What You Need to Start a Basic WordPress Website

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In today’s digital era, having a website is essential for individuals and businesses alike. WordPress has emerged as one of the most popular platforms for creating websites due to its user-friendly interface and robust features. If you’re looking to start a basic WordPress website, there are a few essential components you’ll need to get started. In this article, we will outline the key elements required and highlight how you can help you kickstart your online presence.

Domain Name:

A domain name is your website’s address on the internet, such as www.yourwebsite.com. It should be catchy, relevant to your brand, and easy to remember. Choose a domain name that reflects your website’s purpose or your business name. You can search availability and purchase your domain through web hosting providers like Webhosting.uk.

A few key things to consider when choosing a domain name;

Keep it concise and memorable:
Aim for a domain name that is short, easy to spell, and simple to remember. Avoid using hyphens, numbers, or complicated words that might confuse or frustrate potential visitors.
Consider the extension:
The domain extension, is the part that follows the dot in a domain name (e.g., .com, .co.uk, .org, .net). While .com is the most common and widely recognised, there are numerous other extensions available. Consider the nature of your website and target audience when selecting an extension for example if you are only UK based you might want to use .co.uk.
Conduct a domain availability search:
Before committing to a domain name, check its availability using domain search tools. Ensure the name is not already taken or reserved by someone else.

Web Hosting:

Web hosting is like the virtual space where your website is stored. It is essential to choose a reliable web hosting provider to ensure your website is accessible to visitors around the clock. Most web hosting providers like Webhosting.uk will offer various hosting plans tailored to WordPress websites, including shared hosting, managed WordPress hosting, and dedicated servers. Consider your website’s needs and select a hosting plan that suits your requirements and budget.

A few key things to consider when choosing web hosting;

Assess your needs:
Start by assessing your website’s requirements. Consider factors such as the expected traffic volume, the type of website you have (e.g., blog, e-commerce, portfolio), the need for specific software or applications, and the size of your website. This will help you determine the necessary resources and features you’ll require from a web hosting package.
Reliability and uptime:
Look for a web hosting provider with a reputation for reliability and high uptime. Uptime refers to the percentage of time your website will be accessible to visitors. Choose a provider that offers at least 99% uptime to ensure your website is available to users consistently.
Scalability:
Consider your website’s potential for growth. Select a web hosting package that allows for easy scalability, enabling you to upgrade resources and accommodate increased traffic or expanding content without causing disruptions to your website.
Storage and bandwidth:
Evaluate the storage space and bandwidth allocation provided by different hosting packages. Ensure they align with your website’s requirements. If you plan to have a large number of files, images, or videos, or anticipate high traffic, opt for hosting plans with ample storage and bandwidth.
Technical support:
If you’re not confident in building a website check the availability and quality of technical support offered by the hosting provider. Ensure they offer responsive customer support channels, such as live chat, email, or phone support. 24/7 support is ideal in case you encounter any issues or have urgent questions that need addressing.

WordPress Installation:

Once you have your domain name and web hosting in place, the next step is to install WordPress. Most web hosting providers, including webhosting.uk, offer one-click WordPress installations through their control panel. This convenient feature enables even beginners to set up a WordPress website quickly and easily without technical expertise.

Once you have the above 3; domain name, web hosting and WordPress installation you are ready to start designing your website. In this next section we will help you understand the tools you need to get started.

Choose A Theme:

WordPress offers a vast array of themes these determine your website’s appearance and layout. Choose a theme that aligns with your brand, is visually appealing, and suits the purpose of your website. You can explore both free and premium themes from the official WordPress theme collections by clicking the appearance, then theme section in your WordPress dashboard. Customise your chosen theme to create a unique and professional look for your website.

