How to Use WordPress: Ultimate Guide to Building a WordPress Website

But first, let’s answer the question most people have when they begin thinking about their new WordPress website: What is the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com?

Wordpress.org vs. WordPress.com

The difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.comhas to do withwhois actuallyhostingyour website.

你host your own website or blog onWordPress.org, through a third-party hosting provider. You also have to download your WordPress software, buy a domain name on a third-party site, and manage your server. It’s a much more hands-on experience than with WordPress.com.

WordPress.com offers to host your websiteforyou. You also don’t need to download any software or manage a server. If you choose WordPress.com, your website’s URL will look like this: www.mywebsite.wordpress.com. However, you have the option to also upgrade your WordPress.com account and buy a custom domain from a third-party provider (meaning your URL will look like this: www.mywebsite.com).

How to Choose Between WordPress.org or WordPress.com

您可能想知道是否WordPress.org或词Press.com would be a better fit. Let’s review a few more of the pros and cons that come with both options, so you can make an informed decision.

Wordpress.orgis ideal if you want full power over customizing and controlling your website. However, there is a lot more responsibility that comes with managing a WordPress.org website. You have to purchase and set up your own domain name, upload and install plugins and a theme, edit your website’s code, and manage your website’s security. WordPress.org is free to use, but you have to pay for everything else that goes into having a website.

WordPress.comis preferable if you’re looking for an all-in-one option that has most of the hard work done for you. You’ll never need to manage your server, pay for your hosting, or buy a domain. There are also a number of customization options that come with a WordPress.com plan to help you make your website look the way you want it to.

WordPress.com has a free and paid version. If you stick with the free version, you can’t upload any custom themes or plugins, and you will have a WordPress subdomain. However, there is always the option to pay forpremium upgradesand other plans that provide you with even more features and control, as well as the option to buy a custom domain through a third-party site.

WordPress for Beginners: How to Use WordPress

There are a number of ways for you to create your dream website with WordPress. Users generally find the softwareeasy to use, but getting started can be understandably intimidating if you’re completely new to the process. That’s why we have built this “WordPress for Beginners” guide. Want a quick introduction before you dive deep? Check out this helpful video:

For even more resources, we've also compiled some of thebest websites for learning about WordPress— these can be incredibly valuable sources of information as you start you journey.

Below, we will take a closer look at how to start creating your website.

WordPress is by far the今天最受欢迎的CMS. Its ease of use and versatility enable the majority of users and business owners to create a website that works for their needs. Here’s how you can do the same.

1. Select a WordPress plan (WordPress.com only).

To begin creating your website, select a WordPress plan. As stated earlier, with WordPress.org you only have one (free) plan option — but it requires you to buy your domain, hosting provider, plugins, themes, and everything else related to your WordPress site.

With WordPress.com, you’ll have to choose between thefive plansthey offer.

The main differences between these plans are the monthly fee, types of site customization, and the access you get to marketing tools.

2. Set up your domain name and hosting provider.

设置您的域名并选择您的hosting provider for WordPresstypically happen around the same time in the website creation process.

Before we talk about how to complete those tasks, let’s discuss the difference between your domain name and hosting provider.

考虑一下您的域名作为您的家庭地址 - 这是您的访问者在互联网上找到您的网站的方式。您的域名看起来像这样：www.example.com。

你r hosting provider is like your house — it's where your website files are actually stored. Without a hosting provider, your site wouldn’t have space on a server to “live.” Some of thebest WordPressing hostingproviders includeWP引擎,Bluehost, andKinsta.

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How to pick domain and hosting providers

Again, WordPress.orgrequiresyou to create your own domain and find a third-party hosting provider for your website. WordPress.com allows you todecidewhether or not you want a custom domain depending on the plan you choose, but it takes care of the hosting for you.

你r hosting provider is important because it impacts your website’s speed, security, and reliability. There are hundreds of providers to choose from, which is why we put together a list of22 of the best WordPress hosting providersto help you decide what will work best for you. All of these providers meet WordPress’three hosting requirements:

• PHPversion 7.4 or greater
• MySQL version 5.6 or greater OR MariaDB version 10.1 or greater.
• HTTPS support

First, head toBluehost’s websiteand clickGet Started.

From here, you’ll be taken to Bluehost’s pricing page to choose from four plans.

Once you choose your plan and clickSelect, you’ll be taken to another page to sign up with a domain name.

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Once you select your domain name, you’ll be brought to a page to complete your account and billing information for your purchase.

After confirming your account and purchasing your domain, you will gain access to your hosting dashboard where you’ll be able to install the WordPress CMS.

3.安装WordPress。

If you are using a hosting provider outside of WordPress, you’ll need to install the CMS to connect your new domain to your website.

This time, let’s useGoDaddyas an example. (Don’t worry, no matter the hosting provider you choose, this process looks similar.)

Note: If you choose to use a托管wordPress hosting服务喜欢WP引擎orKinsta, you won't need to go through this process, as those services were built specifically for WordPress and will have WordPress installed for you.

To start, log into your GoDaddy account, clickWeb Hosting, and thenManage. You will be brought to a screen with your account details.

