Create a WordPress website: complete step-by-step guide

# Create a WordPress website: complete step-by-step guide You want to create your own website and heard WordPress is perfect for that. But where do you start? It might seem complicated, but with this guide you'll have a working WordPress website online within an hour. No technical knowledge needed, no programming, just step-by-step instructions you can simply follow. By the end of this article you'll have a complete website with professional design that you can start using immediately. ## What do you need to create a WordPress website? Before you start you need three things: **1. Hosting (web hosting space)** This is where your website files are stored. Think of it as the land your house (website) stands on. Costs approximately €5-10 per month. **2. Domain name** Your website address, for example yourbusiness.com. Costs approximately €10-15 per year. Often you get this free with your hosting. **3. WordPress software** The software that runs your website. Completely free and usually pre-installed by your hosting provider. Total costs to start: €5-10 per month. That's all. ## Step 1: Choose the right WordPress hosting The most important decision is choosing your hosting provider. This determines how fast your website loads and how reliable it is. **Best choices for beginners:** **TransIP WordPress hosting** - €4.95/month - WordPress pre-installed - Dutch datacenter (faster website) - 24/7 Dutch support - Automatic daily backups - [View TransIP WordPress hosting](/en/providers/transip) **Vimexx WordPress hosting** - €5.95/month - Super user-friendly - Free domain with annual subscription - 1-click WordPress installation - Dutch support via chat and phone - [View Vimexx WordPress hosting](/en/providers/vimexx) **Hostnet WordPress hosting** - €6.95/month - Complete all-in-one solution - Includes email accounts - WordPress + website builder pre-installed - 30-day money-back guarantee - [View Hostnet WordPress hosting](/en/providers/hostnet) My advice: choose TransIP if you want the best price-quality ratio, or Vimexx if you find the most user-friendly interface important. [Compare all WordPress hosting providers](/en/wordpress/hosting) ## Step 2: Create hosting account Let's assume you choose TransIP (the steps are similar with other providers). **1. Go to TransIP.nl** Click on "WordPress Hosting" in the menu. **2. Choose your package** For a starter website, WordPress Start (€4.95/month) is fine. You can always upgrade later. **3. Choose your domain name** Enter the domain name you want (for example yourbusiness.com). TransIP checks if it's available. Tips for a good domain name: - Short and easy to remember - Avoid hyphens and numbers - .com for international websites, .nl for Dutch - Use your business name or what your site is about **4. Extra options** TransIP offers extras like: - WHOIS privacy (anonymous domain registration) - recommended - Extra email accounts - you can always add later - Domain for multiple years - save a few euros **5. Create account** Fill in your details and choose a password. Keep these safe, you'll need them later. **6. Complete payment** TransIP accepts iDEAL, credit card, and PayPal. After payment you get immediate access to your account. ## Step 3: Install WordPress With most providers (TransIP, Vimexx, Hostnet) WordPress is already pre-installed. You can log in directly and start. **WordPress is already installed:** 1. Log in to your hosting control panel 2. Look for "WordPress management" or "WordPress sites" 3. Click on your domain name 4. You'll see the WordPress login credentials 5. Click on the link to wp-admin (for example: yourdomain.com/wp-admin) 6. Log in with the username and password you received **Install WordPress manually (if needed):** If WordPress is not pre-installed: 1. Log in to your hosting control panel 2. Look for "Softaculous" or "1-click installer" 3. Select WordPress 4. Fill in the requested information: - Site name (for example: "My Awesome Website") - Site description (for example: "A blog about photography") - Admin username (don't use "admin"!) - Create strong password - Your email address 5. Click "Install" 6. After 1-2 minutes WordPress is ready You'll receive an email with your login credentials and the link to your WordPress admin panel. ## Step 4: First time logging into WordPress Go to yourdomain.com/wp-admin and log in with your credentials. **What you see: the WordPress dashboard** This is your website's control center. Here you do everything: - Write pages and blog posts - Customize design - Install plugins - Manage users Takes some getting used to at first, but you'll learn it quickly. **Important settings to adjust immediately:** 1. **Go to Settings > General** - Check if your site title and tagline are correct - Set the correct timezone (Amsterdam) - Set language to English (if desired) 2. **Go to Settings > Permalinks** - Choose "Post name" structure - This gives you nice URLs like yoursite.com/about-us