{"id":5815,"date":"2021-01-12T17:30:59","date_gmt":"2021-01-12T17:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firstsiteguide.com\/?post_type=guide&p=5815"},"modified":"2024-01-07T13:46:02","modified_gmt":"2024-01-07T18:46:02","slug":"how-to-make-wordpress-website","status":"publish","type":"guide","link":"https:\/\/firstsiteguide.com\/how-to-make-wordpress-website\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make a WordPress Website (2024 Beginner\u2019s Guide)"},"content":{"rendered":"
Today, there are dozens of website building tools available online. You have online website builders, open-source software, and some advanced offline web design tools that you can choose to create your new website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, no matter how popular some of these solutions are, none of them are powering more websites in the world than WordPress with more than a 40% market share<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s explore how to build a website with WordPress \u2013 the most popular website builder and content management system in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n Before I begin this step-by-step guide, I want to explain that there are two different versions of the same platform. Although the name is the same, WordPress.org and WordPress.com are actually quite different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WordPress.org is an open-source platform<\/strong> available for anyone to use for free. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This means that you can download the package and install WordPress locally or on any web hosting service<\/a> that you like. It allows you to create any type of site you wish, practically without any restrictions. Installing plugins and themes is easy, and there are tens of thousands of free ones that will let you explore the world of website builders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, all of this means that you have to know what you’re doing and that you have to get your website online using your own domain name and web hosting account. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, WordPress.com is an all-in-one platform hosted<\/strong> by the company behind it, Automattic<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s similar to many popular website builders<\/a> like Wix<\/a>, Squarespace<\/a>, or Weebly<\/a>, and allows you to focus on the process of building a website. Although there is a free WordPress.com version, you will probably need other features and customization options that are only available in their paid plans (like installing plugins). Many restrictions disappear only if you are opt-in for their more expensive plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The downside of using WordPress.com is that you are getting stuck with that one platform and have to follow their terms of services. But, with WordPress.org you have full control of your website and are able to customize it the way you want to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since we have already discussed the differences, you can see more details about the platforms here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If this is your first time reading about WordPress, it may be hard to grasp all of the differences and decide which one to choose for your first website. I created a simple table that will show you some of the most important features you get or don’t get with the platform along with the prices to help you out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Creating a website with WordPress.org is a good choice. The learning curve is definitely steeper than any other website builder (even WordPress.com), but it’s much more rewarding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you invest enough time into learning and exploring the self-hosted WordPress, you will realize that the possibilities are endless. And if you decide to spend a few bucks on premium themes and plugins, you will be able to create practically any kind of website that you can imagine.<\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Starting a website with WordPress means that you have to find a hosting service. This service will rent a disk space to you where you will store your website, as well as any services needed for everything to run smoothly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the best hosting services for WordPress is Bluehost<\/a>. And this isn\u2019t just my opinion. It’s also one of the few services officially recommended by WordPress. Thus, I’ll be using this company as an example in this tutorial. <\/p>\n\n\nHow to Build a Website using WordPress <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Price and features comparison table <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/td> WordPress.org (Bluehost)<\/td> WordPress.com (Free)<\/td> WordPress.com (Pro)<\/td> <\/td><\/tr> Price<\/strong><\/td> $2.75 per month<\/strong><\/td> Free<\/strong><\/td> $15 per month<\/strong><\/td> <\/td><\/tr> Domain<\/strong><\/td> Custom domain name<\/td> WordPress.com Subdomain<\/td> Custom domain name<\/td> <\/td><\/tr> Storage<\/strong><\/td> 50GB<\/td> 1GB<\/td> 50GB<\/td> <\/td><\/tr> Design Customization<\/strong><\/td> Complete customization<\/td> Basic<\/td>
Advanced<\/td> <\/td><\/tr> Monetization<\/strong><\/td> Full freedom<\/td> Limited<\/td> Full freedom<\/td> <\/td><\/tr> Support<\/strong><\/td> 24\/7 support<\/td> Community support<\/td> Email & Live Chat Support<\/td> <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Option 1: Building your website using WordPress.org <\/h2>\n\n\n\n