number of downloads, and look at how user-friendly they are. Each theme comes with a detailed description of its features. It’s a good idea to read it to see if the theme fits your requirements.
A theme that’s been downloaded many times is likely to work well for you.
Finally, some themes are more intuitive than others. Check to see what works best.
Plugins
One final and very important step is choosing plugins to add features to your site. As a beginner, you probably don’t know which ones to download. Here is a list of the best and most popular WordPress plugins:
- Antispam Bee – Filter comment spam from blog posts.
- WP Super Cache – Increase loading speed.
- Yoast SEO – Makes your site easier to find.
- WP Sweep – Cleans up the database from useless files to optimize performance.
- Smush Image Optimizer – Reduces and compresses image file sizes so pages load faster without compromising image quality.
- WordFence – Protects your site from online threats like brute force attacks. The premium version of the plugin secures your site from additional threats. If you have sensitive information on your site, consider getting a paid copy of WordFence.
- Contact Form 7 – Create a contact form for people to get in touch with you.