instead of yoursite.com/?p=123 3. **Go to Settings > Reading** - Choose if you want a static front page or your latest blog posts - For a business site you usually choose a static page ## Step 5: Choose a theme (design) Your website design is determined by your theme. WordPress has thousands of free and paid themes. **Install free themes:** 1. Go to Appearance > Themes 2. Click "Add New" 3. Browse popular themes or use the search function **Popular free themes for beginners:** - **Astra** - Fast, lightweight, extremely popular - **GeneratePress** - Minimalist and lightning fast - **OceanWP** - Many options, suitable for webshops - **Kadence** - Modern design, good for businesses - **Neve** - Beautiful design, easily customizable My advice: start with Astra. It's popular, fast and works perfectly with page builders. **Install theme:** 1. Search for "Astra" 2. Click "Install" 3. Then click "Activate" 4. Your website now uses this theme **Customize theme:** 1. Go to Appearance > Customize 2. Here you can adjust: - Upload logo - Set colors - Choose fonts - Header and footer layout - Widget areas settings Feel free to experiment, you can always go back with the "Cancel" button. **Import ready-made templates:** Many themes (like Astra) have starter templates: 1. Install the "Starter Templates" plugin 2. Browse through hundreds of complete website designs 3. Choose one that suits you 4. Click "Import" 5. Your entire website design is imported within minutes You can then customize everything to your own preferences. This saves you hours of work. ## Step 6: Install essential plugins Plugins are apps for your WordPress website. They add functionality. **How to install plugins:** 1. Go to Plugins > Add New 2. Search the plugin name 3. Click "Install Now" 4. Click "Activate" **Must-have plugins for every website:** **1. Yoast SEO** (free) - Helps make your website more findable in Google - Gives tips for better content - Automatically creates a sitemap **2. UpdraftPlus** (free) - Automatic backups of your website - Restore your website if something goes wrong - Save backups in Google Drive or Dropbox **3. Wordfence Security** (free) - Protects your website against hackers - Firewall and malware scanner - Login security (2FA possible) **4. WP Rocket** (paid, €49/year) or WP Super Cache (free) - Makes your website faster with caching - Optimizes images automatically - WP Rocket is worth the money, WP Super Cache is a fine free alternative **5. Contact Form 7** (free) or WPForms (freemium) - Add contact form to your site - WPForms is more user-friendly, Contact Form 7 is completely free **6. Elementor** (freemium) - optional but recommended - Visual page builder - drag & drop website creation - No code needed - Free version is already very powerful - Pro version (€49/year) has extra templates and features **Install plugins after installation:** 1. Install Yoast SEO - configure basic SEO settings 2. Install UpdraftPlus - set up automatic backups 3. Install Wordfence - run first security scan 4. Install caching plugin - activate basic caching 5. Install WPForms - create your first contact form ## Step 7: Create your first pages Every website needs at least these basic pages: **1. Homepage** - Go to Pages > Add New - Title: "Home" - Add content (introduction about your business/website) - Click "Publish" **2. About us page** - Tell who you are and what you do - Add a photo of yourself or your team - Explain why visitors should choose you **3. Contact page** - Add your contact details - Place a contact form (with WPForms or Contact Form 7) - Optionally a Google Maps location **4. Services/Products page** - What do you offer? - List of services or products - Prices if applicable **Add content with the Gutenberg editor:** WordPress uses the "Gutenberg" block editor: 1. Click the + icon 2. Choose a block type: - Paragraph for text - Image for photos - Headings for titles - Columns for side-by-side content - Buttons for call-to-actions 3. Type or drag your content in 4. Adjust style in right panel **Or use Elementor page builder:** If you've installed Elementor: 1. Click "Edit with Elementor" 2. Drag widgets to your page 3. Click on elements to edit 4. WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get 5. Much easier for beginners ## Step 8: Create menus Your website needs a navigation menu so visitors can find pages. **Create menu:** 1. Go to Appearance > Menus 2. Click "Create new menu" 3. Give it a name (for example "Main Menu") 4. Check where it should appear (usually "Primary Menu") 5. Click "Create Menu" **Add pages to menu:** 1. Select your pages in the left column 2. Click "Add to menu" 3. Drag items to adjust order 4. Create sub-menus by dragging items to the right 5. Click "Save Menu" Typical menu structure: - Home - About us - Services - Service 1 - Service 2 - Blog - Contact ## Step 9: Secure your website WordPress is secure, but you need to set it up properly. **Security measures:** **1. Strong passwords** - Use password