Website builders are definitely the easiest way to launch a website, but they can be a bit more expensive than using WordPress and a web hosting plan. If you’re looking for an affordable plan and you don’t mind the slightly more technical steps of building a website, WordPress is a great choice.
Currently, there are two versions of WordPress: WordPress.com, the simplified version, and the self-hosted WordPress.org. In this section, I will discuss self-hosted WordPress.
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WordPress isn’t as easy-to-use as a website builder, but it’s still fairly easy to get started—its vast array of free templates and plugins give you nearly unlimited options for customizing your website. Although the process is a bit complicated, you don’t need to know programming or have extensive experience to create a beautiful website using WordPress. By the way, WordPress’ backend supports Simplified Chinese, which means you can easily create a website.
Step-by-step guide
1. Select a hosting plan
Although WordPress itself is 100% free, in order to launch a website, you need to subscribe to a hosting service (unlike website builders, which offer hosting on their own plans). Read our ranking of the best website hosts of 2024 to learn more.
There are many web hosting plans out there – but the following brands consistently top our rankings.
Top web hosting recommendations for WordPress websites
Hostinger: As one of the most affordable hosting providers on the market, Hostinger is the best low-cost option. It loads super fast (we tested it thoroughly), has a simple one-click WordPress installer, and is overall great value for money. If you want managed WordPress hosting, you can also enjoy increased security and WordPress-optimized servers.
InterServer: Affordable monthly hosting with unlimited storage. InterServer is an excellent solution for businesses that are growing rapidly. Since the servers are located in the United States, it can provide top-notch loading speeds to users targeted in the United States.
A2 Hosting: A2 Hosting is a “green” hosting company committed to reducing its carbon footprint, offering standard shared hosting or managed WordPress hosting. It's fast and secure, with its proprietary HackScan threat detection and removal tool available for free.
Nexcess: If you are willing to spend more for quality hosting, Nexcess may be the best hosting service for you to run your WordPress website. Nexcess gives users great peace of mind, as every aspect of the hosting process is implemented by professionals.
Kinsta: Provides managed hosting (all the hard work has been done in advance), is fast, good in every way, and relatively priced. Despite its good value for money, Kinsta is still quite expensive. You get what you pay for, you can rest assured.
InMotion Hosting: Another top US hosting service, it's not as fast as InterServer (but not a lot slower), but the customer service is top-notch. If you're looking for quality US hosting and reliability is paramount, InMotion is a great fit.
When you choose a host for your WordPress website, you should pay attention to whether certain features are available:
SSL certificate. An SSL certificate ensures your website is secure and your website will have a small padlock icon in your browser's address bar. Most web hosts will provide an SSL certificate for free. After the website is online, you can use the SSL check tool to check whether the SSL certificate on the website can be used normally.
WordPress optimization. The best website hosts for WordPress offer specially optimized servers that improve performance, so your web pages load faster.
security function. Some web hosts will charge you extra for basic security, so you should try to find a service that includes important features like malware protection, firewalls, and automatic backups.
2. Select a domain name
The process of choosing a domain name with WordPress is similar to that of website building tools. Some web hosts include a free domain name in their annual plans, but not all hosts offer it. If the hosting service you choose does not include a free domain name, it may be more cost-effective to purchase the domain name from a third party (rather than through the website hosting service). You can get a domain name for as little as $1 on some domain marketplaces.
3. Install WordPress using the one-click installer
Some hosting plans come with WordPress pre-installed. If your plan doesn't install, don't panic - you can use the one-click installer provided by your host.
These tools aren't literally one-click, but they're not far off: in just a few clicks, they set up all the scripts and databases WordPress needs to run on your site. All you have to do is provide the username and password required to log into WordPress once the installation is complete.
Different hosts may use different one-click installers, but essentially they are all the same and very simple to use.
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4. Using WordPress from your hosting dashboard
The exact way you use WordPress may vary depending on your website host. But in most cases, you can find options for managing your WordPress site in your hosting dashboard.
I will use SiteGround for demonstration. In the screenshot below, you can see that there is a button that automatically logs me in to my WordPress site’s dashboard. Other hosting services may ask you to enter your WordPress username and password.
The dashboard may look confusing when you first use WordPress, but there’s no need to panic, it’s very easy to get started. Below is a screenshot of the dashboard with all the important elements labeled for you.
5. Choose a theme
Themes in WordPress are very similar to templates in website builders. The biggest difference is that the theme in WordPress not only controls the overall style/layout of the website, but a specific theme may also include certain plug-ins (i.e. "necessary plug-ins").
WordPress’s default theme is very basic, so I recommend you check out other themes. Thankfully, WordPress’ theme installer facilitates this. You can search WordPress’ theme library and quickly install thousands of free themes. You can even install multiple themes and use the customization tools to see how they look on your site before activating them when you're satisfied.
In addition to free themes, you can also purchase thousands of high-quality third-party (such as TemplateMonster and ThemeForest) themes from the platform.
