This Step by Step guide How to Make a Website– For Beginners will get your website on the internet within 30-60 minutes. And it is the same process we use in our website setup service. Follow these simple steps to set up your own website.
Your startup cost can be under $100, or it can be few hundred. The choice is yours, depending on the bells and whistles you want to begin with.
Let’s get started and make a website with beginners in mind!
* This website is supported by referral sales. If you purchase something through one of our referral links, we may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. We recommend products that we use and/or valuable to you. Thank you for your support so we we can continue providing this free resource to you.
1. Get a Domain Name and a Website Host (2 essentials to make a website for beginners)
The first step is getting a domain name and web hosting. Both of these are necessary to get your website on the internet.
Domain Name
The domain name is your website name. The best domain names end with .com.
If possible, try and pick a name that fits your website’s concept. Doing this is not easy though, because most names have been picked through. As a result, you could spend hours trying to find a name.
If you have trouble finding a name that fits your website concept, don’t worry about it. Instead, try using your personal name or a made up, catchy word. Or your other option is to temporarily put off picking a name. Most web hosts will allow you to get started without the name. But you will need to choose a name before going live with your site.
In this guide, you will be able to get your domain name from the hosting service, which we’ll do in the next subheading. But, for your information, there are hosting companies that don’t include domain name registration in their services. In that situation, you would have to register your domain name through a register, like namecheap.com. Then, your hosting service would provide instructions on how to link your domain name to your website on the hosting service.
Hosting for Beginners Making a Website
First, a web host is where all your information is stored and accessed for your website. A good web host will have strong customer support and reliable, fast equipment (servers).
In sticking with this article’s theme of how to make a website for beginners, SiteGround web hosting will meet your needs. Their website setup process is very easy with one-click installs. Also, you are able to register a domain with them. This way you can take care of your domain name and hosting service in one place.
Siteground offers 3 hosting plans, depending on your needs. For example, you can start as basic as you want and change plans as needed or start with a robust one.
Let’s go to Siteground and buy your hosting service and domain name. Click on the Siteground link, pick a plan, follow their steps, and then come back to this guide.
Congratulations! You are now the proud owner of your own website.
As a reminder, if you chose to start with a temporary website name, don’t forget to register a domain name and build your site under it. It’s okay to use the temporary website to learn on. But I don’t recommend building your site under it and then renaming it later with your official domain name. It just creates potential problems.
2. Install WordPress Software – The Ultimate Website Tool for Beginners
So, what is WordPress? It is free software to build and manage your website. And it is the most popular, mainly, because of the ability to make a website for beginners. What’s amazing about this software is that it’s not limited to it’s developers. Instead, developers across the world contribute free and paid add-ons, making it a solution to build any type of website you can imagine.
Now, if you were ambitious, you might have already played around on Siteground and installed WordPress, which is all fine by me. But, if not, let’s go through it.
When logging into Siteground for the first time, click on the “Set Up Site” button. Then, choose whether you’re using a new domain or temporary domain. Next, select “Start New Website”. Now, you have the option to install WordPress or if you are going to have an online store, you can install WordPress + WooCommerce. Afterwards, follow the SiteGround prompts which will lead you through some options for you website. Once you go through these options, your WordPress software will be installed, and you will log into your WordPress account. After logging in, you will be on the WordPress Dashboard.
3. Learn WordPress
It can be intimidating looking at the WordPress Dashboard for the first time. So, you might wonder, “What am I looking at?” or “Where do I start?”
What you see is the behind the scenes of your website known as the “backend”. This is where you do all the building and management of your website. No one else can see this but you and your authorized creators.
The left side of the screen is the Main Navigation. The top is the Toolbar. And the main body is the Work Area. (As shown below.)
A good resource for learning the fundamentals of WordPress is through their “Support” documentation. Within this support, you can find articles from learning the very basics to fixing advanced problems.
Read the article Administration Screens now, which will explain how to use the features of WordPress. If possible, use a split screen or 2 screens. This will allow you to read the article and view your WordPress software at the same time. See you back here, and then we’ll start building your site.
4. Pick a Theme
Now that you have a basic understanding of WordPress, it’s time to put style into the design of your site. A theme does that by putting a skin over your website. With a click of a button, you can make a website as a beginner.
To start, click on Appearance. In the work area, you will see the default themes. The default theme “2021” is like a blank canvas if you are looking to add mostly your own style. You can preview the themes before installing. If you find a default theme you like, install and activate it.
If you would like something more specific and pre-stylized, then you can add a new theme by following the instructions below.
- Select Add New.
- Either use the Search or Filter options to locate a Theme you would like to use.
- Click on the Preview link to preview the Theme or the Install link to upload the Theme to your site,
- Then Activate
5. Add a Page Builder – The Easiest Way Beginners Make a Custom Website
A page builder is a way to have total control of the building of your site. It gives endless possibilities to stylize and add features to it.
A very popular page builder, and one we’ve used to build sites, is Elementor. This builder has a free, basic version, but the amazing features are in the pro version. Go to Elementor, and try it out for free.
Final Words on Making a Website for Beginners
Now you know the basics of WordPress and have the tools to create a great site.
Go stylize and build your site.
Create content through your pages and posts.
And watch your website come to life!
If you would like to learn how to make money with a blog, check out our article How to Make Money Fast Blogging Online.