manager (1Password, Bitwarden) - Minimum 16 characters with numbers and special characters - Never reuse the same password **2. Keep WordPress and plugins up-to-date** - Regularly go to Dashboard > Updates - Update WordPress, themes and plugins - Or enable automatic updates **3. Limit login attempts** - Wordfence has this built-in - Automatically blocks after 5 failed login attempts **4. Change the default admin username** - Create a new admin user with unique name - Delete the old "admin" user - Hackers always try "admin" first **5. Activate SSL certificate** - Most hosts provide free SSL - Go to your hosting control panel - Activate SSL for your domain - Your site becomes https:// instead of http:// **6. Automatic backups** - Set up UpdraftPlus for daily backups - Save backups in cloud (Google Drive/Dropbox) - Test once if restoring works ## Step 10: Make your website faster Speed is important for visitors and Google ranking. **Speed measures:** **1. Activate caching plugin** - WP Rocket or WP Super Cache - Activates automatic basic caching - Ensures pages don't have to be regenerated every time **2. Optimize images** - Install Smush or ShortPixel plugin - Automatically compresses images - Never upload unedited 5MB+ photos **3. Use a CDN** - Cloudflare has free CDN - Delivers your website from servers worldwide - Faster loading times for international visitors **4. Choose lightweight theme** - Astra and GeneratePress are very fast - Avoid "heavy" themes with many unnecessary features **5. Limit number of plugins** - Every plugin adds code - More code = slower website - Remove plugins you don't use [Read more about speeding up WordPress](/en/wordpress/speed) ## Write your first blog post Besides static pages you can write blog posts. **Difference page vs. post:** - **Pages**: Static content (About us, Contact) - **Posts**: Time-bound content (Blog articles, news) **Create blog post:** 1. Go to Posts > Add New 2. Add title 3. Write your content 4. Choose a category (General, Tips, News, etc.) 5. Add tags for SEO 6. Set featured image (thumbnail) 7. Check Yoast SEO score (bottom of page) 8. Click "Publish" **Tips for good blog posts:** - Start with catchy title - Use H2 and H3 headings for structure - Add images (minimum 1 per 300 words) - Write paragraphs of max 3-4 sentences - End with call-to-action or question - Link to other relevant posts - Optimize for one main keyword (Yoast helps with this) ## Frequently asked questions about creating WordPress website **Is WordPress free?** WordPress software is 100% free. You only pay for hosting (€5-10/month) and possibly your domain name (€10-15/year). Premium themes and plugins cost extra, but are not needed to start. **How long does it take to create a WordPress website?** With this guide you'll have a basic website online within 1-2 hours. A complete professional website with all content takes 1-2 weeks, depending on how much time you invest. **Do I need to know programming to use WordPress?** No, absolutely not. WordPress is specifically made for people without programming knowledge. With page builders like Elementor you create websites with drag and drop. **Can I switch hosting providers later?** Yes, you can always move your WordPress website to another host. Many providers offer free migration service. [Read our migration guide](/en/wordpress/migrate) for more info. **What's the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com?** WordPress.org is the free software you install on your own hosting (this guide). WordPress.com is a hosted platform where you have limited control and have to pay for everything. **How much does a WordPress website cost per year?** Minimum costs: €60-120/year (hosting). Realistic costs with premium theme and plugins: €200-400/year. Professional websites with custom design: €1000-5000+ one-time + €150-300/year maintenance. ## Practical next steps You now have a working WordPress website. What now? **First week:** 1. Complete all basic pages (Home, About, Services, Contact) 2. Configure all installed plugins properly 3. Test your contact form (send test message to yourself) 4. Write first 2-3 blog posts 5. Share your website with friends for feedback **First month:** 1. Ensure at least 10 pages/posts with good content 2. Optimize all content for SEO with Yoast 3. Submit your website to Google Search Console 4. Start with social media promotion 5. [Fully secure your WordPress website](/en/wordpress/security) **Ongoing:** 1. Publish new content regularly (minimum 1x per week) 2. Update WordPress, themes and plugins monthly 3. Check your Google Analytics for visitor statistics 4. Continuously optimize your website speed 5. Make backups and store them safely **Useful resources:** - [Compare best WordPress hosting](/en/best-wordpress-hosting) - [Move WordPress hosting](/en/move-wizard) - [Compare all hosting providers](/en/compare) - [WordPress knowledge base](/en/knowledge-base) Your WordPress website is now live. Good luck with your online presence!