If you’re wondering how to build a WordPress website, there are a few fundamentals to become familiar with, first. WordPress is the most popular Content Management System or CMS in the world – and before you know it you will have a custom-built professional website that you can edit to your heart’s content. But, before your WordPress website can take form, it helps to understand how WordPress works.
Learn everything you need to know about getting your WordPress website off the ground. Find out the three components of a WordPress website that you put into place before building the front-end user interface. And, see what makes WordPress.org the most popular CMS on the internet in 2020.
How to Build a WordPress Website Part-I: Getting Started Guide for 2020
If you’re wondering how to build a WordPress website, it all begins by understanding how the CMS works and what makes it unique amongst others. WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS) that serves as the foundation for your website. Before going any further, however, it is important to understand the difference between WordPress.com websites, and WordPress.org websites.
WordPress.org is the open source software on which you can build your website. The software is free and involves a 5-step process to download, install, and set-up on your local server. Once the software is installed, you can build a website from scratch, install themes, or hire a custom web developer.
WordPress.org does not include a host for your website, which is the big benefit offered by this CMS. You can choose a hosting provider that best fits the needs of your website, instead of being pigeonholed. When you create a website on WordPress.com you don’t choose your own hosting service, because it is hosted by WordPress.
WordPress.com provides drag-and-drop editing tools so that you can easily design your websites landing pages and functionality, which is convenient – but limiting. But, whichever CMS you choose, the first step to how to build a website is securing your domain and hosting.
Secure Your Websites Domain Name
The first thing you need to secure for your new WordPress site is a domain name. And, don’t worry if you end up using a different CMS than WordPress, like Magento or Drupal. Your domain name is your overarching claim to your website’s digital identity.
The domain name of your website is what users will enter into a browser. The domain name of your website is as a street address is to a house. It is how your location on the internet is expressed.
All the domain names on the internet are stored in a specific network of servers that are directly linked up with the backbone of the internet. So, when you license your website’s domain name, it automatically marks that name as taken – so no other website can license the same domain. Once your domain name is licensed, you are ready to take the next step in hosting your WordPress website.
Choose a Website Developer
The minute you start looking for WordPress website designs on the internet, the first thing you will see are pre-built WordPress themes. A pre-built theme is an equivalent of buying a modular home. For example, when you want to add a functionality tool or, some off-the-shelf WP themes break.
Custom website developers design and build your WordPress theme from the ground up, so you get exactly the functionality your website requires. Full-stack web developers code every inch of your website’s theme, preserving the versatility and longevity of your website. So, you never have a problem expanding, migrating, or editing your website – even if you take your website to a different web developer then the one who built it in the first place.
Hosting Your WordPress Website
Your WordPress website is a house of data, and it all has to be stored somewhere. That, somewhere, is a server, on which your website data is hosted. Whenever a user wants to access your website, a request is made to the server on which your website data is hosted, and the request is fulfilled back to the user.
The best option is to get a web development company that offers dedicated server hosting. The biggest advantage of combining your website developer with hosting is that often your site’s maintenance is performed in-house, guaranteeing the least downtime on your hosting server.
WordPress works by securing a domain name, engaging a web developer, and hosting your website data. As mentioned before, the best way to begin is to find a custom web developer to guide you through the entire process. Take the next step and call for a free consultation on How to Build a WordPress website for your business or organization.