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Scroll down and under选项和设置, you will see an area titledPopular Apps. Click on theWordPressapp to begin the installation.

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安装WordPress后，您需要回答有关要使用的域，要安装WordPress的目录和管理员信息的几个问题。

大约24小时后，您的网站将安装到您的托管帐户中，Godaddy将向您发送电子邮件确认。

Now that you have your domain set up and WordPress installed, you'll next need to set up your“Primary Domain”within WordPress, so your visitors see your website when they search your domain.

In WordPress, go toMy Siteand clickDomains. Select the custom domain you want to make your primary domain.

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Then, clickMake Primary.

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确认您打算通过单击进行此更改Update Primary Domain.

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Verify the update was successful by looking for a green box with a checkmark that saysPrimary Domain.

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Now, on to step four: making your website look nice.

4. Choose your theme.

你can customize your WordPress website usingWordPress’ many themes and templates, each of which contains a multitude of layouts, formatting styles, colors, fonts, and other visual options.

WordPress automatically applies a default theme that looks rather plain. You can keep it, but your website visitors may not be so impressed. A custom WordPress theme, whether it’s paid or free, will make your website look appealing and professional to your buyer personas.

Similar to the wide range of hosting providers available, there are also hundreds of themes and templates to choose from. To help you out, we’ve put together a guide to20 of our favorite themes and templatesand categorized them by purpose. Whether you’re looking for a theme versatile enough for multiple different business types, or one suitable for your ecommerce site, portfolio, blog, or business, there’s a theme that will work for your specific needs. On top of your theme, you can further customize your pages with a builder tool likeElementor.

To find a theme that works best for you in WordPress.org, head to your admin dashboard. ClickAppearance, thenThemes. You'll be brought to another screen where you can browse available themes or search for a specific one you have in mind.

一旦你找到完美的主题,简单地安装它to begin customizing. Each theme has different steps required during the customization process, so be sure to follow them closely. If a theme has a website (often accessible through theWordPress theme and template library), check for documentation as you work through the customization process.

5. Add posts and pages to your website.

When you add content to your WordPress website, it’s usually displayed in the form of posts and pages.

Posts (or “dynamic pages”) are typically used for blogs and portfolios because they automatically place your newest website content at the top of your featured content. Pages are static, which is why they appeal more to business owners — the added content stays in the same place.

Posts and pages are the main post types in WordPress. Additionally, there are other native post types, as well as自定义帖子类型. For now, we can just stick to pages and posts.

Start by deciding whether you want a post or page to serve as the homepage (or any page) of your website. To add a post to your website, go to the admin dashboard, clickPostsand then添新.

你can add a title for your post, place photos, change the format, and insert page elements viablocksandshortcodes. ClickSave Draftto save your changes as a draft, or clickPublishto immediately take the post live.

将页面添加到您的网站是类似的过程。在您的管理区域，单击Pages, then添新.

首先，将标题添加到您的页面。接下来，您可以插入照片，嵌入视频并添加内容。请按照相同的步骤为您的网站创建多个页面。完成后，单击Save DraftorPublish.

6.自定义您的网站。

Beyond the theme you choose, there are a number of ways to further customize your website. Let's review a few options.

First, let's customize your site title. Fromyour admin dashboard, selectSettings > General. Here, add your website title and tagline. You can also toggle other basic site information like you URL, email, time zone, and more.

Next, let's customize your reading sections. UnderSettings > Reading, you can change your home page to a static page.

Consider this if you’re a business owner who prefers having content remain in one place on your website. Consider using a dynamic page if you’re a blogger who prefers having your newest content appear at the top of your pages. This way, your visitors can easily find your latest posts.

Thenavigation bar也可定制的。这使你的访客to easily find information on your website.

Add a navigation bar by going to your admin dashboard, clickingAppearanceand thenMenus.

From here, you can determine how you want your bar to look, how many pages you want to include, what you want to title those pages, and what order you want them to be listed in.

Of course, this is just a fraction of what you can do in the dashboard — clickherefor more information on your WordPress site settings and customization options.

7. Install plugins.

Plugins are pieces of software that add functionality to your WordPress website and enhance the user experience. With over55,000available plugins, there are options for most every type of website and user. Some of the mostpopular pluginsavailable include:

• HubSpot WordPress Plugin: Easily add pop-ups, forms, and live chat to your WordPress website. And as an added bonus, pair this plugin, or otherCRM plugins, with your HubSpot CRM.
• The Events Calendar：轻松的活动日历，使您的网站调度活动变得容易。
• Yoast SEO: The go-to plugin to help you with on-page SEO. This app makes sure you’re following best practices before you push your site live.
• TablePress: Need a table on your site? Look no further.
• The SEO Framework:另一个ca的插件n help you master SEO on your site.

To begin installation, head to thePluginssection in your admin dashboard. This shows you all the plugins currently installed on your site. Depending on your host, you might have several plugins installed already. Note that for a plugin to work you must activate it after installing.

To add a new plugin, click添新. Search for your desired plugin and then clickInstall Now, wait a few seconds, then clickActivate.

