Running a business website has become the norm today, but it has never been very easy. Although there are affordable martech services in the market, it is even more of a challenge for small businesses with very little technical know-how.
Building a website with WordPress for your business can seem like a daunting task. If you want to build a website for your business but aren’t sure how to go about it, then you are in the right place. We’ll show you step by step how to build a website for your business using WordPress.
Why Do Businesses Use WordPress to Build Websites?
One of the biggest reasons for the whooping 40%+ market share of WordPress on the internet is its open-source nature. This resulted in the formation of a humongous community of developers coming together and contributing to the platform’s development over the years.
Furthermore, the availability of thousands of free plugins and the ease of developing custom plugins also make WordPress stand out from the crowd.
Nine Steps to a Fully Functioning WordPress Website
Here’s how you build a stunning and fully functioning WordPress website in nine easy-to-understand steps.
STEP 1: Buy A Domain
The first thing on your checklist should be to buy a domain.
There are several websites, like GoDaddy, where you can go and get a domain for just a few bucks.
You might find out that the domain you wanted is already taken. In such cases, you can choose a different domain name. Another fix is that if the “.com” version of the domain is taken, then try getting a “.co”, “.net”, or other versions of the same.
STEP 2: Purchase Hosting Space
Now that you have bought the domain, it is time to find a place where your domain and website can be “housed”.
A “hosting space” or “hosting server” is essentially a remote database server that stores all your website files and presents them to users every time somebody searches for your domain.
Some good places to purchase hosting plans are; GoDaddy, Hostinger, A2 Hosting, and HostGator.
If you choose to build your website with Elementor, you can bypass this stage. The hugely popular WordPress website builder now offers built in WordPress hosting, at very reasonable prices.
If you are a solopreneur with a very limited budget, then you may consider getting a shared web hosting plan – it is among the cheapest but is also the slowest. However, if you can stretch your budget, you will be much better off with a Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting.
STEP 3: Install WordPress on Your Domain
Once you purchase the hosting space and have your domain installed on it, you need to install WordPress on your domain.
You do not need any technical knowledge to do so. Most hosting providers like GoDaddy and Hostinger provide one-click WordPress installation.
All you have to do is click on the button to install and set your login credentials.
STEP 4: Design Your Website
Until now, you were only laying the foundation of your WordPress website. Here comes the good part.
Now, it’s time to sit with a designer and conceptualize your WordPress website. You first need to prepare a clear site structure and then wireframe the website using tools like Adobe InDesign.
After you have your sitemap and wireframes ready, move on to prototyping your website using tools like Figma. Try to strike the right balance between simplicity and creativity right from the get-go, as it will help keep your website’s speed optimized for SEO.
STEP 5: Build Your Theme
Now that you have a well-designed website layout, it’s time to bring it to life. One option is to hire a developer and do it the old-school way. The advantage is that your website would be much better performing in terms of Google Core Web Vitals.
If you are a business owner with a smaller budget, you can use page builders and theme builders like Divi and Elementor to build professional-looking websites from scratch without writing a single line of code!
Alternatively, you can get all of this done at a very affordable price when you partner with offshore web development agencies.
Note: You can skip STEP 4 and STEP 5 if you choose to use a pre-made template or theme offered by WordPress or from marketplaces like Envato.
STEP 6: Setup Relevant Plugins
Plugins are very important for WordPress websites. Research, set up, and configure plugins on your WordPress site as you need them. For example, if you hope to start email marketing soon, then install a plugin like Mailchimp to collect emails from users and send them to your email marketing and CRM platform.
Other plugins, like Clickfunnels, will help you create sales funnels for your website to maximize conversions and ROI.
STEP 7: Setup an SSL Certificate
SSL is the abbreviation for Secure Socket Layer. SSL is a data transmission protocol used to secure web and network connections.
In simpler words, an SSL Certificate is a digital certificate that helps keep customer data secure. It validates the website as trusted by the owner of the certificate. When a customer purchases an item or submits personal information on a website, she will see a padlock icon on the left side of the URL. This indicates that an SSL Certificate trusts the site. Every website must have an SSL Certificate installed from an SEO perspective and a User Experience standpoint.
STEP 8: Setup Analytics Tracking
Finally, set up Google Analytics and Google Ads tracking codes (and others if you plan to use any) on your website. These are crucial to help you understand website performance, user behaviors, and what changes you need to make as you go along with your business to maximize revenue.
STEP 9: Have a Backup
Regularly backup your website and its files to local storage space. This will ensure that even if your website is hacked or if it breaks due to an improper plugin update or outdated code, then you have your backup up and running in no time.
All-in-One WP Migration and UpDraft are two very popular WordPress backup plugins that you might want to consider for your website.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our article about how to build a website with WordPress. WordPress is a powerful and flexible platform, and we’re excited to be able to help small and medium businesses start their website building process.
If you need affordable expert help in making a WordPress website, then we urge you to consider offshore web agency service providers.