Here are some great themes to help get you started;

Astra Theme:
Astra is a lightweight and beginner-friendly WordPress theme that offers a simple and intuitive interface. It comes with pre-designed starter templates that can be easily imported and customised using the built-in theme customiser. Astra is known for its speed and performance, making it an ideal choice for beginners who want a fast-loading website without compromising on design flexibility.
OceanWP Theme:
OceanWP is a versatile WordPress theme suitable for beginners. It provides a user-friendly interface with a wide range of customisation options. The theme offers multiple demo sites that can be imported with a single click, making it easy for beginners to get started quickly. OceanWP is highly customisable, SEO-friendly, and compatible with popular page builders, allowing beginners to create unique and professional websites effortlessly.
Neve Theme:
Neve is a modern and lightweight WordPress theme designed with beginners in mind. It offers a streamlined setup process and a user-friendly interface. Neve provides a collection of starter sites that can be imported and customised to create beautiful websites. The theme is also optimised for speed and mobile devices, ensuring a seamless user experience for visitors.
Hello Theme:
Hello is a lightweight and minimalist WordPress theme developed by the creators of Elementor itself, Automattic. It serves as a blank canvas, allowing beginners to start building their website from scratch or use it as a base for customisation. Hello is designed to work seamlessly with the Elementor block editor and offers a clean codebase for optimal performance. It is an excellent choice for beginners who prefer a simple and lightweight theme that can be customised to their specific needs without any unnecessary features or bloat. Hello provides a solid foundation for beginners to explore their creativity and build a unique WordPress website.

Plugins and Functionality:

One of the biggest advantages of WordPress is its extensive plugin ecosystem. Plugins enhance the functionality of your website, allowing you to add features and capabilities without coding knowledge. Some essential plugins include security plugins to protect your website from malware and hackers, SEO plugins to optimise your website for search engines, caching plugins for improved performance, and contact form plugins to enable visitor communication. WordPress offers thousands of plugins to choose from, ensuring you can find the right ones to suit your specific needs.

Here are a few plugins we would recommend;

Elementor:
Elementor is a popular page builder plugin that empowers beginners to design and customise their WordPress websites with ease. It features a drag-and-drop interface, allowing you to create visually stunning pages and posts without any coding knowledge. Elementor offers a wide range of pre-designed templates and widgets, making it an essential plugin for beginners who want to create professional-looking websites quickly.
Yoast SEO:
Yoast SEO is a must-have plugin for optimising your WordPress website for search engines. It provides comprehensive tools and features to improve your website’s visibility in search results. Yoast SEO helps beginners optimise their content by analysing readability and providing suggestions for keyword optimisation. It also generates XML sitemaps, manages meta tags, and offers social media integration, making it easier for search engines to understand and rank your website.
Akismet:
Akismet is a powerful anti-spam plugin that protects your WordPress website from comment and contact form spam. As a beginner, managing spam comments can be time-consuming and frustrating. Akismet filters out spam comments and ensures that only genuine comments reach your website. It’s an essential plugin to maintain the integrity of your website’s comments section and improve overall user experience.
UpdraftPlus:
UpdraftPlus is a reliable backup plugin that helps beginners safeguard their WordPress websites. It allows you to schedule automatic backups of your website’s files and database, ensuring that you always have a recent backup available. UpdraftPlus also provides options to store your backups in remote storage locations such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or FTP. In case of any unforeseen events or website issues, you can easily restore your website to a previous working state using the backups created by UpdraftPlus.
W3 Total Cache:
Website speed and performance are crucial factors for a successful online presence. W3 Total Cache is a powerful caching plugin that optimises your WordPress website’s performance by caching its static content. It reduces page load times, improves server performance, and enhances overall user experience. W3 Total Cache also offers additional features like minification of CSS and JavaScript files, content delivery network (CDN) integration, and browser caching, making it an essential plugin for beginners seeking to improve their website’s speed and performance.

Content Creation:

With your WordPress website set up, it’s time to create compelling content. Develop engaging and informative pages that showcase your products, services, or personal brand. Consider incorporating a blog section to regularly publish relevant and engaging articles. WordPress’s intuitive content management system (CMS) and the key plugins mentioned above makes it easy to add, edit, and publish content on your website.

When starting a basic WordPress website, there are several key components to consider. These include securing a domain name, choosing reliable web hosting, installing WordPress, selecting a suitable theme, and utilising essential plugins. Additionally, creating engaging content is crucial to attract and retain visitors. By paying attention to these components and ensuring they work harmoniously, beginners can lay a strong foundation for a successful WordPress website.