Get the WordPress CRM plugin that helps you organize, track, and nurture your leads.

8. Optimize your website to increase page speed.

Website performance is a critical part of the user experience. If a page takes too long to load, your visitors will move quickly to another site. You don't want to frustrate visitors with slow speeds.

你can improve your website's performance by enabling browser caching. Browser caching is the process of temporarily storing your网站的数据on your visitors' browsers. That way, your content doesn't need to be sent from the web server for it to appear in the browser, which increases the website speed.

To enable caching for your website, install and activate acaching pluginwith the process described above.

9. Get inspired from WordPress website examples.

As you begin to customize your website, you may feel overwhelmed by all the options you have. Instead of starting completely from scratch, it helps to grab some inspiration from other exemplary WordPress websites. Here are some of our favorites:

99% Invisibleis a popular podcast that focuses on design and architecture. Their website is sleek, modern, and offers easy navigation for visitors to quickly access each podcast episode.

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The Houston Zoo's website displays its main attraction on the homepage. The magnifying glass icon on thetop menu barmakes searching the site effortless.

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Awesome Motive, the creators behind several WordPress projects, engages their visitors with a polished, yet simple website. It features subtle animation to grab people's attention.

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WordPress Website Tips and Tricks

There are a number of WordPress tips and tricks to make your website as impactful and user-friendly as possible — we’ve listed 20 of them below to help you do just that.

1. Focus on the basics并创造一个伟大的user experiencewith a WordPress theme that complements your business and website content.

2. Use dashes and not underscores when naming your filesin WordPress. Google looks as underscores as joiners, meaning your file will look like one big word. That won’t help you with your SEO. Use dashes to make it obvious there are separate words. (For example, use www.example.com/this-is-an-example, not www.example.com/this_is_an_example).

3. Use WordPress’ online supportfor any questions or concerns you may have while creating or using your website. There are a number of论坛和与WordPress专家联系的方法listed on their website.

4. Use Image Alt Text to your advantage.Image Alt Textcan be used toimprove your SEO and Google rankings.

5.Keep yoursidebaras organized as possible. Stick to the essentials and think about what your website visitors and buyer personas真的need quick and easy access to.

6. Back up your website regularly,so if you ever lose access or have technological difficulties, you have everything you need to completely restore your content. There are a number of plugins, such asSnapshot Pro, made specifically for backing up your WordPress content.

7.Learn and understandSEO basicsto ensure your website is completely optimized so you canboost your conversions.

8. Create a custom homepage.As mentioned earlier, WordPress will provide you with a default homepage. Take the time to create your own with athemethat works for your business — remember, this is your visitor’s first impression of your business, blog, or portfolio.

9. Keep an eye on your website’s performanceand know what is and isn’t working for your visitors. There are a number of useful WordPress插件, as well asGoogle Analyticssoftware, to help with this performance.

10. Include an “About Us” page on your websiteto show your visitors you’re a trustworthy person and/or business. “About Us” pages are known to be thesecond most-visited pageson websites (after homepages) — so introducing yourself is important.

11. Make sure your site is secureto ensure there are no hackers gaining entry. Again, there are plenty of插件such asWP Defender帮助您进行安全。

12. Create custom permalinks.Permalinks是您计划在可预见的未来保持静态的永久网址。它们很重要，因为它们可以改善用户体验并增强您Wordpress website SEO.

13. Create a custom navigation bar(as we reviewed earlier) to make your site easy to use for your visitors.

14. Include excerpts on your blog postsso people don’t land on your blog page and see your entire piece at once. By onlyincluding excerpts on your blog page, you make room to list all of your blogs in one location. Visitors can then read the excerpts and click-through to read the posts they are most interested in.

15. Structure your website in a way that makes sensefor your business, visitors, and buyer personas. For example, use posts if you’re a blogger and use pages if you’re a business owner.

16. Remove “Comment” and “Share” buttons from specific pagesof your website. You don’t need (or want) a“Comment” or “Share” button在您的“关于我们”页面或您的任何服务页面上。

17. Consider what your website looks like on mobile.It’s no secret people are searching the Internet while on their phones, tablets, and other mobile devices these days. Consider using apluginto help you achieve a responsive, mobile WordPress design.

18. Use visuals and video contentwhen possible to break up the text on your website pages.

19. Update your WordPress site and pluginsregularly. WordPress will tell you when updates are released. This will keep your website looking fresh and working efficiently.

20. Use social proofto show your new website visitors how many other people have already viewed your site and content. There are插件to help youdo this in a matter of minutes.

21.Pick a CRM that works with your WordPress site. A CRM can help you keep track of the way users are interacting with your website and company. Here'sa list of some of the best WordPress CRM options.

Build a Website With WordPress

有一个很棒的网站很重要。这是你如何connect with your visitors and leads, create a positive first impression with new users, and boost conversions. The good news is creating your own website doesn’t have to be a daunting process…at least not with WordPress.

The easy-to-use CMS offers completely customizable plans suitable for all needs. With no prior knowledge necessary, you can start building your own site for your business, blog, portfolio, or online store immediately.