Create A Website With Wordpress
How to create a website with Wordpress content management system, you do not need to employ expensive web designers to create your own website you just need to learn a bit of basic website design principles.
Four elements are needed to create your website with Wordpress, you need a unique domain name which is your identification over the internet, web hosting where your websites files are distributed over the internet a content management system like Wordpress and creative content.
Step 1/Unique Domain Name
Choosing a domain name is a very important decision that can make your website a success, there many places to purchase domain names from, but we recommend purchasing your domain through A2 Hosting this way your domain name is pointed to the servers where your website is hosted just look for register new domain in your hosting account.
You can use a domain name that you purchased from else where but you will need to point the domain to your new servers through the account where you purchased your domain name from, this is a matter of entering your new servers ip address and name servers which can be found in your hosting account, please read our guide for more detailed information on domain names.
Step 2/Quality Web Hosting
The next step you need to take is to find a reliable web hosting provider, a web hosting provider is required for two reasons you need a hosting server to store and distribute your websites files and security to protect these files from hackers, we recommend A2 Hosting Wordpress plans they provide a very fast and reliable web hosting service.
Web Hosting is an essential requirement for creating a website your websites files need to be distributed over the internet when a person searches and clicks on your link, your website also needs to be secure from hackers your web hosting provider should supply a fast and reliable platform for your website.
A2 Hosting provide Wordpress hosting plans to suit a wide range of requirements with features and resources tailored for personal websites through to international ecommerce websites and local business websites.
The very basics required for a fast and secure website include an SSL Certificate to encrypt files sent oner the internet to protect both you and your website visitors, one click Wordpress installation, email accounts and most inportantly 24/7 customer support, A2 Hosting provide all these requirements and much more with any of there premium Wordpress hosting plans
We provide an unbiased review for A2 Hosting check them out, or visit the A2 Hosting website for more information on there optimized Wordpress hosting packed with features and resources to get you started online.
Step 3/Install Wordpress
Wordpress is one of the most popular content management systems around used by a large portion of the population worldwide to create personal websites, online blog websites and small and large business websites.
Wordpress is fairly easy to learn for beginners and adding content to suit your own taste is fairly straight forward process once you get started, the Wordpress installation through your hosting account is only a very basic website which can be added to at a later time.
Wordpress Automated Installer (recommended)
There are three methods used to install the Wordpress content management system on your A2 Hosting account, the first method is with the automated Wordpress installers, this installation is recommended for novices, if this is the first time you have signed up for a A2 Hosting account the procedure is very easy.
When you order your hosting package with A2 Hosting, you simply select WordPress A2 Optimized in the list of auto-installation options on your account page. After your account is set up with A2 Hosting, WordPress will be ready for you as the automated installers will create the data base, username and install a new Wordpress package for you.
Softaculous App installer
The second method to install Wordpress on your A2 Hosting account is with the Softaculous App installer, you use this method if you already have an A2 Hosting account but never used the Wordpress installer when you signed up for web hosting, the Softaculous App installer is semi automated installer and can be used to install a wide range of applications from Wordpress and Joomla websites to online forums and eCommerce applications, with the Softaculous App installer you need to manually select features and insert passwords and user names.
Wordpress Manual Install
The third and final method to install the Wordpress content management system on your A2 Hosting account is to install manually, this method is best used when you have purchased a Wordpress quick start package from themes suppliers like Template Monster, these quick start packages are ready made websites pre filled with standared content and images to suit a particular theme, you simply replace the content with your own content relevant to your website needs, this method is for beginners with a little bit of knowledge, just follow the instructions below on how to install a quickstart package.
How To Install Wordpress Theme Quickstart
One of the easiest ways to create a beautiful and fully functioning Wordpress website that is well organized full of content and images with out to much hassle is to install Wordpress theme quickstart package.
There are hundreds of quickstart packages available on the internet and range in price from $49 through to $200 depending on the purpose of the quickstart and the intended use of the website we thoroughly recommend Template Monster as they carry a huge range of Wordpress themes.
The process to install a quickstart package is a little more difficult than using the automated installers so we will guide you though the process so that you can create a stunning and fully functioning Wordpress website.
Step One Download the Wordpress quickstart package that you purchased from your preferred supplier, the file will be in a zip file format for ease of downloading store this zip file on your computer.
Step Two If wordpress is not already installed on your server you need to do this now, login to your hosting account and find the softaculous apps installer and select wordpress if you purchased your web hosting from A2 Hosting select Wordpress A2 Optimized and follow the instructions for installation.
Step Three When wordpress has installed you will be taken to the admin area of your website if not login, go to appearance on the left of the admin panal and select themes them add new at the top left of admin, select upload theme then choose file and select the ouickstart package from your computer.
Step Four Your new theme will now be displayed in themes select the theme and click install this process only installs the theme not the content of the quick start package
Step Five Return to appearance and scroll down to import demo data this plugin may not be installed if not download and install from wordpress.org, click on import demo data at the bottom of the page and the process of importing the demo content will start this will take a few minutes to process.
Step Six Your Wordpress website should now be populated with the content from the quickstart you purchased log out of wordpress admin and type in your website url which is (www.yourwebsite.com) you should now have a functioning website.
Add Website Content And Functionality
Website Content
The wordpress admin panal contains many helpful tools for customizing the layout and look of your website, to start a new article click on posts on the left hand side of the dashboard and then add new, add a title to your post a description and the main content of the post, once you have finished your post you can save as a draft or click publish to publish the article live on your website.
To add a new page to your wordpress website find pages in the menu to the left and click on add new, the editor is very much the same as starting a new post, but there are a few more options available.
Then add a title and content to your page, a page will be displayed by a menu item at the top of your website and may contain articles you have posted or may be made up of other content you want to publish on your wordpress website like images or video.
Wordpress Plugins
Plugins are the core of your wordpress website they add functionality and new features to your wordpress website there are thousands of plugins available from third party providers from all corners of the globe.
Plugins are used to add blogs, website security, article editors and various other helpful tools to the admin panal of your wordpress dashboard, for more information on Wordpress plugins.
To install a new wordpress plugin first select a plugin you require from a supplier and store on your desktop then go to your dashboard and find plugins on the left of the page and click add new.
A new page will open and then click on upload plugin at the top of the page then select the zip file that you download from your desktop, next step requires you to click the install button and wait for the installation process to complete the new plugin will be available under plugins, the best place to buy Wordpress plugins is Wordpress.com.