6. Add plug-ins
Plugins are applications similar to website builders that add additional functionality to your website that is not included in WordPress itself. For example, you can create a contact form by installing a plugin (such as NinjaForms) or create an online store using WooCommerce. From SEO to creating an online portfolio, every function you can think of has corresponding plug-in support.
The search box helps you find the plugin you need. You can also view details about each plugin, including whether it is compatible with the WordPress version, specific features, and user reviews.
Plugins can be installed with one click, but will not take effect on the website until you click the "Enable" button in the plugins panel.
7. Create your first post
One of the most common questions I get asked about WordPress is about the difference between pages and posts. In essence, pages are static content – content on your website that doesn’t change or changes infrequently, such as an About Us page. Posts are more dynamic – they appear on the Blog page or category pages of your website. The main difference between pages and posts is how WordPress displays them on your website.
The editor for creating posts and pages is exactly the same, so the steps for creating pages and posts are the same. In the screenshot below, you can see that when you click on the "Posts" panel of the dashboard, you'll see a list of existing posts (some themes have "Demo" content), and a New button at the top .
Click the Add button to enter the editor. The old default editor of WordPress was too simple, but WordPress 5.0 introduced the Gutenberg version, and 6.0 introduced a series of new features and improved design flexibility. Gutenberg uses "blocks" to create posts and pages, adjusting layouts (columns), regions, and containers.
You can use free plugins to add more blocks to the Gutenberg editor, and you can even use third-party website builder plugins to change the way your site is edited.
Block types included in the standard Gutenberg editor include:
paragraph
title
Quote
picture
list
cover image
gallery
Slideshow
sheet
button
To select a block, you can click the "+" icon next to each paragraph area, or type "/" in the free area labeled "Start typing or type / to select a block."
8. Publish website
Unlike some website builders (such as Wix), WordPress does not have a specific publish button for the entire website. WordPress is published on the Internet as soon as it is created. However, you can find the publish button in three different places in WordPress.
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In the customizer, you'll see a button at the top of the panel that saves changes and makes the customization take effect.
In the upper right corner of every new post you create. Your post is only a draft and won't appear until you click Publish. If you come back to edit later, you'll need to click Update for the changes to take effect.
In the upper right corner of every new page you create. As with publishing, the content before publishing is just a draft, and when you edit it, you need to click Update or your changes won't be saved.
Consider hiring a website developer for $5 to save time and frustration
If you're short on time, or just don't want to deal with any of the problems that may arise when creating a WordPress website, hiring a professional to build (and perhaps maintain) your website may be a better option.
Sure, hiring a developer sounds expensive, but thanks to the rise of Fiverr, you don't need to spend much. I did a quick search on Fiverr for information on building a complete WordPress website and found many professional website designers offering website building services for as low as $5!
One of the great things about Fiverr is that you can browse examples of designers’ work to see if they match the website you want. Plus, Fiverr offers full buyer protection: Fiverr won’t pay a freelancer if you’re not satisfied with their service.
WordPress FAQ
Is WordPress free?
Technically, yes. The platform itself is 100% free, but you will need to pay to host your website and domain (click here to see our ranking of the best web hosts of 2024). If you want a paid theme or plugin from a third-party marketplace, you'll need to pay for that as well.
Can I build my own WordPress website?
Yes, you can create a WordPress website without hiring a developer – but if you’re new, you may find Wix easier (and faster) to use. WordPress is more complex, making it easier to cause problems with your site when changing settings or installing conflicting plugins.
Hiring a developer to build your WordPress website isn’t as expensive as it sounds! You can actually find developers on Fiverr for any budget.
What is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?
The main difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org is the hosting method. With WordPress.com, you don’t have to pay for hosting separately, but you’ll need to upgrade from one of the most expensive plans (Enterprise or Ecommerce) to be able to use plugins and upload themes from third-party marketplaces.
WordPress.org is self-hosted, so you pay for hosting separately. You have full control and are free to use this version, and it’s much cheaper than WordPress.com.
Which is better, Wix or WordPress?
Both Wix and WordPress have their own pros and cons. Wix is more suitable for beginners but may be more expensive than purchasing a hosting plan and building a website yourself with WordPress.
WordPress is very flexible and provides options for expanding your website, but it is difficult to get started and the possibility of errors is high. For example, incompatible plugins may cause the website to stop functioning.
Do I need a special WordPress hosting plan, or will a basic hosting plan suffice?
You don’t need a special WordPress hosting plan as WordPress works on any shared hosting plan that offers a one-click installer. However, there are definitely benefits to choosing a dedicated WordPress hosting plan.
Dedicated WordPress hosting plans are available as managed or unmanaged. With an unmanaged plan, your hosting is pretty much the same as regular hosting, but your website will be hosted on a server optimized for WordPress, and you may have access to certain optimization plugins.
Managed WordPress hosting is worry-free hosting because your host takes care of things like updates, security patches (depending on the host), and backups, so you can focus on building your website. Check out our ranking of the best managed WordPress hosting providers in 2024.